Count Tennessee alumnus Paul Finebaum among those who is simply disappointed with the state of the Volunteers football program.
Tennessee lost 45-7 on Saturday afternoon to No. 1 Alabama, marking Tennessee's 11th straight loss to the Crimson Tide. At the end of the game, Finebaum sent out this simple message detailing how far the Tennessee program had fallen that a 45-7 loss "feels perfectly normal".
The worst part for Tennessee fans? Finebaum is exactly right.
Prior to this streak by Alabama, the rivalry between the two teams was essentially in a dead heat in terms of wins by each side. There has been nothing resembling a "dead heat" in the past decade, though, as eight of the Alabama wins during this 11-game streak have been by 20 or more points. Before, a 38-point loss by either side in this rivalry would have seemed absurd, but it's become the new normal for the Volunteers.
Of course, the fall by Tennessee shouldn't just be matched up against the rise of Alabama under Nick Saban. Between 1993 and 2007, Tennessee had nine seasons where they won 10 or more games. Since then? Zero, with the two nine-win season by Butch Jones actually representing the high point of Tennessee football over the past ten years.
Tennessee plays at Kentucky next week.
