Tennessee

Tennessee's loaded offense is primed to light up scoreboards again, but the Volunteers face a critical quarterback situation after Nico Iamaleava's departure. The offense grades out seventh nationally at +11.1 points above average, though the defense slipped to 36th at +2.7 — prompting the hire of new defensive coordinator Jim Knowles from Penn State to replace Tim Banks. The Volunteers lost top receiver Chris Brazzell II to the NFL Draft after his 58.5 PPA production, while adding quarterback Ryan Staub from Colorado (14.3 PPA) to help fill the void left by multiple portal departures including running back Peyton Lewis to Virginia and backup quarterback Jake Merklinger to UConn.

JP+ projects 7.4 wins for Tennessee despite the 16th-ranked power rating of +14.3, with the discrepancy largely driven by a challenging SEC slate featuring road trips to Texas A&M and home dates with LSU and Texas. The new signal-caller will inherit one of the nation's most potent offensive systems, but Knowles must quickly shore up a pass defense that allowed opponents to exploit gaps in coverage. If the quarterback competition winner can maintain offensive efficiency while Knowles stabilizes the secondary, Tennessee has the firepower for College Football Playoff contention. If not, the Volunteers risk falling short of their talent level in a loaded conference.