Tennessee football is 4-1 coming off the bye week. The Vols have seven games in the second half of their season, and it's going to be another SEC gauntlet, starting with Arkansas at home.
With Tennessee's one loss, there isn't a lot of room for error if the Vols want to return to the College Football Playoff. ESPN's Heather Dinich projects the Vols as the No. 11 team in the CFP coming out of the bye week, predicting Tennessee will win every game except its trip to Tuscaloosa.
If the Vols can do that, they will all but secure their spot in the CFP, with primetime road wins at Kentucky and Florida, and home wins against Arkansas, Oklahoma, and Vanderbilt.
However, Tennessee will need to improve in certain areas if it wants to win six of its final seven games and become a CFP contender in back-to-back seasons. Here are three areas Tennessee needs to improve coming off the bye week.
1. Defensive consistency against the run
Tennessee's defense has looked dominant at times, but other times it has struggled to get off the field. The Vols' defense ranks in the top 40 in the country against the run, but allowed 203 rushing yards against Mississippi State and 199 rushing yards against Georgia.
Those numbers are not going to hold up down the stretch of the tough SEC schedule the Vols will have to navigate. It will be next to impossible to beat Arkansas, Alabama, and Florida if the Vols allow 200 rushing yards in those games as well.
If Tennessee wants to make a run at the postseason, it will have to shore up its defensive front and ensure consistency against the run.
2. Protecting the football
After five games, Tennessee has a less-than-impressive turnover margin. While the Vols have done a good job forcing turnovers, including four forced fumbles and four interceptions, the Vols have not done a good job protecting the football.
Tennessee has given up the ball nine times, including four fumbles and five interceptions. Most of those interceptions were off tipped passes, coming down to execution by the wide receivers, but still resulted in turnovers.
The Vols have to do a better job of protecting the football and getting back into a positive turnover margin. Their -1 turnover margin ranks No. 78 in the country, which is not good enough to compete at the highest level.
3. Third down efficiency
Tennessee needs to be better on third down, on both sides of the ball. Tennessee struggled to extend drives on third down against Mississippi State, converting only 35.7% of third-down attempts.
This season, Tennessee averages a 53.1% conversion rate, which is good enough for No. 16 in the country. However, the team struggled to extend drives on offense and get off the field on defense in its games against Mississippi State and Georgia.
Tennessee held a combined 38.4% conversion rate vs Mississippi State and Georgia, while also struggling to get off the field, allowing a 44% conversion rate defensively.
Even if the Vols hold steady with a sub-50% conversion rate on defense, they will need to improve offensively by extending drives and creating extra opportunities to score points.
If Tennessee can improve in those three areas, the Vols will have a good shot to make another run at the CFP, and possibly a run past the first round.
It all starts this week, though, with a tough test against Arkansas. The Vols lost this matchup last year and will look to get some revenge this week at home. Kickoff is set for 4:15 PM ET on the SEC Network.