Tennessee's Plan To Win A National Title: Divine Intervention
Michigan had Connor Stallions, Tennessee has The Pope.
For a lot of folks in Knoxville, the goal is to make things "feel like 1998."
With the Volunteer State's most recent visitor, however, things are starting to feel a lot more like the 4th Century A.D. (apparently that's when the Catholic Church was formed).
Well, well, well! Looks like His Holiness has been introduced to the world of SEC football, and luckily for Vols fans, UT was the first school to get in on the Pope Leo recruiting sweepstakes.
They might have to run this one by NCAA compliance offices though, because I'm pretty sure this counts as an official visit.
I often get frustrated with my teams (especially my college program) for not doing everything inside and outside the lines to win a championship, so I have to applaud Tennessee for taking a more circuitous approach to "win at all costs."
If fast food bags full of money for recruits don't work, turning to divine intervention seems like the next logical step for the Vol faithful.
Hey, the Michigan Wolverines enlisted Connor Stallions to help them finally get over the Ohio State hump. Surely Rocky Top can expect something similar from the Pope.
Upon further inspection, it looks like the politicians who presented Pope Leo his personalized Vols jersey forgot to remove the price tag, and the comments section made sure to point out the faux pas.
Oof! So close, gentlemen!
Oh well, it's the thought that counts, and I'm sure Pope Leo will overlook this when he's praying for the good fortune of the Vols this weekend against Georgia.
I wrote earlier about how Joey Aguilar should be viewed as a legitimate Heisman contender, but that was before I found out about this holy jersey swap.
It might be time to set your expectations a little higher, Vols fans.
With the power of the Catholic Church by your side, every year might feel like 1998 moving forward.
And if Tennessee does end up winning it all this year, that might be the Pope's biggest miracle he's ever performed in Catholicism's storied history.