ESPN's view of Tennessee in 2023 will please Vols fans
Tennessee Vols fans are accustomed to getting slighted by ESPN. It seems like ESPN caters to other SEC programs — specifically Alabama and Georgia, and, at times, LSU — more than Tennessee. Fair or not, it gets old after a while for Tennessee fans, who are among the most passionate fans in all of sports. […]
Tennessee Vols fans are accustomed to getting slighted by ESPN.
It seems like ESPN caters to other SEC programs — specifically Alabama and Georgia, and, at times, LSU — more than Tennessee.
Fair or not, it gets old after a while for Tennessee fans, who are among the most passionate fans in all of sports.
Vols fans, however, should be happy to know that it appears that ESPN's view of Tennessee is starting to shift.
Entering the 2023 season, ESPN views the Volunteers as one of the SEC's top four College Football Playoff contenders.
ESPN thinks the SEC has the best chance of any conference to get multiple teams into the playoff this season. And they think Tennessee is one of the SEC programs, along with Alabama, Georgia, and LSU, that's most likely to reach the playoff.
Tennessee fans might see this and think "duh, of course the Vols are a playoff contender". And while that thought process isn't misguided, it's also not unusual for ESPN to overlook Tennessee a bit.
The fact that ESPN is including the Vols among the top SEC playoff contenders means Josh Heupel and company have done enough over the last two years that ESPN can't possibly downplay Tennessee any longer.
There's no doubt that Tennessee still has a lot to prove — they have to find a way to get past Georgia if they're going to win a natty — but it's clear that the Vols are now among the elite programs in the nation.
College football expert makes strong statement about Tennessee vs Georgia
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Featured image via Brianna Paciorka/News Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK
