Tennessee Volunteers Will Be the Deciding Factor in the SEC East This Season
The last four years have been controlled by two teams in the SEC East, the Georgia Bulldogs and the Missouri Tigers. Georgia won the division title in 2011 and 2012 and Missouri followed with division titles the next two years. In 2015, the Tennessee Volunteers should insert themselves into the mix for a trip to Atlanta.
Few teams ended 2014 with as much momentum as Tennessee, as it won four of its final five games, including a victory over Iowa in the TaxSlayer Bowl.
Tennessee is the biggest difference-maker in predicting the SEC East race because nobody is completely sure what to expect out of it.
The Vols return an SEC-leading 18 starters and also brought in the nation's No. 4 recruiting class. That should warrant obvious improvement in Knoxville this season, but some will take the "it's still Tennessee" attitude.
Tennessee has been down for some time now, but with back-to-back top-10 recruiting classes, head coach Butch Jones has built up enough talent on Rocky Top to make the Vols a serious threat in the SEC.
For the first time in nearly a decade, Tennessee fans have reason to be excited for the start of a college football season and not just because of the sweet new Nike uniforms.
When looking at the other teams in the East, Georgia and Missouri don't seem to be moving from the top of the division. Florida should improve under Jim McElwain, but a first-year turnaround to Atlanta would be a big surprise.
South Carolina looks like it could be in for a rebuilding year after losing starting quarterback Dylan Thompson and eight other starters. Last and also least, there's no reason to believe Kentucky or Vanderbilt will break out from bottom-dweller status in the East.
Tennessee is the team of mystery in the SEC. Will the Vols take the next step and compete for a division title? Or will they fail to live up the offseason hype?
The answer to that question will play a large part in determining who gets to represent the East in Atlanta in December.
For the Vols, the talent is evident.
Tennessee will be led by quarterback Josh Dobbs in 2015. Dobbs played in only six games last season, throwing for 1,206 yards and nine touchdowns. He also added another eight scores on the ground.
Dobbs took over the Vols midway through the Alabama game and led Tennessee to a 4-1 record in his five starts. He's an excellent athlete and a true dual threat capable of beating defenses with his arm or legs.
He can get outside the pocket to create plays but does a good job of keeping his eyes downfield when scrambling to look for open receivers. New offensive coordinator Mike DeBord has to feel confident with Dobbs leading his offense.
In Dobbs' first full season as a starter, he also has plenty of weapons to work with.
The Vols return leading rusher Jalen Hurd as well top pass-catchers Pig Howard and Von Pearson. In case that wasn't enough, Tennessee also brought in top JUCO running back Alvin Kamara and 4-star receiver Preston Williams in the 2015 recruiting class.
The offensive line was a question mark for Tennessee a year ago, but four of the five starters on that offensive line are back in 2015.
If the offensive line improves, the Vols certainly have the skill players to put a lot of points on the board.
On the defensive side, there might not be the same level of depth. But there are still plenty of playmakers, despite the loss of linebacker A.J. Johnson.
Defensive end Derek Barnett, linebacker Curt Maggitt and cornerback Cameron Sutton were all named to the preseason Bednarik Award watch list. Barnett and Maggitt combined for 21 sacks a year ago and should give give quarterbacks even more headaches this year.
Bleacher Report's Barrett Sallee was high on the potential of the Volunteers defense in his SEC projection.
"Defensive end Derek Barnett will lead a defensive line that returns seven of eight players on the two-deep and get a talent injection with freshmen Shy Tuttle, Kyle Phillips, Kahlil McKenzie and Andrew Butcher," Sallee said. "The linebacking corps is solid and Cam Sutton will lead a veteran secondary."
The Volunteers' SEC schedule adds to the intrigue. The Vols have a tough start to their SEC slate, facing Florida, Arkansas, Georgia and Alabama in their first four games.
If Tennessee can make it through that stretch at 3-1 or possibly even 2-2, it would put it in good position in the division heading into the much easier second half of the schedule.
The only big test on the back end of the schedule is a matchup against Missouri in Columbia that could potentially decide the winner of the division.
One potential downfall is that Tennessee is still a young team. The Vols led college football by playing 23 freshmen last season. That youth could be the Achilles' heel that keeps this team from reaching a level of success the once-great Tennessee program hasn't seen in some time.
However, Butch Jones is ready to embrace the high expectations that will be placed on the Vols.
"You want to be involved in a football program where expectations are high, because it’s all relative to commitment, passion," Jones told GoVols247's Wes Rucker. "I think that’s what makes Tennessee special, is the expectations, the excitement…"
If the improvements Tennessee is expected to make manifest on the field come September, the Vols, Bulldogs and Tigers could give the SEC East its most exciting title race in years.
Recruiting rankings via 247Sports.com
Statistics via Cfbstats.com
Follow Sami Harb on Twitter @SamiPHarb
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