Yes, the Tennessee Volunteers will have to prove themselves Saturday in Athens against No. 11 Georgia. But the eye test says Josh Heupel’s No. 6-ranked Volunteers are looking like a powerful title contender.
The body of work screams this team is legitimate. They scored like a buzzsaw in the first three games of the season. Since then, the Volunteers have relied more on a defense that hasn’t allowed more than 18 points in any game this season. Look at this incredible points-allowed list: 3, 10, 0, 15, 14, 17, 17, 18, 14.
Volunteers show little mercy on SEC foe

The latest victim came Saturday in Knoxville as the Volunteers dissected Mississippi State, 33-14. Just another day at the office for Heupel and company, according to volswire.usatoday.com.
“Another SEC win, a good win, proud of the way the guys played for four quarters,” Heupel said. “Played hard, played physical. Obviously offensively, some things early in the football game that had an opportunity to change the way the game is played. Just not an efficient second or third down. There are little things that they did in the fourth down that we don’t end up converting on, but all in all, a really good night.”
The Vols outgained an overmatched team by a count of 452-271. Tennessee’s balance came out impressive with 240 rushing and 212 passing.
What about QB Nico Iamaleava’s injury?

Iamaleava left the game early with an injury. But it seems like the situation prevented him from returning more than the injury itself. If he suffered the same injury against Georgia, chances are he returns. But Heupel said he liked the way the Vols handled the adversity, according to tennessee.rivals.com.
“I’m proud of the way some of the guys responded,” Heupel said. “(Backup QB) Gaston Moore, the way he played, the running backs getting an opportunity to play really well.”
Tennessee stands at 8-1 on the season with a 5-1 mark in the SEC. Georgia (7-2 overall) is 5-2 in the league.
OK, but isn’t Georgia favored to beat the Volunteers?
The Bulldogs deserve respect. The fact they are favored proves it. But there’s no way Tennessee should be 9.5-point underdog.
Georgia looked flat and shaky in a 28-10 humbling at the hands of Mississippi. Quarterback Carson Beck has thrown for 2,488 yards this season, hitting on 65% of his passes. But his 17 touchdowns and 12 interceptions is not an impressive ratio.
By comparison, Iamaleava has thrown for 1,879 yards with 11 scores and four interceptions. The thing that jumps out is Beck has thrown nearly three times as many picks as his counterpart.
One question may be how Iamaleava handles the hostile crowd. He struggled at times against Oklahoma and looked completely disheveled versus Arkansas. The latter contest stands as the Vols’ only loss of the season. Everything else has been a home game. So Iamaleava has to prove it.
However, the Vols’ defense is so outstanding, Iamaleava doesn’t have to be great. In theory, he only needs to get three touchdowns on the board. And the Bulldogs coughed up 31 points to the same Mississippi State team the Vols just drubbed.
Vols well suited for Athens

It’s still in the mix for the Volunteers to not only get into the playoffs, but grab a first-round bye. Tennessee has things laid out for a national-title run, but it has to start with a win against Georgia.
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