[tps_header][/tps_header]
8. The schedule is better
I’m stopping short of saying the schedule is easy. It’s not. But it certainly is a slight reprieve from the gauntlet that the last couple of seasons have been. It starts with not having a murderous non-conference road game in the first few weeks of the season like the Vols have in the first two seasons under Butch Jones.
Oklahoma in Week 2 is certainly a tough non-conference battle, but playing the Sooners in the confines of Neyland Stadium with a better roster feels much more manageable for the UT in 2015 than taking that trip to Norman last year. SEC East swing games against Georgia and South Carolina are at home as well. And while there’s a stroke of bad Vol Luck in drawing an emerging Arkansas team out of the West next year, that, again, is a matchup the Vols are glad to see in Neyland.
The Vols will have to battle some demons on the road against Missouri and Florida. And a trip to Tuscaloosa, even though coming off the bye for UT, is always a massive challenge. But it’s much easier to look at this schedule and see more wins and swing games than near-certain losses.
[tps_footer][/tps_footer]
