🏈 TENNESSEE'S PERFECT START

Hello. This is the Josh and Swain Newsletter, a quick roundup of the week’s top stories and topics involving Tennessee and the sports world.

Here’s what we have for you today:

• A new way to win for Josh Heupel and Tennessee football

• Where Tennessee stands in the College Football Playoff race

• Pleasant surprises for Tennessee through the first month

• Another year of big expectations for Tennessee Basketball

HELPING NICO AND UT’S OFFENSE

Tennessee showed us something last weekend that we haven’t often seen under coach Josh Heupel. 

The Vols’ defense leading UT to a win. 

Tennessee beat Oklahoma 25-15 in Norman, scoring only six points on two field goals in the second half. 

What happened to Tennessee’s explosive offense?

Heupel parked it in the garage as the Vols’ defense and running game took them home. 

“As the game went into the second half,” Heupel explained, “it changed the way that we played and what type of situations we were going to put Nico in with our personnel changes up front.”

Those personnel changes included backup tackles Dayne Davis and Larry Johnson III playing for starters Lance Heard, who didn’t make the trip, and John Campbell Jr., whose knee has limited his playing time this year.

The status of Campbell and Heard will be worth monitoring all season.

And it was worth considering against Oklahoma, which had already forced two fumbles by Iamaleava earlier in the game.

So Heupel focused on running the ball and the clock, believing his defense would ensure a Tennessee win.

A different approach from what we typically see from Heupel — and ESPN analyst Cole Cubelic loved it. 

Cubelic explained why on his podcast, The Cube Show. 

Tennessee showed the ability to lean on its defense, a luxury Heupel hasn’t had during his first three seasons in Knoxville. 

He and the defensive staff have continued to add talent and develop a defensive line that might be the best in the country. 

How strong is UT’s defense?

Two of four CBS Sports analysts said it’s the best in the SEC during this week’s segment. 

We’ll find out later in the season if that’s true — games against Alabama and Georgia will offer much better tests. 

Tennessee also knows every game is different; the Vols will expect their offense to be needed more at some point this season.  

“It’s always nice to be able to know you can win different ways,” ESPN’s Chris Low told us on Josh and Swain.

That could be the difference between this year’s team and the 2022 Tennessee football team that went 11-2. 

Does this year’s offense have as much firepower as the ‘22 squad?

Maybe not. 

But the offense also has room to improve as the season develops. 

And a defense to lean on in the process. 

That’s a nice change for Heupel.

➡️ Check out our full conversation with Chris Low below or anywhere you get your podcasts.

TENNESSEE’S UPDATED PLAYOFF HOPES

Tennessee will take a 4-0 record into October after enjoying a break this upcoming weekend.

So where does that put Tennessee in the postseason conversation?

We believed during the offseason that a perfect September would put Tennessee in a good position to make the College Football Playoff. 

And that’s the case after four weeks of football. 

ESPN’s Playoff Predictor gives Tennessee an 80-percent chance to make the playoff. 

Oddsmakers set the price at about -300 for Tennessee at to reach the 12-team playoff field, meaning they believes the Vols have a 75-percent chance of making it. 

So pretty good odds.

It helps that six of Tennessee’s eight remaining opponents look… vulnerable. 

We all recognize the challenge that Alabama and Georgia will present.

But here are the other six opponents remaining on Tennessee’s schedule.

• Arkansas
• Florida
• Kentucky
• Mississippi State
• UTEP
• Vanderbilt

Tennessee won’t be able to take any of those opponents lightly — especially Arkansas on the road next week — but the Vols will have a clear advantage against all of them.

To make the playoff, Tennessee most likely needs to avoid an upset in one of those six games. 

That leads us to a bigger question: what about a championship?

Tennessee probably needs to go at least 7-1 in SEC play to make the conference title game. 

Could that happen?

Sure.

What about winning the national title?

We need more info on seeding and matchups in the playoff — we’re a long way off from that point. 

But the Vols are on the list of contenders, as we shared last week.

On Wednesday, FS1 host Colin Cowherd picked Tennessee to win the national title. 

College football analyst Joel Klatt immediately pushed back on that idea, for the record.

Tennessee has more to prove before we can say with confidence that the Vols will beat out Alabama, Georgia, Texas, Ohio State and a few others for the title. 

But could it happen?

We have Tennessee on the considers list… so yes. 

Let’s see how Tennessee performs in the bigger games first. 

The Vols have a good chance to be 6-0 hosting Alabama on Oct. 19. 

Win that game, and Tennessee fans will talk more about the national title. 

And they won’t be the only ones.  

