SDS kicks off a series looking in-depth at teams and their biggest subplots heading into 2015. First up: The Tennessee Volunteers.

1. Make another jump in wins

Momentum can be a fickle thing in college football. If you don’t take advantage of Big Mo, then it can take years to recover. And right now, the Vols have some. Tennessee jumped from five wins in Butch Jones’ first season to seven last year.

The last time that UT made a two-win jump from one season to the next? Tennessee was 5-7 in 2008, Phil Fulmer’s last season on the sideline. The program looked like it had momentum following a 7-6 record in 2009 under Lane Kiffin. But obviously Kiffin, who had a tremendous recruiting class lined up, bolted for Southern Cal. The subsequent Derek Dooley hiring left the program stale for a couple more years.

Jones needs to build on last year’s seven victories and bowl win over Iowa — Tennessee’s first bowl victory since the 2007 season; Fulmer’s Vols wasted that momentum in ’08 and it cost him his job. Recruits will notice a team on the rise and they know it’s easier to win in the SEC East Division than the West.

2. Take advantage of a returning quarterback

Last season, six SEC quarterbacks ranked among the top 50 in quarterback rating: Mississippi State’s Dak Prescott, Alabama’s Blake Sims, Georgia’s Hutson Mason, Auburn’s Nick Marshall, Ole Miss’ Bo Wallace and South Carolina’s Dylan Thompson.

Only Prescott returns.

So even though UT’s Joshua Dobbs has only six starts under his belt, his experience should be an advantage. In the East Division, Georgia, Florida and South Carolina all feature ongoing quarterback battles. Among East Division contenders, only Missouri, with Maty Mauk, has an established returning quarterback.

3. How much does loss of Marcus Jackson hurt?

The Tennessee offensive line lost a crucial piece last week with the season-ending injury to Jackson. He was the most experienced returning lineman with 17 career starts, including 12 last season at left guard.

Sophomore Brett Kendrick looks to be his replacement. In 2014, Kendrick made two starts at left tackle, against Arkansas State and Alabama. He was forced into action against Arkansas State when senior Jacob Gilliam went down with an ACL tear in the season opener against Utah State. However, Kendrick was shaky enough that he was then demoted after that game.

The line was a concern even with Jackson considering it allowed 3.3 sacks per game in 2014 and the running game averaged only 3.6 yards per carry. With Jackson down, another injury could be devastating. If it’s not already.

4. Beat a ranked team

The last UT win over a Top 25 club was at home against No. 11 South Carolina on Oct. 19, 2013. Michael Palardy made a 19-yard field goal as time expired to end Tennessee’s 19-game skid against ranked foes. However, UT is 0-8 against ranked teams since.

Following that South Carolina win two years ago, three ranked teams routed the Vols — No. 1 Alabama, No. 9 Missouri and No. 9 Auburn. In 2014, UT lost to five ranked teams:

  • No. 4 Oklahoma beat UT by 24.
  • No. 12 Georgia beat UT by 3.
  • No. 3 Ole Miss beat UT by 31.
  • No. 4 Alabama beat UT by 14.
  • No. 20 Missouri beat UT by 8.

Tennessee plays five teams ranked in the preseason USA Today Coaches Poll. Lose all five, and the Vols must be perfect the rest of the way just to equal last year’s seven wins. That’s not enough in 2015.

SDS Takeaway

Some believe Tennessee is a year away from true contention in the SEC with such a young team.

Perhaps that is true with a very difficult schedule featuring preseason ranked teams Oklahoma, Arkansas, Georgia, Alabama and Missouri, plus a trip to Florida, which has owned this series for a decade.

But you never know what the future holds with injuries, suspensions and more. Maybe Dobbs declares for the draft if he has a big season. He already has a second-round grade by some scouts. Star cornerback Cameron Sutton also could declare for the 2016 draft.

The time to strike is now with so much quarterback uncertainty all over the conference and rebuilds at Florida — you know the Gators won’t be down long in such fertile recruiting country — and South Carolina.