It’s proving time in Tennessee.
Again.
Despite Josh Heupel’s Volunteers winning 30 games the past three seasons and being among the Southeastern Conference’s three teams to qualify for last year’s inaugural 12-team College Football Playoff, they are facing another uphill climb when it comes to league respect. The SEC announced the media’s projected order of finish Friday afternoon on the heels of its annual media days event that was held earlier this week at the College Football Hall of Fame in Atlanta, and Tennessee is projected to finish ninth in the 16-team collection.
“I don’t really pay too much attention to rankings,” Vols junior linebacker Arion Carter said Tuesday. “I feel like that’s what we have the season for. I feel like I know what we have in that room and what we have on our 105-man roster, and I know what our expectations and what our goals are set to go do.
“I know that we have full ability and capability to go out there and achieve the goals we set.”