SP+ is a tempo- and opponent-adjusted measure of college football efficiency, Connelly explains. “It is a predictive measure of the most sustainable and predictable aspects of football, not a résumé ranking, and along those lines, these projections aren’t intended to be a guess at what the AP Top 25 will look like at the end of the season. These are simply early offseason power rankings based on the information we have gathered to date.”
So, where do the Vols rank in Connelly’s SP+ rankings? The Vols fall to No. 16 in the rankings, which is eighth among SEC teams alone. The Vols are behind Georgia, Texas, Alabama, Ole Miss, LSU, Texas A&M, and Oklahoma.
Tennessee falls to 16 in these rankings for the reasons listed above. Returning production is a big focus, and the Vols simply don’t rank high in that category. Despite the potential of this year’s team with the playmakers brought in, Tennessee ranks 108th in returning production, so they are going to be penalized in pre-season rankings.
It is worth noting Tennessee’s first SEC opponent is ranked one spot ahead of them. The Oklahoma Sooners are ranked No. 15, so we will have a good idea of where both teams stand compared to these rankings early in the season when the two teams meet in Norman on September 21.
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