SPORTS NUGGETS

💰 UNLV’s starting quarterback left the team this week due to an NIL dispute. A total mess of a situation for a 3-0 team with playoff hopes.

🏈 Here are five things to watch for in this weekend’s Tennessee spring game.

🏈 Ross Dellenger has an update on a scheduled meeting between the SEC and Big Ten next month in Nashville.

🏈 Tennessee is No. 3 in the AJC’s SEC Power Poll with the big Alabama-Georgia game coming up on Saturday.

🏀 Mike Wilson wrote about Tennessee’s newcomers and how the Vols’ roster will look with the start of preseason practice.

🎧 Tennessee lost OL commit Douglas Utu to Oregon this week but could land former CLemson DL commit Isaiah Campbell. We discussed both players with Austin Price of Volquest.

THE VOLS’ PLEASANT SURPRISES

Tennessee’s 4-0 start to the season shouldn’t be a big surprise.

After all, the Vols were favored in all four games.

But the way they’ve started might be a surprise.

Tennessee dominated all four of its opponents in September.

The Vols have a 4-0 record — they’re also 4-0 against the spread, which shows how easy they’ve made it look.

One reason for that level of success: players outperforming their preseason expectations.

Who are some Tennessee players that have been a pleasant surprise to you through the first month of the season?

Here are a few candidates.

🟠 PK Max Gilbert

The placekicker position was a question entering the season, as the Vols had to replace Charles Campbell from last year.

Gilbert won the job during the offseason and has performed well so far.

Gilbert was named the SEC Special Teams Player of the Week on Monday after he hit all three of his field goal attempts at Oklahoma.

Tennessee plans on scoring more touchdowns moving forward — but Heupel had to appreciate Gilbert’s reliability on the road.

⚫ DB Jakobe Thomas

Thomas transferred from Middle Tennessee to Tennessee, and he’s adjusted quickly.

Thomas has made his presence felt by delivering big hits from the secondary.

Thomas arrived in Knoxville looking to prove he belongs in the SEC.

He has done that so far.

🟠 RB DeSean Bishop

Cameron Seldon was expected to handle Tennessee’s backup running back duties as soon as he returned from injury.

But Bishop’s offseason work and performance on the field has earned him RB2 duties so far.

Bishop averaged more than four yards a carry on 16 attempts at Oklahoma.

Dylan Sampson’s touchdown drive to close out the first half in Norman was massive.

Bishop’s work throughout the game made a difference, too.

⚫ D-Line reserves

We thought Tennessee had impressive depth on the defensive line when the season began.

But the performance of linemen like Jayson Jenkins and Jaxson Moi, a transfer from Stanford, has helped take the Vols’ defense to an even higher level.

We’ve seen players like Joshua Josephs and Tyre West (a “freakshow monster,” as Cubelic described him) make game-changing plays.

The expectation of Tennessee’s defensive line stays the same when the Vols rotate players in and out.

That allows Tennessee’s defense to be considered one of the best in the nation.

TENNESSEE HOOPS… THEN AND NOW

Tennessee’s basketball roster will look a lot different this season because of the departure of so many players from last year.

SEC Player of the Year Dalton Knecht is playing for the Los Angeles Lakers while Josiah-Jordan James and Santiago Vescovi are also beginning their pro careers.

Big men Jonas Aidoo (Arkansas) and Tobe Awaka (Arizona) decided to take their talents elsewhere through the transfer portal.

Knecht has a chance to make a big impact in LA, by the way.

On The Lowe Post podcast this week, Lakers head coach JJ Redick said Knecht is “in the 1% of shooters.”

➡️ For Tennessee, the focus turned to a new group when preseason practice began earlier this week.

Seniors Jahmai Mashack and Zakai Zeigler are back to help lead a team that might have more overall talent than a year ago.

Will the Vols have enough toughness to play at the level Rick Barnes expects?

“Oh yeah. That’s not an option,” Barnes told WOKI host Hallerin Hilton Hill at Barnes’ golf tournament for Emerald Youth on Monday.

Tennessee’s season won’t tip off until Nov. 4 against Gardner-Webb (the Vols will host an exhibition game against Indiana on Oct. 27).

And fans’ focus will remain on football for the next few months.

But Tennessee’s basketball team is coming off an SEC title and Elite Eight appearance — and expectations for this year will be just as high.

Can transfers Darlinstone Dubar and Chaz Lanier help fill the scoring gap?

Will Felix Okpara provide the physical presence Barnes and his staff?

There’s also Cameron Carr, who could make a BIG sophomore leap.

It’s something to add to the watchlist for Tennessee fans.

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