Clip of ESPN analyst calling the Tennessee Vols an ‘afterthought’ before the start of the 2025 season resurfaces
The Tennessee Vols have played some good football over the first month of the 2025 college football season. Coming into the season, fans and analysts weren’t sure what to expect from the Vols. Tennessee, after all, features several new starters at key positions this season (including Joey Aguilar, who transferred to UT in May, at […]
The Tennessee Vols have played some good football over the first month of the 2025 college football season.
Coming into the season, fans and analysts weren’t sure what to expect from the Vols. Tennessee, after all, features several new starters at key positions this season (including Joey Aguilar, who transferred to UT in May, at quarterback).
The Vols, though, have quickly shown they’re one of the top 10 to 15 teams in the nation, after nearly knocking off the Georgia Bulldogs and winning a hard-fought road game against the Mississippi State Bulldogs.
Clip of ESPN analyst calling Tennessee an “afterthought” before the start of the 2025 season resurfaces
Before the start of the season, ESPN’s Heather Dinich called the Volunteers an “afterthought” when it comes to the College Football Playoff.
“They lost so much from last year, beyond Nico Iamaleava,” said Dinich in August. “And when you look at this team, they are 110th in the country in returning offensive production. It’s not just Nico. [Tennessee lost] Dylan Sampson, their leading [rusher] — this was a running team last year. And they lost their top three receivers. Our analytics give them an 11 percent chance to reach the SEC Championship Game. The reality, I think, is that Tennessee is going to be an afterthought — not only in the College Football Playoff, but in the SEC race as well.”
There’s still a lot of football left to be played this season. The Vols have some tough games ahead — there are no easy paths in the SEC. But for now, Tennessee, which has played 42 percent of its regular games so far this season, is far from an afterthought in the College Football Playoff race (and in the SEC).
It certainly seem like Dinich’s take was based entirely on the numbers. Analytics, though, have no impact on what will actually happen on the field. Football is a game played by humans. Competition can’t be reduced to numbers (and doing so, honestly, is an insult to the players competing on the field).
Tennessee Volunteers News
Tennessee fans get an example from QB Joey Aguilar of how much Peyton Manning loves his Vols
It’s no secret that Tennessee Vols legend Peyton Manning loves his alma mater. Peyton shows up on Saturdays in Neyland Stadium (and sometimes on the road, too) as often as he can to support the Volunteers. And it seems like he’s constantly bringing up Tennessee during public appearances. The support from Peyton, though, isn’t just […]
