By BJ Bennett
SouthernPigskin.com

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Tennessee heads north with considerable confidence and momentum.

Expectations are high for Tennessee and understandably so.

The Volunteers won seven regular season contests in Josh Heupel’s first year and were picked, by many, this summer, as the top contender to Georgia in the SEC East. Tennessee was a fixture in the pre-season polls and looked the part with 59 points in week one. Next, just a few days into the month, is a September showcase of two top 25 teams and a rematch of one of last year’s more competitive and dramatic games; the Volunteers will play at defending ACC Champion Pittsburgh, with national momentum on the line.

A season ago in Knoxville this very matchup offered a glimpse of Tennessee’s production and potential. The Volunteers scored 34 points and had opportunities late, though penalties, turnovers and a failed fourth quarter goaline chance cost an inexperienced Tennessee team in a tough 41-34 home loss to a talented opponent that would beat Clemson by double digits just over a month later. Even in the defeat, even with the mistakes, progress was being made.

It was a learning experience. Now, the Volunteers are ready for more.

Tennessee heads north with considerable confidence and momentum. The 24th-ranked Volunteers are led by star quarterback Hendon Hooker, who went on to finish last season third nationally with a quarterback rating of 181.41. He completed 68% of his passes at nearly ten yards per attempt, with 31 passing touchdowns and just three interceptions, adding 613 more rushing yards and five more rushing scores in 2021. Hooker, one of the game’s best, headlines college football’s most up-tempo offense, with playmakers at every position.

Saturday’s pairing at Pittsburgh will be a big challenge and opportunity alike; the Panthers, fresh off a season-opening win over West Virginia, are 10-2 in their last dozen games. Pittsburgh was in the Peach Bowl last December.

Starting with the Panthers, a difficult stretch awaits Tennessee. After hosting Akron, the Volunteers will then play Florida, at LSU and top-ranked Alabama in consecutive games. Then there’s, of course, the later trip to defending national champion Georgia in Athens. Tennessee is going to play much of the year in the spotlight; Saturday afternoon, as one of the best matchups of week two, will be the first major test.

It’s a barometer from both last season and for the rest of a schedule that is just barely underway. The ‘Vols, who rank second in college football in plays run by teams who have played one game, are ready to go.