I’m guessing that you SEC/Tennessee fans don’t pay much attention to what’s going on in the Mid-American Conference.

Well, I’m here to tell you that it’s quite possible that the best pure passing quarterback on the field Saturday afternoon in UT’s season opener against Bowling Green in Nashville is the Falcons’ Matt Johnson. That Vols secondary is on alert.

Of course Tennessee has lost two projected starters in that secondary in sophomore nickel back Rashaan Gaulden and senior safety LaDarrell McNeil. Gaulden is officially done for the season with a foot injury, while McNeil likely is with neck instability.

McNeil has 31 career starts and was fourth on the team with 76 tackles last season. Senior safety Brian Randolph is the only Tennessee player with more career starts. Sophomore Todd Kelly Jr. will start for McNeil at strong safety. Junior Malik Foreman is listed as the No. 1 nickel back.

Still, a thinned-out bunch could lead to some problems against the Falcons’ up-tempo offense. Last season under first-year head coach Dino Babers, Bowling Green had 30 touchdown drives of two minutes or fewer, which was No. 9 in the FBS. That unit ranked 12th nationally in plays per game at 78.8, running a play an average of 18.6 seconds. So think Oregon.

The offense did all that in 2014 mostly without Johnson, who has been called an “NFL quarterback” by Tennessee coach Butch Jones. Johnson played just one quarter of the 2014 opener against Western Kentucky before going down to a season-ending hip injury. Backup James Knapke ran the show last year. In 2013 as a redshirt sophomore, Johnson passed for 3,467 yards with a 64.2 percent completion rate and 25 touchdowns against just seven interceptions in leading the Falcons to the first of two straight MAC East Division titles. He was named the MVP of the MAC title game upset over No. 14 Northern Illinois.

Johnson was officially renamed the starter this spring. He completed 17 of 23 pass attempts for 182 yards and four touchdowns in BGSU’s spring game and rushed for a 1-yard score to win it on the game’s final play. Bowling Green’s top three receivers from last year also return. The star of that group is Roger Lewis, who had 73 catches for 1,093 yards and seven scores in 2014. He was the first freshman in school history with 1,000 yards receiving. Veteran Chris Gallon, who missed last season due to injury, and Baylor transfer Robbie Rhodes also are now in the mix.

All five offensive line starters are back as is running back Travis Greene, who has rushed for nearly 2,600 yards and scored 26 touchdowns the last two seasons combined.

So the Falcons are going score. But can they stop anyone? Seven starters are gone from last year’s defense, which allowed 33.5 points and nearly 500 yards of offense per game. The Falcons were picked by MAC coaches to win another East Division title.

Bowling Green faced two Power 5 conference teams last year, both from the Big Ten. The Falcons beat Indiana (which, remember, beat SEC champion Missouri), 45-42, but lost at Wisconsin, 68-17.

Tennessee has faced five MAC schools this century and won them all. But it only covered the spread once: 41-10 over Buffalo in 2011. UT is a 20.5-point favorite for this one with a total of 61. The last Tennessee opponent from the MAC was Akron on Sept. 22, 2012 at Neyland Stadium, a game the Vols won 47-26.

BOWLING GREEN FALCONS CLOSER LOOK

Top returning player, offense: Johnson, redshirt senior, QB — He threw for  a career-high 393 yards and five TDs in that 2013 MAC Championship Game vs. NIU.

Top returning player, defense: Clint Stephens, sophomore, DB — Stephens will move into a starting role this season. His four interceptions last year were second on the team and his 13 passes defensed tied for the team lead. Also a big contributor on special teams. Stephens returned 21 kickoffs for 505 yards and a touchdown. His 96-yard kickoff return for a TD vs. Ball State marked the longest in school history

Top returning player, special teams: Tyler Tate, senior, K — He made 23 field goals last year, which set a school record for a single season. His 48 career makes also are a BGSU record.