In 2018 and heading into 2019, Tennessee football has deviated from a formula it should always have when scheduling non-conference opponents. That tradition involves one traditional power, one FCS school, and two solid Group of Five schools, at least one of whom is very good at its own level.
However, the 2018 schedule did not have one good Group of Five team. The UTEP Miners and Charlotte 49ers were both coming off historically bad seasons, even if the West Virginia Mountaineers were a good Power Five matchup.
To be fair, though, you can never really predict if a Group of Five opponent will be valuable two to three years down the line.