Tennessee likely costs itself SEC East title with stunning loss to South Carolina

Published Nov. 15, 2016 3:19 p.m. ET

Aaron Torres

Saturday was a day full of upsets in college football but there was one that no one could have possibly seen coming.

The Tennessee Vols got stunned by the South Carolina Gamecocks 24-21 on Saturday, and in doing so, they might have cost themselves the SEC East title and a shot at the conference title game in Atlanta.

Even after losing to Texas A&M and Alabama in back-to-back weeks, the schedule seemed to line up nicely for the Vols to make a run to Atlanta. Tennessee's only remaining games were against lowly South Carolina, Missouri, Kentucky and Vanderbilt. If Florida lost even one conference game (which seems likely with trips to LSU and Arkansas remaining), the Vols would be poised for the title game, as long as they didn't screw up.

But that's exactly what they did.

The Gamecocks entered Saturday at 3-4 with their wins against Vanderbilt, East Carolina and UMass -- not exactly a murder's row of college football competition. Everyone expected the Vols to cruise.

Instead, they laid an egg, falling down 14-7 at halftime and 17-7 late in the third. Even after rallying to cut the lead to 17-14, South Carolina put up another touchdown, which would end up being the difference.

Tennessee had a chance to tie things up with a field goal at the end of regulation but it fell short.

And with that missed field goal, the team's SEC East title hopes might have just gone with them. The Vols will now need to win out and get some help from Florida (in the form of two conference losses).

It's not likely and the Vols have no one to blame but themselves.