The Tennessee Vols checked in at No. 20 in the preseason AP Top 25 Poll on Monday. It’s a spot that some in the media have debated that Tennessee has warranted, but it’s also one close to where the coaches put the Vols in their preseason poll (No. 18).

And No. 20 is the exact spot where the Indiana Hoosiers started their climb all the way to a perfect 16-0 season and the national championship last year. So, it’s certainly not a spot where the Vols would be hard pressed to leap their way to the top if they can put everything together this fall.

Can they? CBS Sports writer Chris Hummer is at least giving them a chance. Hummer lumped every top 25 team into tiers, and the Vols were included as the last team in Tier B, which included teams that have a shot if certain things break their way.

CBS Sports’ Chris Hummer puts Tennessee among teams with a chance to win the national championship

“I’d consider this the cutoff point of teams capable of winning a national championship,” Hummer wrote. “But there are big question marks about each of these teams.

“The Vols sneak into this tier because of their ceiling. If they hit on Faizon Brandon as a true freshman and if Jim Knowles can craft an elite defense in Year 1, Tennessee is talented enough to win a title. But those are two big ifs, especially in the face of a difficult SEC path.”

There are certainly a couple of things to unpack here. First, that’s assuming Faizon Brandon wins the quarterback competition. I’d say that if the Vols hit on Brandon OR George MacIntyre, then we’re talking. You don’t know what you have until the lights come on and the live action begins. No one expected what Joey Aguilar — who led the SEC in passing yards per game — would deliver last year from how things went in fall camp. But to avoid further semantics about the QB position winner, yes, whoever that is will need to hit the ground running.

The bigger question mark is likely on the defensive side of the ball. Tennessee has two particularly glaring question marks after last weekend. They already needed an impact pass rusher to emerge — something even Jim Knowles has acknowledged is a question mark. Can that be Tulane transfer Jordan Norman? Also, can Dejuan Lane or Dylan Lewis help offset the huge loss of Edrees Farooq? All these answers will need to be yes, along with other standouts emerging. Tennessee needed an elite unit to carry them to the playoff in 2024; they’ll need a strong one to help them get there — and beyond — this fall.

National title talk feels premature right now, which many Vol fans would likely agree with. With a more seasoned Brandon/MacIntyre in 2027 and with David Gabriel Georges in the building, 2027 feels like when the window is opened for the Vols.

But you can always dare to dream, and Hummer says Tennessee fans can dream away this fall.