If you're a college football fan who's reliant on getting information from ESPN, then you probably have a misguided view of the Tennessee Vols. 

For some reason, ESPN keeps pushing a narrative about Tennessee football that's just….wrong. 

And it's unfortunate because a lot of folks are probably getting the wrong idea about the Vols' offense. 

Everyone knows that Tennessee runs a unique offense that's significantly different from traditional offenses. 

Under head coach Josh Heupel, the Vols utilize wide splits along with tempo to create mismatches and exploit weaknesses in defenses. 

Tennessee will use some traditional concepts as well, but the bulk of its offensive identity is the tempo and wide splits. 

For some reason, though, ESPN thinks the Vols are running the "Air Raid" offense.

And while there are certainly a few similarities, Tennessee is absolutely not running the Air Raid offense. 

But that didn't stop ESPN NFL insider Jeremy Fowler from describing UT's offense as the Air Raid system while criticizing former Vols quarterback Hendon Hooker this week. 

From ESPN's Jeremy Fowler: He's also 25 and played in a college-friendly Air Raid system that coaches and scouts say allows quarterbacks to read half the field on one-read plays while stationary, which isn't life in the NFL.

Anyone who has watched the Vols play one game knows that Tennessee isn't running an Air Raid system. 

Air Raid systems traditionally don't run the ball very much. 

The Vols' offense, however, is centered on the run. I know the big passing plays get all of the attention, but Tennessee runs the ball more than they throw it. 

Last season, the Vols had the No. 1 offense in the nation while running the ball 40 times a game compared to 32 passing attempts per game. 

You don't typically see that kind of balance from an Air Raid offense.

There are other differences, too. The Air Raid system relies heavily on mesh passing concepts. That's not something we see a lot from Tennessee's offense. 

The Vols' offense is extremely unique in that it does a lot of different things. The favorite comparison seems to be the old Art Briles Baylor offense. And while a lot of what Tennessee does looks similar to what Briles did at Baylor, the Vols aren't exclusively a "veer n shoot" offense. Tennessee will huddle at times and they'll also go under center and use condensed formations (they did that against Alabama and Nick Saban admitted his team didn't know how to defend it). 

When ESPN pushes this Vols/Air Raid narrative, it minimizes the brilliance of Heupel and his offensive staff. Tennessee is constantly tweaking and adapting its offense. They're always looking for new ways to attack defenses. And suggesting that Tennessee simply runs an Air Raid offense is another way of suggesting that the Vols' offense is nothing more than a gimmick (which is how detractors like to describe Tennessee's offense). 

ESPN is potentially hurting Heupel's reputation with their carelessness. And it's unfortunate because the Vols are on the cutting edge when it comes to offensive innovation.