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Tennessee football’s 2022 schedule: Ranking games by importance

By Caleb Calhoun

Sep 1, 2018; Charlotte, NC, USA; A Tennessee Volunteers helmet is seen pregame before the game against the West Virginia Mountaineers at Bank of America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Ben Queen-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 1, 2018; Charlotte, NC, USA; A Tennessee Volunteers helmet is seen pregame before the game against the West Virginia Mountaineers at Bank of America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Ben Queen-USA TODAY Sports /
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Sep 18, 2021; Laramie, Wyoming, USA; A general view of a Ball State Cardinals helmet during game against the Wyoming Cowboys at Jonah Field at War Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Troy Babbitt-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 18, 2021; Laramie, Wyoming, USA; A general view of a Ball State Cardinals helmet during game against the Wyoming Cowboys at Jonah Field at War Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Troy Babbitt-USA TODAY Sports /

10. Ball State Cardinals

Thursday, Sept. 1; Neyland Stadium; Knoxville, Tenn.

Being a Group of Five opponent, even a MAC opponent, alone isn’t enough to usually be at the bottom of the list of important games for Tennessee football. Remember, the Vols were shocked by the Georgia State Panthers in their 2019 opener, and that was Jeremy Pruitt’s second year. This is the opener for Josh Heupel’s second year.

Add in the fact that the Ball State Cardinals went to a bowl game last year, and there is reason to believe that this is slightly more of a toss-up game than the circled losses. However, that’s not the case if you look a bit deeper. Ball State went 6-7 last year, and they lost everybody on defense.

Given the way Josh Heupel’s offense works, padding stats against far inferior defenses early on, that’s a deadly situation for them to be in. Add in the hype behind the program and what will be happening at Neyland Stadium on a Thursday night, and it’s hard to see the Vols not running away with this one for a dominant victory.

They’ll have to play a bit harder in this one than they will for Akron or UT-Martin, and yes, they do need to win it. Add in that it’s the opener, and the excitement for this game will be greater than what it usually is for such an opponent. However, Tennessee football won’t need too much of it, and on paper, it’s as good a win as Akron.

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