Super Bowl LVI Props: Take Tee Higgins As An Anytime TD (+175)
Tennessee football comes in at No. 9 nationally in the inaugural 2022 Bill Connelly SP+ rankings.
Connelly — an ESPN staff writer — created an algorithm to rank the best college football teams.
The popular, analytic based rankings relies on three things to determine its rankings. First — and most prevalent — is returning production. Recent recruiting (young players projected to replace starters) and recent program success are also contributing factor.
“It’s a tempo- and opponent-adjusted measure of college football efficiency,” Connelly said. “It is a predictive measure of the most sustainable and predictable aspects of football, not a résumé ranking, and, along those same lines, these projections aren’t intended to be a guess at what the AP Top 25 will look like at the end of the year.”
The heavy reliance on returning production explains why the SP+ is so high on Tennessee. The Vols return eight starters on each side of the ball including their starting quarterback, leading rusher, leading receiver, leading tackler and three of its top four sack leaders.
Connelly’s rankings are bullish on Tennessee’s offense, projecting Josh Heupel’s second Tennessee offense to be the nation’s third best — behind just Georgia and Ohio State.
There’s good reason Connelly believes Tennessee’s offense is in for a big season. In Heupel’s first season, Tennessee ranked seventh in the country in points per game. Returning Hendon Hooker, four starting offensive lineman and a 1,000 yard receiver means the Vols should get better in 2022.
The SP+ rankings give Tennessee the nation’s 42nd best defense — the lowest ranking of any team in the top 20.
Coming in at No. 9, Tennessee is the fourth highest ranked SEC team in the power rankings behind No. 2 Georgia, No. 3 Alabama and No. 6 Texas A&M. No. 12 Mississippi State, No. 18 Florida, No. 21 Kentucky, No. 22 Ole Miss and No. 25 Auburn also land in the top 25.
Pittsburgh — Tennessee’s main non conference opponent — ranks No. 13 in the analytical rankings.
