Tennessee Football: Are the Vols who we think they are?

Of all teams entering the 2016 football season, arguably no team enters the upcoming season with more hype than the Tennessee Volunteers. There is no doubt the Vols are talented, but will they live up to the hype?

It seems to be an annual story about the return of Tennessee football. Ever since Butch Jones took over for Derek Dooley, the return of the Vols competing for SEC Championships didn’t seem too far off as expectations began to take on a life of their own.

For the past two years, Tennessee has shown glimpses of that return to past glory but has largely fallen short of the loftiest of expectations. A decade-long losing streak to rivals Florida and Alabama and a fourth-quarter collapse against Oklahoma crushed the Vols hopes last year.

They were a few plays away from winning all three instead of losing all three.

That leads the college football world to wonder if the 2016 season will finally be the year that Tennessee overcomes its shortcomings and becomes a national title contender. In the words of Lee Corso, “not so fast my friend!”

Preseason polls have the Vols as a top-10 team, but what have they done to get there? Tennessee has yet to prove they belong there. Tennessee has talent, there is no denying that after what Jones has done on the recruiting trail.

The biggest question is can they put it all together?

Jalen Hurd and Josh Dobbs lead the offense but outside of them, there are more questions than answers. None of the receivers on the current roster had more than 500 yards receiving last year. Can Dobbs trust his receivers? Or will the offense rely more on Jalen Hurd and No. 2 back Alvin Kamara for offensive production?

Jan 1, 2016; Tampa, FL, USA; Tennessee running back Jalen Hurd (1) runs against Northwestern in the 2016 Outback Bowl at Raymond James Stadium. Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports /

Dobbs is critical to the Volunteers chances at winning the SEC East, if Dobbs can take his game to the next level and become more accurate with the football the Vols will be dangerous. Truth is, Dobbs is going to need some help. Not only from the offense playmakers but also from the defense.

Tennessee returns a pretty solid defense and add coordinator Bob Shoop from Penn State, but their main worry would have to be their secondary. If Cameron Sutton had left for the NFL, it would be even worse.

Luckily, they have a playmaker in the secondary who opposing quarterbacks will be actively avoiding. That also means that the rest of the secondary will have to perform at least at an above adequate level to help get the Vols offense back on the field.

At linebacker the Vols are set, they have Jalen Reeves-Maybin who is probably the best in the SEC. The defensive line is loaded with potential, but that potential needs to turn into production, especially in the SEC where interior line play is imperative to success.

All of that sounds good and certainly sounds like the Vols should be able to compete; so where is the issue?

First off, I am not saying Tennessee doesn’t have a shot at winning the SEC East, they definitely do, but Tennessee also has not beaten Florida since 2004. The Gators have their number and history shows even when the Vols should win that game, they don’t. Florida has the talent to win that game and in turn, keep the Vols from winning the East.

But if this is the year the Vols snap the streak and beat Florida and hold off Georgia in the East, that challenge won’t compare to what they’ll see in the SEC Championship Game.

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The biggest challenge for Tennessee will be Alabama. How Tennessee performs in that game will define their season and could determine whether they get a rematch in Atlanta. Tennessee just might win the SEC East, but I’m not buying their chances at winning the SEC and getting a spot in the Playoff.

But that just might be enough for the Vols fans who are hungry for a winner.

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