All for Tennessee
Fansided

Tennessee Football: Vols Ranked No. 5 in ESPN’s 2016 Preseason Football Power Index

By Caleb Calhoun

Sep 12, 2015; Knoxville, TN, USA; Tennessee Volunteers mascot carries the flag through the fans during Vol Walk prior to the game against the Oklahoma Sooners at Neyland Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jim Brown-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 12, 2015; Knoxville, TN, USA; Tennessee Volunteers mascot carries the flag through the fans during Vol Walk prior to the game against the Oklahoma Sooners at Neyland Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jim Brown-USA TODAY Sports /
facebooktwitterreddit

Tennessee football is looking better and better for 2016. The most recent ESPN Football Power Index for 2016 now has the Volunteers ranked at No. 5.

When you return 20 of 24 starters plus an All-American kick returner coming off a 9-4 season and a Top 25 finish in the SEC, the expectations are going to be a bit higher.

Related Story: Vols Signing Day Grades

Couple that with the addition of four elite junior college prospects and the fact that your team did not lose any game in regulation by more than five points last year, and the expectations skyrocket.

Adding the best defensive coordinator in the country might help as well.

Such is now the case with the Tennessee Vols.

Entering his fourth year, Butch Jones has completed his rebuilding process, and the media has picked up on it. Tennessee ranks No. 5 in ESPN’s early Football Power Index rankings for 2015.

According to FPI, here are the top five college football teams for 2016:

#1- LSU
#2 – Florida St
#3 – Oklahoma
#4 – Clemson
#5 – Tennessee

— ESPNU (@ESPNU) February 4, 2016

The good news is the Vols are a Top 5 team. But after taking a look at this list, a strong case could be made that they should be higher.

Florida State being ahead of them makes sense simply because of how loaded they are talent-wise. The LSU Tigers do have lots of experience and simply struggled late in the season, but the talent is there.

However, the Vols and Oklahoma Sooners played to double-overtime this past year before Oklahoma won. Meanwhile, Oklahoma did lose seven starters from last year’s team and lucked out in winning the Big 12, and Tennessee was a much better team later in the season than it was when it played the Sooners.

At the same time, the Clemson Tigers had a more difficult time with the Alabama Crimson Tide and the South Carolina Gamecocks than the Vols did this past year, and they lost seven starters on defense alon.

So honestly, when you look at these ranking, it’s hard to see how Tennessee wasn’t No. 3. Florida State and LSU are obvious choices, but the Vols are right there after them.

More volunteers: 5 Things that Went Right for Vols on Signing Day

And only Alabama has a real shot to challenge those three if you look at the facts simply due to how much ridiculous talent that have brought in.

One thing’s for sure, though. The expectations for Butch Jones and his football team are back.

Home/Vols Football