College football is nearly here, and one of our favorite metrics has been finalized ahead of the 2023 season. Bill Connelly’s S&P+ rankings are live on ESPN, and they once again like the Tennessee Volunteers.
Connelly’s metric was a fan of Tennessee in both the 2021 and 2022 seasons, and ahead of 2023, the Volunteers are ranked eighth overall. Tennessee is anchored by their third ranked offense, a unit that finished first in total offense a season ago. The Volunteers check in at 32nd in the defensive rankings.
The metric gives Tennessee the 16th toughest schedule in the country.