With outlet after outlet continuing to show high expectations for Tennessee football entering Josh Heupel’s second season on the jobs, those that are perceived to have a bias against the Vols are getting in on the action. Yes, Public Enemy No. 1 is part of that.
As Bill Connelly of ESPN detailed his preview of the SEC East this year, high expectations for the Vols were once again a huge story. Using offensive and defensive rankings plus the SP+ formula, Rocky Top is projected second in the division just behind the Georgia Bulldogs.
In addition to Tennessee football being picked that high, the Vols joined UGA as one of only two schools in the division to have multiple players listed by Connelly on the 10 players he likes. Hendon Hooker and Jeremy Banks made that list. Here’s a bit of what Connelly said about UT having such a high SP+ rating.
"There are numbers to back up the sentiment. I’m not going to try to justify a top-10 SP+ ranking to you; even though SP+ is adjusted for tempo, the ability of Josh Heupel’s offense to not just outplay lesser defenses but utterly destroy them seems to almost rig SP+ in its favor."
On one hand, this standing would seem to be by default. The Missouri Tigers had a disappointing season last year, the South Carolina Gamecocks are still rebuilding under Shane Beamer, and the Florida Gators are undergoing a coaching change.
However, many analysts have been placing the Kentucky Wildcats ahead of the Vols. UK is picked behind Florida in this projection, which is a bit of a shock. Since both teams have to travel to the Vols, the schedule clearly favors them to a degree.
Scheduling combined with returning talent and a superstar quarterback leading that talent all come together to create these expectations for the Vols. If these picks hold, then UT should have at least eight wins in them once you add their three non-Power Five games.
That could bring the whole season down to the LSU Tigers and Pittsburgh Panthers, both on the road, assuming they lose to both Georgia and the Alabama Crimson Tide. Still, Tennessee football really does seem to be in a good position for a strong season, partially by default and partially by talent. That’s why they’re picked so high here.