September 13th – at Oklahoma
Daniel: There probably won’t be a blood bath as bad as what we witnessed at Oregon last year, but this is another unnecessarily tough non-conference road game for the Vols that could get out of hand. We’ll see if quarterback Trevor Knight can carry his Sugar Bowl momentum into 2014, but regardless, the Sooners have more playmakers and experience on both sides of the ball despite losing running back Joe Mixon for the season and failing to get stud receiver Dorial Green-Beckham eligible. The national title contenders will be too much for Tennessee in Norman. Winner: Sooners
Houston: The Vols will find out exactly how they stand up against the nation’s elite when they travel to Norman to take on the Sooners. Tennessee will face another extremely talented quarterback in Trevor Knight, who carved through Alabama in last year’s Sugar Bowl for 348 yards and four touchdowns through the air. Knight wasn’t the most consistent quarterback in 2013, so a great performance against Tennessee isn’t a sure thing. The Sooners must also replace their top three running backs from last season. Oklahoma’s defense, on the other hand, looks to be as solid as they come. They are big, strong and fast enough to cause Tennessee a lot of trouble in this game – which will be the first road test for nearly half of the roster. The Vols will likely hit some big plays and put together a few solid drives, but not with the consistency it would take to challenge the Sooners. Tennessee won’t get embarrassed, but they won’t have enough in the tank to pull the upset. Winner: OU
Reed: Oklahoma is considered by many to be a near lock to make the College Football Playoff this year but they have a ton of unknowns on offense. Can QB Trevor Knight replicate the success which saw him rack up nearly 350 yards passing against Alabama in the Sugar Bowl? How will the Sooners make up for losing nearly 50% of their offensive production? Incoming 5-star running back Joe Mixon is suspended for the season and won’t be able to shoulder the offensive workload. If Knight’s success against Bama wasn’t a fluke, the Vols will be in for a long day. Oklahoma returns 80% their defensive production from last year’s top-25 scoring defense and they will cause problems for Tennessee’s young offense. This one could be closer than people think, but the Vols haven’t beaten a ranked team on the road since 2006 and haven’t bested a top-5 team on the road since 2005. It’ll take the best performance in a decade for the Vols to leave Norman with a W. Winner: Sooners
