I don’t think it’s much of a secret that college football fans can be petty as all get out.

Of all the fanbases in the sport, probably the pettiest fans are those of the Tennessee Volunteers. Hey, I should know—I’m a proud resident of Rocky Top. Our fans started a Twitter shitstorm that cost a coach his job before the ink was dry on the page once, and we consider any betrayal of the Power T an egregious moral offense.

So last Saturday, you can imagine I was nervous when noon rolled around and Joey Aguilar, our new star quarterback, took the field for the first time since Josh Heupel essentially traded with UCLA, sending our former golden boy Nico Iamaleava back to California. I knew our guys could handle Syracuse but those 24 interceptions at Appalachian State didn’t look good.

What I and all the fans watching the Syracuse game saw was a young man who’s got arguably better command of what Josh Heupel does offensively than Nico ever did after one game. He’s got work to put in and Georgia’s looming on the horizon, but I think we’re going to be okay.

Then after the Syracuse game turned in our favor, I decided to watch Alabama and FSU.

I was a bit concerned after Bama took a nice 7 point lead on the first drive that maybe, just maybe, the old Crimson Tide might be back. Hoo boy was I ever wrong. Alabama’s a dead program under Kalen DeBoer. No one is scared of that anymore. If that kind of performance is what the Tide’s getting after a “Great week of practice,” then I think Tennessee’s going to march into Tuscaloosa on the third Saturday in October and completely hand them their asses.

Anyway, I went to bed before UCLA played Utah and I’m sorry I did because Nico got smoked in front of all his new friends. By fucking UTAH. It was a lackluster performance that was all too familiar from last year: over-thrown ball, missed wide open receivers, and so much more. Truly brutal and so very deserved for a guy who is going to end up the cautionary tale of NIL in college football.

Nico, my boy, it’s now without dispute. Your dumb ass held out for more money, you ended up getting less money—money that’s now taxed more—and you’re playing for a worse school where you’re coached worse in front of fewer people.

Starting to feel like listening to Daddy was a bad idea, good sir?

Anyway, it’s great as always to be a Tennessee Vol, even when the team’s making me feel like I want to pull every remaining hair out of my head.

I’ll see y’all next week. Anyone else happy to put their emotional well being in the hands of overpaid teenagers for a few months?