Sept. 5 – LSU Tigers (Game One)
Game that’s replaced: Charlotte 49ers
Yes, the defending national champion LSU Tigers are on this list. Okay, hear us out. Tennessee football is going to have to play some tough SEC West teams. Sure, this means facing LSU and the Alabama Crimson Tide, but again, this is about when they face those teams. Facing LSU in the opener may not be a bad idea if you look at how these teams are stacked.
The Vols are among the most experienced teams in the league. That’s pretty well-documented, and they also won six straight to end last season. LSU, meanwhile, despite winning the national championship, lost almost everybody, including 14 players to the NFL Draft, seven of its 11 All-SEC players and its Heisman Trophy winning quarterback Joe Burrow.
That means Ed Orgeron has lots of rebuilding to do. With the pandemic canceling spring ball and limiting preseason practices, there is no way LSU, who returns only eight starters, will have its team in full gear by the Sept. 5 opener. As a result, knowing that the Vols have to play elite teams from the West, using one of them on LSU early in the season may not be such a bad idea.
Remember back in 1998 when the Vols won the national title? Their toughest game that year was the opener at Syracuse. Now, other opponents were better. But UT was easing in Tee Martin to replace Peyton Manning while Syracuse had a veteran in Donovan McNabb. That made for a brutal game. Such a thing could happen here to LSU.