Forget Georgia and Texas, why is no one talking about Nico Iamaleava and Tennessee?

In between bickering over who should be the No. 1 team in college football right now between the Texas Longhorns and the Georgia Bulldogs, there is another team firmly inside the top 10 from the SEC that I don't think we're giving enough respect to. That would be the Tennessee Volunteers. This team has gradually gone from a borderline playoff team, to a playoff lock, to a national title contender.

Entering their huge road date at the No. 15 Oklahoma Sooners on Saturday, the Vols have quietly climbed all the way up to No. 6. They only trail Texas, Georgia, Ohio State, Alabama and Ole Miss, in that order. While all five of the teams ahead of them look like playoff locks for the most part, I think we need to seriously look at what we have seen out of this Tennessee team so far and re-evaluate a bit.

It has been night and day since Josh Heupel took over the program for Jeremy Pruitt in 2021. He brought with him from UCF some variation of the Air Raid. While I still have major doubts about former Volunteers players starring in this system succeeding long-term at the next level, this is still college football. Right now, I think Tennessee can win the College Football Playoff. They might be that good.

This is because they play great defense and have an ascending at quarterback in Nico Iamaleava.

Tennessee Volunteers can win a national title with Nico Iamaleava at QB

All offseason long, I had four teams firmly in the national title mix with a rotating fifth team of sorts occasionally joining the party. I was not alone in this preseason assessment, as most prognosticators had Georgia and Texas out of the SEC and Ohio State and Oregon out of the Big Ten as serious contenders to win it all. At times, I had teams like Notre Dame, Ole Miss and Penn State joining them.

While I no longer trust the Fighting Irish at all, the Rebels may be that good, as might the Nittany Lions. However, Tennessee is my pick to get to Atlanta should either Georgia or Texas stumble. They are the third best team in the SEC right now in my estimation. Admittedly, I have six teams from that league getting into the playoff right now Georgia, Texas, Tennessee, Ole Miss, Alabama and Missouri.

No, this is not the first time Tennessee has gotten off to a hot start in my 16-plus years of undeniable college football fandom. However, this is the first time I have looked at the Vols and thought, "They're not going to mess this up." I don't see unthinkable losses to South Carolina popping up on the schedule, nor are they going to be totally enamored with a glorified practice player like Joe Milton III.

With Iamaleava running point in Heupel's offense, I think we have the potential to see Tennessee get its first Heisman Trophy winner ever. While that may be way more likely to happen in 2025, I am not ruling it out in 2024 just yet. Honestly, it wouldn't shock me if Iamaleava came back to Knoxville for his senior season in 2026. We have to remember he is only a sophomore and a first-year starter for UTK.

At this point, I would be utterly shocked if Tennessee did not remain a top-eight seed all season long.