3. West Virginia
Tennessee’s first game this season is one of the more important season openers for the Vols in a while. Their game against West Virginia in Charlotte will be a tough first test for the Jeremy Pruitt era.
Pruitt prides himself on his defense, and West Virginia will be about as tough a test of that defensive prowess as he’s ever had, especially given the circumstances. This won’t be his Alabama defense full of five starts going up against Clemson’s potent offense; this will be a Tennessee defense with hardly any experience at cornerback going up against one of the deadliest passing attacks in all of college football.
If the Vols can somehow control West Virginia’s offense and put up points against the Mountaineers’ somewhat mediocre defense, then Tennessee could start the season with a huge boost to their confidence. A victory to start the year against a ranked opponent like West Virginia could give this relatively inexperienced Tennessee squad a huge shot in the arm to start the year.
Beating West Virginia won’t be easy. But this game is an important test for the Vols to start the season, and it could give Tennessee a head start on their goals for the year if they can earn a victory.
