Tennessee Is Quietly Laying the Groundwork for a 2015 SEC East Title Run
With two weeks left in the regular season, the outcome of the SEC East race is in Missouri's hands.
If the Tigers win out, they will represent the division in the SEC Championship Game for the second straight season. If they fall to either Tennessee or Arkansas, Georgia will travel down the road to the Georgia Dome to take on the SEC West champ.
But what about next season?
.jpg?w=256 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
Missouri doesn't exactly look like world-beaters, Georgia will be replacing quarterback Hutson Mason and presumably draft-eligible junior running back Todd Gurley, Florida will be undergoing an offseason coaching change and South Carolina's defense looks more like a punchline than a power.
Who might step up and become a division-title contender? The Tennessee Volunteers are certainly laying the groundwork for a division championship run in 2015.
Here's why:
The QB of the Future Is Playing Now
When quarterback Justin Worley injured his shoulder during the Ole Miss game, head coach Butch Jones had a decision to make. Would he finish off the season with Nathan Peterman or burn the redshirt of sophomore Joshua Dobbs?
He chose wisely.
Dobbs came in for Peterman during the Alabama game and sparked the offense, and he has since led the Vols to back-to-back wins over South Carolina and Kentucky to bring them to 5-5 and on the brink of bowl eligibility for the first time since 2010.
The dual-threat star has totaled 1,079 yards of offense over the last three games, including 301 passing yards and 166 rushing yards in a 45-42 win over South Carolina on Nov. 1.
As Bruce Feldman of FOXSports.com notes, it's a brand new offense with Dobbs at the helm.
The only two seniors on Tennessee's depth chart—starters or reserves—are offensive tackle Jacob Gilliam and running back Marlin Lane. Dobbs is getting to work with next year's cast right now as the Vols fight for a bowl game, and with another win, will get the luxury of 15 more bowl practices before that game to become even more familiar with the system and his surroundings.
Dobbs is a star now, and he's done it on the fly after Worley's unexpected injury. Imagine what a full offseason of work as the unquestioned starter will do for him.
| Joshua Dobbs | 61-of-99 | 61.6 | 790 | 7 | 2 | 289 | 4 |
| Justin Worley | 157-of-252 | 62.3 | 1,579 | 12 | 8 | -105 | 3 |
| Nathan Peterman | 10-of-20 | 50.0 | 49 | 0 | 0 | 13 | 1 |
Youth Movement
Of the 79 players who have played this year for Jones' squad, 38 (48 percent) made their Tennessee debuts in 2014, according to Tennessee's game notes. Twenty-three of those players (29 percent) were true freshman.
That's remarkable youth for a team that took Georgia to the wire in Athens and came back from two touchdowns late to beat South Carolina in overtime. No, the Gamecocks aren't anything to write home about, but the late comeback on the road was very impressive, and the Vols can use that experience moving forward.
Talented freshmen like running back Jalen Hurd, safety Todd Kelly Jr. and wide receiver Josh Malone have already made their presence felt this year, and, like Dobbs, will benefit tremendously from a full offseason of work in the program.
"I think just the high level of consistency," Jones said of Kelly in quotes released by Tennessee. "What Brian [Randolph] and even LaDarrell [McNeil] bring to the table is a high level consistency. Those live game repetitions, those opportunities and it shows. [Todd Kelly] is an individual who takes great pride in his performance."
What's more, the youth movement will likely continue.
Tennessee currently has the fourth-best recruiting class in the nation committed in the class of 2015, according to 247Sports.com. That class includes 5-star defensive tackle Khalil McKenzie, 5-star wide receiver Preston Williams and seven 4-star players, according to the 247Sports.com composite index.
Will those players start? Maybe or maybe not, but they'll certainly provide depth and push the veterans to be better. That's a win-win for the Vols.
| 1. | Alabama | 4 | 13 | 21 |
| 2. | Florida State | 2 | 11 | 20 |
| 3. | Georgia | 2 | 10 | 23 |
| 4. | Tennessee | 2 | 7 | 26 |
| 5. | Texas A&M | 2 | 10 | 21 |
| 6. | Clemson | 2 | 8 | 22 |
| 7. | South Carolina | 0 | 11 | 27 |
| 8. | Ohio State | 1 | 8 | 20 |
| 9. | USC | 1 | 8 | 17 |
| 10. | Auburn | 1 | 11 | 20 |
Schedule Is Tough but Manageable
With an out-of-conference matchup with Oklahoma and the annual cross-division rivalry with Alabama on the schedule, Tennessee's schedule is not easy. But next year, there are some breaks that could work in Tennessee's favor.
With the exception of the Florida, Arkansas, Georgia stretch in late September and early October, there's some room to breathe for Jones' crew. They've got Western Carolina before traveling to Florida, a bye week before traveling to Alabama, Kentucky before South Carolina and North Texas before playing at Missouri.
Those are four wildly important games for the Vols, and tuneups beforehand will be important.
Tennessee managed to run this season's gauntlet and could wind up 7-5, which is much better than a lot of people predicted, myself included (I had the Vols at 6-6).
The SEC East isn't exactly loaded with tough teams and will be wide open again in 2015. The Vols have the roster, the staff and the ability to walk through if they catch the breaks.
Barrett Sallee is the lead SEC college football writer and video analyst for Bleacher Report as well as a co-host of the CFB Hangover on Bleacher Report Radio (Sundays, 9-11 a.m. ET) on Sirius 93, XM 208.
Quotes were obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted. All stats are courtesy of CFBStats.com, and all recruiting information is courtesy of 247Sports. Follow Barrett on Twitter @BarrettSallee.
.jpg?w=480 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
.jpg?w=600 "Colts Release Kenny Moore")
