Predicting the rest of Tennessee's season following 4-0 start

Tennessee is off to its best start since 2016 and its recent 38-33 win over Florida has the Vols inside the top-10 for just the second time in 16 seasons.

With one of the top offenses in college football being led by one of the most prolific quarterbacks in Hendon Hooker, it's a forgone conclusion that Tennessee (4-0, 1-0 SEC) is a legitimate contender in the SEC.

The Vols have plenty of opportunities to prove it, too – starting with their first conference road game of the season on Oct. 8 against LSU.

Contests versus No. 2 Alabama, No. 7 Kentucky and No. 1 Georgia also remain. Here is a look at how Tennessee could potentially finish its 2022 campaign.

Tennessee will be coming off a bye week when it returns to Tiger Stadium for the first time since 2010.

LSU (3-1, 1-0 SEC) struggled in its Week 1 loss to Florida State but has won three straight since – including a come-from-behind, 31-16 victory over Mississippi State. The Tigers have Auburn this week with another chance to show improvement in head coach Brian Kelly's first season in Baton Rouge.

Tigers' quarterback Jayden Daniels averages nearly six yards per rush and dual threat quarterbacks have given the Vols' defense fits at times. LSU's offense is also posting 485 yards a game.

The game was announced as a 11 a.m. local time kickoff, so getting the Tigers early in the day could work in Tennessee's favor.

Prediction: Tennessee, 35-24

If you thought the environment at Neyland Stadium during the Florida game was raucous, imagine if Tennessee goes into the Alabama matchup at 5-0?

The Vols have lost 15 straight to the Crimson Tide, including last season's 52-24 finish in Tuscaloosa that was closer than the final score indicated.

Alabama (4-0, 1-0 SEC) will be coming off two top-20 games at Arkansas and Texas A&M before coming to Knoxville. The Tide haven't look invincible. Alabama survived a scare in Week 2 at Texas but has since outscored opponents 118-10, albeit against Louisiana-Monroe and Vanderbilt.

Alabama features two Heisman Trophy contenders in quarterback Bryce Young and linebacker Will Anderson, both of which are among the conference leaders in passing yards and sacks, respectively.

Tennessee largely had no trouble scoring on the Tide a year ago, and with how explosive its offense has looked through four games will be able to do it again this season. But it's hard to pick against Alabama, especially with how this rivalry has played out the last two-plus decades.

Prediction: Alabama, 41-34

A much-needed breather for Tennessee after back-to-back bouts against SEC West powers.

The Vols have handled business against the two non-Power Five teams they have faced already in Ball State and Akron, and their one FCS meeting against the in-state Skyhawks should play out in similar fashion.

Prediction: Tennessee, 65-3

This one could potentially be the first top-10 matchup in the poll era between these two border rivals depending on how the next month plays out for both teams.

Like Tennessee, Kentucky (4-0, 1-0 SEC) is off to a strong start behind quarterback Will Levis after entering the season with high expectations, but the Wildcats have looked pedestrian on occasion.

Kentucky currently ranks 12th in the league in total offense, averaging just over 81 yards per game, but its defense has limited opponents to just 13 points per game. The Wildcats' schedule toughens up with games against No. 14 Ole Miss, South Carolina and Mississippi State on the horizon.

Kentucky won in its last visit to Knoxville in Jeremy Pruitt's last season in 2020, but Tennessee bested a top-20 Wildcats team in Lexington in 2021 and should be able to out-score them again at home.

Prediction: Tennessee, 42-28

Tennessee was one of the very few teams to find some success against Georgia's defense during the Bulldogs' national championship season in 2021 – even if it was only for a half.

Despite the loss of some key pieces, Georgia has looked every bit as dominant as it did a year ago in four games. It will be another challenge for the Vols to keep up, especially on the road at Sanford Stadium, a place they haven't won since Josh Dobbs' game-winning heave to Jauan Jennings in 2016.

The good news for Tennessee is that Georgia won't face an offense that is comparable to what the Vols have between now and then, which could keep them in the game into the fourth quarter. Still, the Bulldogs' own offense, especially tight end Brock Bowers, who has 15 catches for 276 yards in four games, will be too much to keep up with.

Prediction: Georgia, 38-27

The Tigers have been abysmal early into the 2022 season.

They rank in the bottom half of nearly every statistical category among SEC teams, including total offense (10th) and total defense (12th). In the two Power Five teams it has played, Missouri (2-2, 0-1 SEC) is 0-2, losing 40-12 to Kansas State and fumbling away the game-winning touchdown in overtime at Auburn in a 17-14 defeat.

This game marked the emergence of Tennessee's high-scoring offense in Josh Heupel's first season last year as the Vols routed the Tigers, 62-24, in Columbia. Expect similar results.

Prediction: Tennessee, 52-21

This game had potential to be an offensive showcase before the season began, but South Carolina (2-2, 0-2 SEC) has struggled early in head coach Shane Beamer's first season.

The Gamecocks picked up former five-star prospect and Oklahoma quarterback Spencer Rattler out of the transfer portal, but the offense is putting up less than 400 yard per game and Rattler has thrown five interceptions in four games.

In their two SEC games against Arkansas and Georgia, the South Carolina defense gave up a combined 92 points and 1,004 yards.

The game is at Williams-Brice Stadium, a tough environment that the Vols are 2-4 in since 2010, but Tennessee should move to 4-1 against SEC East teams.

Prediction: Tennessee, 45-28

Tennessee's annual Thanksgiving weekend clash with in-state Vanderbilt picked up some luster when James Franklin and Derek Mason were coaching the Commodores, but the Vols have reestablished dominance in the last three seasons.

Vanderbilt has looked improved at times in head coach Clark Lea's second season. It opened the season with a 63-10 rout of Hawaii en route to a 3-1 start, but looked more like last season's 2-10 team in losses to Wake Forest and then Alabama last week.

Tennessee continues its win streak over the Commodores and caps a 10-win regular season in Nashville.

Prediction: Tennessee, 45-17

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