The Tennessee Volunteers will kick off the 2024 season in one week. The Vols’ first matchup is against the FCS Chattanooga Mocs. As massive favorites, the Vols will look to make quick work of the Mocs and begin preparing for the real matchups.

This offseason, we’ve done a few different prediction pieces on the site. One piece was done by our friends who are NOT Tennessee fans, so go check that out if you haven’t already. Today, though, we have a very special guest that all of Vol Twitter will know: BigOrangePunch. Check below to see what Punchy thinks about the Vols’ 2024 season!

I predict Tennessee will finish the season with a 10-2 record, with losses coming on the road against Oklahoma and Georgia. If the Volunteers take care of business in their other 10 games, that should be enough to secure a spot in the new 12-team College Football Playoff. While the ultimate goal is, of course, a National Championship, making the playoffs with a redshirt freshman quarterback would be a win in my eyes. The key game for Tennessee this season is the September 7th matchup against NC State. This game is a must-win for the Vols, marking their first challenge of the year. A victory here would set the tone for the rest of the season and boost the team’s confidence heading into the tougher part of their schedule. Tennessee has the offensive talent to be a dark horse in the newly expanded SEC, led by talented junior running back Dylan Sampson and a loaded wide receiver room featuring Squirrel White and Bru McCoy.

On defense, the Vols appear to have taken a step forward, particularly in the secondary, which has been bolstered by new talent like Oregon State transfer Jermod McCoy. The pass rush, a strength last year, should remain formidable with star edge rusher James Pearce Jr. leading the way.

However, the key to a successful season will be limiting penalties. Tennessee was flagged for an SEC-high 101 penalties in 2023. As General Neyland famously said, “The team that makes the fewest mistakes wins.” If the Vols want to achieve success this season, they will need to cut down on their mistakes.

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