Published Apr 18, 2023
Tennessee lands in 2023 ESPN Football Power Index Top 15
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Noah Taylor  •  VolReport
Managing Editor
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Tennessee completed spring football practices less than a week ago and focus now shifts towards the 2023 season.

Though head coach Josh Heupel and his staff have a number of key pieces to replace from a team that won 11 games and a New Year's Six Bowl last season, there is plenty of optimism – both inside and outside of the program.

Even on the heels of four weeks of spring camp, it's hard to gauge how the Vols will look next fall. But with experience returning at quarterback in sixth-year senior Joe Milton III, as well as receiver, running back and on defense, the drop off from last season's record-setting campaign isn't expected to be too drastic.

At least ESPN's 2023 Football Power Index, released on Tuesday, thinks so.

Developed in 2013, the FPI is a rating system that measures college football teams' strengths and predicts their game and overall season outcomes.

Tennessee debuted at No. 12 with a predicted finish of 8.2 wins and 3.9 losses, a slight step back from an 11-2 record in 2022.

The Vols were one of nine SEC teams in the top-30 and the fourth-highest ranked behind No. 2 Alabama, No. 3 Georgia and No. 4 LSU.

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ESPN Football Power Index SEC Rankings
Team2022 RecordProjected W-LFPI

Alabama

11-2

11.1-1.6

28.2

Georgia

15-0

11.7-1.2

27.4

LSU

10-4

9.6-2.6

22.1

Tennessee

11-2

8.2-3.9

15.2

Ole Miss

8-5

7.6-4.4

13.4

Florida

6-7

6.8-5.2

12.7

Texas A&M

5-7

7.5-4.5

12.7

Kentucky

7-6

7.2-4.9

9.7

Arkansas

7-6

6.8-5.2

9.0

Mississippi State

9-4

6.3-5.7

7.8

Auburn

5-7

5.8-6.2

6.9

Missouri

6-7

6.0-6.0

6.4

South Carolina

8-5

5.5-6.5

5.6

Vanderbilt

5-7

4.8-8.0

-2.8

Tennessee is slated to face five SEC teams in the top-30 beginning with No. 18 Florida in its conference opener at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium in Gainesville on Sept. 16. Coming out of a bye week, the Vols host No. 19 Texas A&M on Oct. 14.

In a rematch of last season's 52-49, walk-off field goal thriller that ended a 15-game losing skid for Tennessee, the Vols play at Alabama on Oct. 21 and two-time defending national champion Georgia on Nov. 18 at Neyland Stadium.

Tennessee plays No. 28 Kentucky at Kroger Field in Lexington on Oct. 28.

The Vols open the 2023 season against Virginia on Sept. 2 at Nissan Stadium in Nashville.

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