No, this is not the year to be all-in on the Tennessee Volunteers. They may have a fairly navigable schedule, but losing starting quarterback Nico Iamaleava to the transfer portal set the program back considerably. Coming over from UCLA was former Appalachian State quarterback Joey Aguilar. He was fine in the Sun Belt, but this is the SEC. At least he has plenty of starting experience on his hands.
And that right there is one thing Georgia does not have with presumptive starter Gunner Stockton. He has been with the program for a while now, but only has one start under his belt. It might have been a tough spot for him taking on the Notre Dame Fighting Irish in the Sugar Bowl as part of the College Football Playoff, it was still a loss. Is there a chance the Vols could get Georgia in Week 3?
I think so, but Tennessee will have to play phenomenally. For Tennessee to pull off the home upset, Josh Heupel is going to have to lean heavily on star defensive coordinator Tim Banks. If the Vols keep it low-scoring and force Stockton into bad situations, they will have a shot at an upset. All I know is if Stockton looks bad in the first true road game of his career, he has no shot at the Heisman Trophy.
Georgia's next game after taking on Tennessee in Knoxville is home two weeks later vs. rival Alabama.
How Tennessee can end Gunner Stockton's Heisman case before it starts
With last year's SEC schedule being the inverse of what it will be this year, Georgia still faces a far tougher slate in league play than do the Volunteers. Going to Knoxville may be Georgia's toughest road game, but they still have to host Alabama, Ole Miss and Texas Between the Hedges. Even a road date at Auburn and a neutral-site affair with Florida down in Jacksonville are not the easiest of games.
What I am getting at is if Stockton does not look ready for the challenge, how is he going to look at the far better teams on the Georgia schedule beyond Tennessee? Winning on the road in the SEC is hard, so even a more seasoned quarterback could conceivably lose to Tennessee in Knoxville in this spot. Having a bye between the Tennessee and Alabama games help a lot, but you still have to win it.
In the end, I would still probably take Georgia to beat Tennessee at Neyland Stadium this fall, mostly because of the perceived downgrade at quarterback for the Vols from Iamaleava to Aguilar. The downgrade from Carson Beck to Stockton is there, but Stockton has been with the program for years now. He has far more chemistry with his teammates than does the newcomer from UCLA for the Vols.
Regardless, it is not Stockton's year to contend for a Heisman, as illustrated by this Tennessee point.