Each season it becomes more common that Power 5 teams play tougher non-conference opponents. That holds true for Tennessee football as well. Just take a look at the past couple of seasons.
This season the Vols open up with the West Virginia Mountaineers which is a big-time matchup in the college football world. Last season, Tennessee opened with Georgia Tech which was a 42-41 overtime thriller.
Then if you can remember, in 2016 the Vols played Virginia Tech in the Battle of Bristol. Seasons before that, Oklahoma and Oregon came to town. So, in recent years Tennessee played strong top ten opponents and will continue in the future.