After Destroying LSU, Tennessee Set to Test Convincing Rise in SEC Gauntlet

Only five games into the 2022 season, the Tennessee Volunteers have put together nothing short of a program-changing year.

Week after week, the Vols keep hitting valuable landmarks. Earlier this season, they defeated a marquee nonconference foe with an overtime win against then-No. 17 Pitt. They held off a late charge by then-No. 20 Florida, snapping a five-game losing streak to the rival Gators and securing only the second triumph in the series' last 18 matchups.

And on Saturday, Tennessee straight up steamrolled a ranked SEC team on the road.

Star quarterback Hendon Hooker accounted for 295 yards and two touchdowns in a 40-13 obliteration of No. 25 LSU, ending a five-game skid against the hosts. Tennessee's offense racked up 502 yards despite missing star receiver Cedric Tillman (ankle). Meanwhile, the defense held LSU to 355—and 177 of those happened in garbage time after UT had built an overwhelming 37-7 lead.

Tennessee is now 5-0 and has toppled three Top 25 opponents, both of which hadn't occurred since 2016. The eighth-ranked Vols are higher in the AP Top 25 than any season since 2006. Between those triumphs and the trend-busting wins, this is already a successful year.

More importantly, though, Josh Heupel's squad is passing the eye test. No, we're not crowning the team a national title threat. But to this point, Tennessee has looked fantastic against a demanding schedule.

Hooker, a dual-threat star, has guided one of the nation's most explosive offenses to 46.8 points per game. Tennessee entered Week 6 with 11 gains of 40-plus yards—tied for the second-most nationally—and added three more, including this perfectly thrown 45-yard ball to Jalin Hyatt.

The dominant win in Baton Rouge formally pushed a lingering question into the spotlight: Exactly how good is Tennessee?

In a sports world full of sizzling takes and hyperbole, it's not glamorous to sidestep an answer or embrace nuance. But the obvious truth, based on the upcoming slate, is we're about to find out quickly. And while UT has earned three quality wins in convincing fashion, the competition level is also set to rise significantly.

After all, the Third Saturday of October is due up next.

The century-long rivalry with the Alabama Crimson Tide is primed for a long-awaited return to the national stage. There isn't a more exasperating game on the schedule for the Vols.

Look, it's bad enough that Bama boasts a 15-game winning streak—one that encompasses the entirety of Nick Saban's time in Tuscaloosa. But the Volunteers have owned a Top 25 ranking in only two of those 15 contests.

Even on paper, this matchup has hardly been competitive lately. The results have told a similar story, too. Tennessee has stayed within 20 points—twenty!—of the Tide just three times in Saban's tenure.

And that's merely Step 1 of a gauntlet.

Following a clash with lower-division Tennessee-Martin, the Volunteers host No. 13 Kentucky and travel to No. 2 Georgia in a pair of critical SEC East showdowns.

Kentucky isn't a dreadful matchup for the Vols historically, considering they've won 34 of the last 37 meetings. Still, UK is a rising program that's been consistently competitive in the last half-decade.

Georgia, on the other hand, hardly needs an introduction.

The reigning national champs—and four-time SEC East winners since 2017—own a five-game winning streak against UT. Worse yet, the Kirby Smart-led Dawgs hold a 207-64 scoring edge in those outings and have rolled to margins of 23-plus points in each year.

Any hopes that Tennessee has of competing for a conference title, or more, will be determined within the next four games.

The odds will be against the Vols navigating this challenging stretch of games. With or without star quarterback Bryce Young, the Tide should be favored next weekend. Tennessee will certainly be the underdog when it heads to UGA, too.

That part isn't new. The results—as far as wins or losses are concerned—might not be terribly different, either.

No matter what happens, Heupel and his staff have already made tremendous progress. After many years of disappearing in difficult games, though, the Vols actually look capable of sticking with national contenders. Tennessee is built for more than moral victories.

There won't be a better opportunity to prove it than right now.