Tennessee Football Five Factor Tracker Through Week 5

A look at some strengths and weaknesses of the Vols' upcoming opponents

Coming off their first of two bye weeks in 2024, the Vols were able to sit back and gather some intel about their future opponents. We’ve now completed five weeks of a 15-week season, so while teams still have plenty of time to improve (or decline), we’re starting to see the shape of how things will likely shake out this season.

Tennessee Offense vs. Opponents’ Defense

Tennessee will face some much stiffer defense over the next third of the schedule than they faced in the first third. While Florida has been pretty awful defensively, even Arkansas is better than you’d think, and Kentucky is analytically a near clone of Oklahoma. And then there’s Alabama, who is holding opponents to just a 32% success rate and under a field goal per scoring opportunity even after playing Georgia.

Tennessee Defense vs Opponents’ Offense

There’s a little more red meat in the Vols’ upcoming opponents’ offenses than in their defenses. Kentucky has been putrid on offense, however Florida has been better than you’d expect. The Gators don’t create a lot of scoring opportunities, but they get touchdowns when they do. On the other hand, Arkansas does create a lot of scoring opportunities, but get closer to a field goal each time instead. And both the Razorbacks and Florida give up a pretty hefty number of havoc plays, meaning the Vols’ defense could be in for some big plays the next couple of weeks.