It actually wasn’t as big of a jump as it was from the beginning of last season to the end of last season, but given the way Tennessee football shocked expectations, that was to be expected. As a result, it was a big enough jump to vault them into the top 25.
UT is No. 24 in the official ranking of all 131 FBS teams by CBS Sports. That’s a 20-spot jump from where the Vols finished the end of last season in the ranking, which just had 130 teams at the time. The James Madison Dukes being FBS now makes it 131.
Only five other teams had bigger jumps than Rocky Top. This ranking is actually a 44-spot jump from where they began 2021, so UT went from No. 68 to No. 44 to No. 24. Here is what was written about Tennessee football and the reason behind their jump.
"Bringing back QB Hendon Hooker and key pieces of the offense set up Tennessee to once again have one of the most successful offenses in the SEC, but can the Volunteers get enough stops for a big step forward? This ranking position suggests our voters believe Tennessee is in the mix for second place in the SEC East, which would be an impressive step forward for Josh Heupel’s program."
All of this is accurate. The projected jump behind the Vols this offseason is warranted because of the amount of talent they bring back. UT has its go-to receiver, its star quarterback, almost its entire offensive line and most of its key running backs returning.
Meanwhile, although there are tons of questions surrounding the defense, most of the starters are back. Josh Heupel did a great job in the transfer portal to address key issues as well, so an expected leap in his second year would naturally mean a big improvement over 7-6.
What’s scary for the Vols is that two teams on their schedule had bigger jumps from the end of last year, the Florida Gators and LSU Tigers. However, they are both still lower than Rocky Top at No. 30 and No. 31 respectively, and the only reason behind their jumps is the momentum their new head coaches are bringing in.
You can’t ignore the fact, though, that they still have new head coaches. No matter how much faith you have in Billy Napier at Florida and Brian Kelly at LSU, the ups and downs of first-year head coaches along with the struggles both teams had last year have to give Tennessee football an advantage when playing them.
In fact, the Alabama Crimson Tide at No. 1, the Georgia Bulldogs at No. 3 and the Kentucky Wildcats and No. 23 are the only teams ranked ahead of the Vols who are on their schedule. The Pittsburgh Panthers are at No. 25.
Still, that means four top 25 teams and six top 31 teams are on their schedule. Although Kentucky travels to UT, which could nullify them being one spot ahead, the Vols do have to visit Pitt. They also have to visit LSU, which could wipe out the projected difference in this ranking.
As a result, this schedule still puts 7-5 back on the table for Tennessee football. However, 10-2 is just as likely, and 8-4 or 9-3 would be a step forward for the Vols. In terms of talent, though, it’s right to expect a big jump. Otherwise, concerns about Heupel will start to grow.