It's game week. Yup, we know that Tennessee football fans have been waiting a long time to say that, but it's here. Come Saturday, the Vols will take the field against Syracuse in Atlanta with the hopes of getting off to a flying start. This team is ready to push for a return trip to the College Football Playoff.
Leading up to kickoff, however, ESPN isn't giving Josh Heupel and Co. much of a chance to get that done. In an SEC preview posted earlier this month, ESPN had the Vols in its 'long shots' section for SEC teams and the CFP. Tennessee was joined in that group by Florida, Missouri, Oklahoma and South Carolina.
Tennessee is hoping to get back to the College Football Playoff in 2025
"Tennessee will be looking for a return to the playoff," ESPN stated in its piece. "Nico Iamaleava is out as quarterback, and Joey Aguilar comes in after spending the spring at UCLA. The Vols will again need Tim Banks' defense to carry the load."
It's hard to argue with that part, as there are some unknowns for the Vols with the season around the corner. As has been discussed plenty of times, Nico Iamaleava is now with UCLA and it's going to be the Joey Aguilar show for Heupel in 2025.
Aguilar is known as being a bit of a gunslinger, throwing for at least 3,000 yards in 2023 and 2024 with App State. However, he's got to clean up his interceptions, with him tossing 14 last season - that's a number that simply has to come down.
On defense, defensive coordinator Tim Banks is one of the best in the business and he's got a loaded group of playmakers, including Colton Hood, Jermod McCoy, Joshua Josephs and others. If the defense can be as good as advertised, it will help Tennessee surprise a lot of people. Also, if Aguilar proves to be the next big thing in the SEC, Heupel will really be cooking with charcoal.