ESPN College GameDay host Rece Davis is feeling pretty, pretty good about the Tennessee Vols in 2024. 

During a recent episode of the College GameDay Podcast, Davis named Tennessee as his "sleeper team" in the SEC despite the Vols' tough schedule this fall. 

Tennessee has the usual suspects on the schedule — Florida, Alabama, and (at) Georgia — as well as a couple of other games that could be tricky, including an early-season showdown in Norman with the Oklahoma Sooners. 

The game against Oklahoma will have plenty of eyes on it for several reasons. 

For starters, it'll be Oklahoma's first official conference game as a member of the SEC. 

It will also be the first time that Tennessee head coach Josh Heupel has returned to Norman since getting fired by Bob Stoops after the 2014 season (Heupel, who won a national championship as a quarterback at Oklahoma in 2000, was an assistant under Stoops at OU from 2006 to 2014). 

Davis, despite all the hoopla surrounding the Vols' early-season matchup against the Sooners, doesn't think Tennessee will have much of an issue against Oklahoma. 

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"I think Tennessee has a good opportunity to be a sleeper," said Davis. "I mentioned the NC State game, non-conference in Week Two for them. Now, they do have a couple of tough road games in the early part of the season. They go to Oklahoma, but I don't know that that's overwhelming for them. They go to Arkansas. And they get Alabama at home. And they get Florida at home in back-to-back weeks. So the emotions will be tested with those two rivalry games for them in back-to-back weeks."

"No disrespect intended to Oklahoma — I'm not sure where I am on the Sooners right now," continued Davis. "As the summer goes on and we get a little more in depth, my tune may completely change. But at the moment, I look at that and say 'well that's a game that Tennessee will win'. Maybe I'll change my mind by late August on it, but I think Tennessee has a chance to make a run and be right at the edge of playoff contention." 

The game against Oklahoma has the potential to set the tone for the Vols' season. If Tennessee can get a win in Norman, then the Vols' path to the 12-team College Football Playoff will be clear. But if they lose that matchup, the Vols will have a lot of work to do to put themselves in contention for a playoff spot. 

Fortunately for Tennessee, it sounds like Davis doesn't think (as of late June) that the Vols will have any issues against the Sooners in September. 

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