Why Tennessee should be considered a College Football Playoff favorite | Opinion
Tennessee football fans need a wider lens now.
They shouldn’t just be just following their Vols or the SEC. They should be following the best teams in every Power 5 conference.
For the first time since 2001, Tennessee (6-0, 3-0 SEC) is a national championship contender.
Never mind the past 14 years of mediocrity. Or the long line of failed coaches. Or one of the nation’s most vulnerable pass defenses.
None of that mattered when Alabama and the Neyland Stadium goal posts came down Saturday evening. The knockdown blow came on Chase McGrath’s last-second, game-winning field goal, which ended UT’s 15-game losing streak to Alabama in a 52-49 victory.
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Focus on those numbers as well as the outcome. If the Vols can score that many points against Alabama’s defense, who’s going to slow them down? Maybe, Georgia. But nobody else on the regular-season schedule.
Coach Josh Heupel’s offense is ahead of everybody’s defense. You saw that again Saturday when quarterback Hendon Hooker teamed up with slot receiver Jalin Hyatt for 207 passing yards and five touchdowns. And he’s not even supposed to be Tennessee’s best receiver. All-SEC wide receiver Cedric Tillman, who has missed the past three games with a leg injury, will add another serious threat to an offense that keeps overwhelming one defense after another.
If you gave a midseason national coach of the year award, Heupel should win it by acclamation. He puts pressure on opposing defensive and offensive coaches alike.
Defensive coordinators should be working overtime to figure out what to do with Tennessee’s slot receiver. Alabama didn’t have a clue.
Don’t take my word for it. Check Hyatt's stats. He was so open sometimes he might as well have been running through an open pasture.
Offensive coordinators also better understand how dynamic Tennessee’s offense is. Florida coach Billy Napier did. He went for first downs six times on fourth down in a 38-33 loss. Any play-caller who ever thinks, “We should have enough points by now,” is in trouble. He should have two things in view at all times in the press box: His favorite play, and "Tennessee 52, Alabama 49."
That score should be a constant reminder of what it takes to beat Tennessee. It takes as many points as you can get.
We’re in an offensive era. And Tennessee’s offense is leading the way. Keep that in mind when you’re thinking about candidates for the College Football Playoff.
When I’m looking for potential playoff teams, I look for offense.
Ohio State, which had an open date this weekend, led the nation in scoring before Saturday’s games. Tennessee was second, and TCU was third. Michigan ranked seventh, and UCLA, 10th. They’re all unbeaten. And you better be able to pile up the points to beat them.
Defending champion Georgia has another formidable defense and a superior secondary to Alabama. But I question whether it can score enough points to beat Tennessee.
The Bulldogs likely will be favored when the teams play at Sanford Stadium on Nov. 5. But Alabama was a 7.5-point favorite against Tennessee and rarely looked the part.
If Tennessee would win in Athens, Georgia, it would be on its way to the SEC championship game for the first time in 15 years. If so, it also could be headed for a rematch with Alabama.
And based on Saturday’s game, it shouldn't be an underdog in the rematch.
John Adams is a senior columnist. Follow him at: twitter.com/johnadamskns.