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All aboard the Tennessee hype train.
Last season, the Volunteers showed vast improvement in Year 3 under coach Butch Jones’ tenure, posting a 9-4 (5-3) record and winning the final six games of the year by an average margin of 22.2 points — including a 45-6 drubbing over No. 13 Northwestern in the Outback Bowl.
So you can imagine the kind of attention Tennessee is beginning to receive heading into a 2016 season that has quite possibility cleared a path to the program’s first SEC East Division title since 2007.
It doesn’t look like the proverbial microscope is going away anytime soon, either. ESPN television analyst Kirk Herbstreit was asked what Florida’s chances are to repeat as division champs this season on Twitter, and instead of focusing on the Gators, he went ahead and provided his prediction for the East’s winner.
East is wide open. Gators will always have a shot to win it. I like the Vols and Josh Dobbs to win the East this yr https://t.co/gh8SpOYry6
— Kirk Herbstreit (@KirkHerbstreit) May 21, 2016
Tennessee returns 17 starters to the field in 2016, which is tied for the 5th-most in the country.
Hahahaha!!!!
I like that. I'll take that role. I'll start the wagon early. I think they're legit this yr. We'll see https://t.co/Ji1VqgB65B— Kirk Herbstreit (@KirkHerbstreit) May 21, 2016
The Vols have longed for a chance to once again compete for championships, and this could finally be the year they return to the SEC title game for a shot to play in the third annual College Football Playoff.
Tyler Waddell is a member of the Saturday Down South news team. He brings over five years of professional journalism experience and is closing in on a Bachelor's in sports management. Follow him on Twitter (@Tyler_Waddell).
