Tennessee Football: 3 reasons the Volunteers will struggle in 2020
By John Vogel
3. The grueling SEC-only schedule
This is going to be the top reason for every school in the conference. The schedule this season is absolutely grueling. It’s going to test the mental fortitude of the team as well as their physical strength.
Tennessee’s schedule is as follows:
- at South Carolina
- Missouri
- at Georgia
- Kentucky
- Alabama
- at Arkansas
- Texas A&M
- at Auburn
- at Vanderbilt
- Florida
The West opponents are brutal for Tennessee, who won’t really have a break throughout the season. Texas A&M looks stronger this year than they’ve looked in a long time and Auburn is always a tough team to play. Combine that with Alabama, Georgia and Florida and this team could really struggle to make it to .500.
Tennessee is going to have to show strength as a balanced offense and a strong defense. Head coach Jeremy Pruitt is a defensive-minded guy, so perhaps he and his staff can elevate the defense.
Still, it’s brutal, and SEC schools aren’t used to playing five road games through the year. Anything is possible.