Tennessee Labeled a 'Tier Two' National Title Contender

The Tennessee Volunteers have been labeled as a 'tier two' national title contender in college football.

Tennessee head coach Josh Heupel with his players during the NCAA college football game against Missouri on Saturday, November 11, 2023 in Columbia, MO. / Saul Young/News Sentinel / USA TODAY

The Tennessee Volunteers have been labeled as a 'tier two' national title contender in college football.

The college football playoff is expanding to 12 teams this year and it opens the door for more teams to be considered playoff candidates this season. However, that also means programs might be facing new expectations or added pressure to win a playoff game than they were before. As for the Tennessee Volunteers, they are now on the borderline of a projected playoff team.

Tennessee is looking to improve upon their results from a season ago. The Volunteers saw a much improved defense in 2023, but surprisingly the offense was what continued to hold back the program. Now with Nico Iamaleava being the starting quarterback he could get the offense back on track this season, and that's exactly what will have to happen in order for the Volunteers to make the playoff according to one college football news outlet.

CBS Sports released an article that put college football teams into different tiers of their likelihood to compete for a national title based on their betting odds, and Tennessee came in as a tier two team. Here is what the article said about the Volunteers:

"If Nico Iamaleava comes anywhere close to his projections in his first full season as a starter, we could see Tennessee's offense get right back to the levels of production during Josh Heupel's 2022 breakthrough. "

Tennessee was one of the most dangerous offenses in all of college football in 2022 and they will be looking to get back to that standard this season. With opponents like Alabama, Oklahoma and Georgia on the schedule, it's going to require a good offense to maneuver through those games and Iamaleava might be the key to unlocking that.

Other Tennessee News:

• Travis Smith Jr Sets Commitment Date
• George MacIntyre Accepts Invitation To Elite 11
• Josh Heupel Details Importance of 2022 Alabama Victory

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