National media outlet names Tennessee Vols' biggest 'trap game' in 2023
The Tennessee Vols haven't been shy this offseason about sharing their goals for the 2023 season. Despite losing a load of talent to the NFL (including QB Hendon Hooker, the 2022 SEC offensive player of the year), the Vols are hoping to compete for an SEC Championship and a national championship in 2023. "At the […]
The Tennessee Vols haven't been shy this offseason about sharing their goals for the 2023 season.
Despite losing a load of talent to the NFL (including QB Hendon Hooker, the 2022 SEC offensive player of the year), the Vols are hoping to compete for an SEC Championship and a national championship in 2023.
"At the end of the day, we’ve got to get to Atlanta. We’ve got to continue to grow as a program," said Vols head coach Josh Heupel at a Big Orange Caravan stop earlier this spring.
The road to Atlanta and the College Football Playoff won't be easy for Tennessee.
Getting past Georgia is obviously the Vols' toughest challenge in 2023. If Tennessee wants to play in the SEC Championship game in December, they'll almost certainly have to beat the Bulldogs in Knoxville in November.
The matchup against Georgia, however, isn't the only tough test the Vols will face in 2023. Tennessee also has road matchups against Florida and Alabama they'll have to navigate. The Vols beat the Gators and the Crimson Tide in 2022, but Tennessee hasn't won in the Swamp and Tuscaloosa since the 2003 season.
On top of the games against the Vols' top three rivals, they also have to deal with the typical grind of an SEC schedule. And according to 247Sports, that schedule includes some potential "trap games" that could cause some problems for Tennessee.
247Sports recently detailed several of the biggest "trap games" in 2023 and they listed the Vols' matchup against Texas A&M on October 14 as a game that could trip up the Vols.
From 247Sports: Surely the Volunteers will not stub their toe inside Neyland Stadium coming off an extra week to prepare for a Texas A&M squad limping out of a loss to Alabama, right? You wouldn't think so, which makes this one all the more enticing to include among potential surprises. Tennessee travels to Alabama the week after this one and that's the matchup most around the program and nationally will be referencing before this game is played. Tennessee and Texas A&M have only met four times, twice since the Aggies joined the SEC.
The Aggies went 5-7 in 2022 which was only the second losing season of Texas A&M head coach Jimbo Fisher's career (he went 5-6 at Florida State in 2017). I'm not expecting the Aggies to compete with Alabama and LSU in the SEC West in 2023, but I'd expect a bounceback season for Fisher's squad. Texas A&M has some elite talent, so this won't be an automatic win for the Vols.
Heupel is 7-1 coming off a bye so that should work in Tennessee's favor. And Heupel has done a nice job of keeping his team focused so I don't think the Vols will be looking ahead to Alabama.
247Sports also suggested that UT's game against Florida could be a "trap game", but I don't see that being the case. That won't be an automatic win either for the Vols, but Tennessee will be ready. It's their first SEC game of the year and the team knows that their title hopes could be dashed if they drop an important game to the Gators in Gainesville.
