Biggest Sleeper Opponent on Tennessee's 2024 Football Schedule

Which opponent on Tennessee's 2024 football schedule can be labeled as the biggest sleeper?

Tennessee quarterback Joe Milton III (7), Tennessee quarterback Nico Iamaleava (8) and Tennessee head coach Josh Heupel are seen on the field during a football game between Tennessee and UTSA at Neyland Stadium in Knoxville, Tenn., on Saturday, Sept. 23, 2023. Tennessee defeated UTSA 45-14. / Caitie McMekin/News Sentinel / USA TODAY

Which opponent on Tennessee's 2024 football schedule can be labeled as the biggest sleeper?

Tennessee's 2024 football schedule looks a little different than it has in years past with divisions no longer existing in the SEC. Gone are the days when teams in the conference knew at least five of their opponents every single year. With that, the Volunteers have some big-time games slated for this season, but which game are people potentially overlooking?

Tennessee's road trip to Georgia, Alabama coming to Neyland Stadium and the trip out to Norman to face Oklahoma can all be thrown out of the window as options. All three of those games have headliner potential when they roll around. Chattanooga and Kent State are automatically thrown out due to their status in college football. That leaves Kentucky, Arkansas, Florida, Vanderbilt and Mississippi State, and out of all of those options, there's a certain factor that makes one outweigh the other.

Vanderbilt is an in-state rival and the Kentucky matchup has provided some close ones over the years, but Mississippi State is the game fans should be keeping an eye on.

From a surface level, it probably doesn't make much sense. The Volunteers and the Bulldogs don't have much history or hatred for one another, and the former western division team will be entering their first season under head coach Jeff Lebby, but that's exactly why this game should not be overlooked.

Lebby and Tennessee head coach Josh Heupel have a history with one another, as Lebby coached under Heupel during his reign as head coach of UCF. Lebby started out coaching quarterbacks and then got promoted to offensive coordinator after one season. In fact, Lebby speaks very highly of his time with Heupel.

Lebby joined the ESPN College Gameday Podcast and got into a conversation about where his offense got started. He called back to his days with Heupel at UCF.

“Josh Heupel was the one, at UCF, that gave me the opportunity to coach the [quarterbacks] every single day,” said Lebby. “And he’s the one that created so much confidence for me in being able to help a guy, to be able to fix a guy, to coach the fundamentals of the position. Not just how to get to his decision making and where to go with the football and situationally understanding things, because that’s one thing. But the fundamental side of it, that is who created so much confidence for me in coaching the position every single day.... So that’s where it all happened.”

There may not be hatred, it may not featiure a top-25 matchup but anytime two coaches who have crossed paths with one another go head to head, it's a unique situation. That's why Volunteer fans should not sleep when the Bulldogs come to Neyland stadium this year.

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• Josh Heupel Details Importance of 2022 Alabama Victory

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