Tennessee is looking to build off of the success of an 11-win season a year ago, but the Vols will be facing one of college football's toughest schedules to get there.
According to the 2023 ESPN College Football Power Index, Tennessee has the eighth hardest schedule in the country and the fifth toughest in the SEC.
Ole Miss (1), Minnesota (2), Florida (3), Maryland (4), Auburn (5), Arkansas (6), Michigan State (7), Rutgers (9) and Indiana (10) joined the Vols in the top 10.
Tennessee is set to open the season against Virginia at Nissan Stadium in Nashville on Sept. 2 with Austin Peay, UTSA and UConn rounding out the non-conference slate.
The Vols begin conference play against Florida in Gainesville on Sept. 16 before playing South Carolina and Texas A&M at Neyland Stadium and Alabama and Kentucky on the road. Tennessee will host two-time defending national champion Georgia in a match up with possible SEC Championship Game implications on Nov. 18.
Tennessee burst on to the scene last season behind a record-shattering offense led by quarterback Hendon Hooker and wide receiver Jalin Hyatt. The Vols beat Florida, LSU and Alabama on its way to an Orange Bowl victory over Clemson in December and an 11-2 finish.
With Hooker, Hyatt and a number of other key pieces from that team now gone, the Vols return some experience at quarterback in Joe Milton III, as well as at receiver with Bru McCoy, Squirrel White and Ramel Keyton coming off of productive seasons.
The offense may not put up the same kind of numbers it did last season, but Tennessee isn't expected to drop off too far on that side of the ball. Defensive improvement will likely be the biggest indicator of the Vols' success after struggling there in 2022.
ESPN FPI ranked Tennessee just outside the top 10 at No. 12 earlier this month and projects the Vols to finish with 8.2 wins.
Tennessee has not turned in back-to-back double digit-winning seasons since 2003-04.
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