Tennessee Volunteers Not a College Football Playoff Contender?

Are the Tennessee Volunteers not a college football playoff contender?

Tennessee football coach Josh Heupel paces the sidelines during the NCAA college football playoff game against Ohio State on Saturday, Dec. 21, 2024, in Columbus, Ohio. / Saul Young/News Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Are the Tennessee Volunteers not a college football playoff contender?

The Tennessee Volunteers made the college football playoff for the first time in program history in 2024. It resulted in a first round exit for the Volunteers from the hands of Ohio State, but a major step forward for Tennessee under head coach Josh Heupel. However, it doesn't seem like there's an expectation for Tennessee to make it back this season.

ESPN's Heather Dinich released a list that detailed the biggest obstacles for playoff contenders this spring and Tennessee was nowhere to be found on the list. Teams like Georgia, South Carolina, Texas, BYU and Alabama did however make the list.

Tennessee did lose their fair share of contributors from a season ago. Names like Dylan Sampson, James Pearce, Bru McCoy and Dont'e Thornton are now headed to the NFL which does propose some questions on both sides of the ball.

The biggest returning player for Tennessee this season is quarterback Nico Iamaleava. He earned the full time starting role for the first time in his career last season and showed signs of growth and promise at the position. The bigger question though is why Tennessee didn't make any moves in the transfer portal to add to the roster.

The Volunteers weren't completely quiet during the portal window, but it felt like Tennessee was going to be more active than they were this offseason. Perhaps Heupel is confident in what he has on his roster, but that will be something he has to prove during the regular season this year. While also proving that his team is a college football playoff contender depsite what media pundits think.

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