The 2016 Tennessee Volunteers are ranked inside the preseason top 10 for the first time since 2005. It’s been 11 years since such lofty expectations were thrust upon the Big Orange of Knoxville. But, Butch Jones’ squad is garnering a lot of attention in the offseason so far. The Vols have been ranked as high as seventh in some preseason polls – no further down than 12th in others.
Why? Well, for starters, they have one of the best players in college football today at quarterback: Joshua Dobbs. They have a brutal, steam-rolling running game that led the Vols to a 6-0 charge to close the 2015 season. The SEC East appears to be set for a down year.
The problem is that Tennessee has been in a state of rebuilding since Philip Fulmer left town. Lane Kiffin and Derek Dooley have come and gone, Jones is entering his fourth season as coach of the Volunteers. In that time, it’s been more of the same. Rebuild after rebuild. The fan base is getting antsy. Until they prove improvement on the field, the fans are going to be anxious. Still, this certainly seems like the year for the team to finally break through.
Bottom line: a lot of variable are interacting, and Tennessee seems set to encounter that rare season during which talent meets opportunity. It’s fascinating.
How Tennessee wins the SEC
Signature wins – The Vols came so incredibly close to finally exorcising the demon that is the Florida Gators, they gave the National Champion Crimson Tide one of their toughest games of the season, and they should have beaten Oklahoma in overtime. If this team is going to live up to a top-10 preseason ranking, it’s going to need one of these signature wins.
Florida comes to Knoxville on September 24th. Alabama comes to Knoxville on October 15th. If Tennessee expects to be in the SEC Championship hunt come November, they have to win one, if not both of these games. Catching them both at home this season is imperative to a successful 2016 campaign.
Joshua Dobbs has a Heisman-worthy season – Dobbs is the weapon of all weapons in the SEC. Seriously, there isn’t a single player in the league who has a similar skill set and value to his team. Last season’s 15 passing touchdowns, 11 rushing touchdowns, and 58-yard touchdown reception still weren’t enough to get over the 10-win hump.
Dobbs will have some support; the strength of this Volunteer team is going to be the rushing attack – I don’t think that’s a secret to anyone. But, he will have to put this team on his back and have a season the likes of Cam Newton’s 2010 or Johnny Manziel’s 2012 to get his team to Atlanta.
That’s not out of the realm of possibility, folks. In fact, I’ve already pegged him on our Heisman Watch.
The SEC East is as bad as predicted after all – this is the perfect time for the Vols to step up and capitalize on a transition period in the SEC. Florida will have an elite defense, but they have serious questions on offense. Georgia and South Carolina are both under new regimes. After a hot start in the conference, Missouri has descended back down to mediocrity. Kentucky and Vanderbilt seem to be the only other programs in the SEC East on the rise. Neither appear to be close to the level of Tennessee. If ever there was a season in which the Vols could tally a 6-0 record against the rest of the division, it’s this one.
How Tennessee loses the SEC
The dreaded slip-up – The lack of signature wins under Butch Jones will leave doubt in the minds of Vols fans until the program wins one of these games. That being said, Tennessee has to take care of the teams they’re supposed to beat. Look no further than 24-20 Arkansas last season. I’m circling October 8th, when the Vols travel to Kyle Field for a date with Texas A&M. Despite all of the perceived uncertainty abound, Kevin Sumlin’s team is going to be competitive this year.
Throw in the Battle at Bristol against Virginia Tech, and road trips to sneaky good defenses at South Carolina and Vanderbilt, and there are plenty of potholes for this team to hit on the road to Atlanta.
The SEC East is actually good – It seems as though the media is totally writing off Florida and Georgia. The assumption is that because of coaching changes and the usual give and take of players leaving, Tennessee is now head and shoulders above both of these programs. What if that simply doesn’t happen? More so, what if Kentucky and Vanderbilt take the next step in their ascension above mediocrity? What if South Carolina and Missouri aren’t the catastrophes many are predicting them to be? What’s the saying? There’s a reason they play the games. It could be that we’re all just terrible at predicting football.
Status quo – The mantra under Jones seems to have been “beat the teams you should, but never the ones you shouldn’t” for years now. That status quo will no longer do. For the first time in years, Tennessee has one of the most talented rosters in the nation. They have to use that edge in 2016. The status quo just won’t cut it, and if this season is more of the same, the seat under Jones could ignite.
Regardless, Tennessee is going to be one of the most intriguing teams to watch this season. You can cite your Washington Huskies, Louisville Cardinals, or Miami Hurricanes. None of them are entering such a ‘boom or bust’ season as the Volunteers.
Stoney Keeley is the editor of the SoBros Network, Tennessee Titans Featured Analyst for Pro Football Spot, and covers the WWE for WrestlingNews.co. Follow on Twitter @StoneyKeeley,@PFSpot, @WrestlingNewsCo
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