SEC Football Preview: Five biggest questions for 2015

Jan 2, 2015; Jacksonville, FL, USA; Tennessee Volunteers head coach Butch Jones admires the MVP trophy of quarterback Joshua Dobbs (11) after their 2015 TaxSlayer Bowl game against the Iowa Hawkeyes at EverBank Field. The Tennessee Volunteers beat the Iowa Hawkeyes 45-28. Mandatory Credit: Phil Sears-USA TODAY Sports

2. How good is Tennessee?

Honestly, I have no idea what Tennessee Head Coach Butch Jones is doing in the picture above but I digress. One of the most interesting things to watch each offseason is everyone mentioning their dark horse candidates. What begins to happen is everyone lists the same candidates which then disqualifies them from being a dark horse candidate in the first place. This year, that team is Tennessee.

There is good reason to do so. Tennessee has had a top-10 recruiting class each of the past two years. These players have played and are now becoming leaders on the team.

However, last season the Volunteers finished 7-6 and were just 3-5 in conference play. Does that disqualify them from having a better 2015 season? No, the Volunteers should continue to improve, but I believe Georgia and Missouri are the safer bets.

That said, I am just as intrigued as anyone to see how Tennessee does this season. When the Vols are good it is good for college football. When both Florida and Tennessee were experiencing success their matchup every season was must-see television. Now, the SEC East finds itself in the large shadow of the SEC West. If teams like Tennessee can take the next step that shadow will begin to get smaller.

Next: Which coordinator makes biggest impact?