Five biggest questions heading into 2015 for Tennessee football

The Tennessee football team heads into the 2015 season with higher expectations than have been present around the program in several seasons.

Coming off of a 7-6 season that ended with a bang, the Vols have been picked by some to win the SEC East, and by most to at least compete in their division.

Going into this season, Tennessee does have a lot of major questions answered, like the starting quarterback position, but still has some issues that have lingered this summer. Here are the five biggest:

Who will step up at middle linebacker?

Now-graduated linebacker A.J. Johnson was arguably Tennessee’s best player last season before he was suspended, and with him gone, the Vols have to fill the middle linebacker slot.

Tennessee only loses three starters on defense from last season’s team, and the spots at cornerback (2014 starter Justin Coleman graduated) and defensive line (2014 starter Jordan Williams graduated) will be much easier to replace than middle linebacker.

Redshirt junior Kenny Bynum exited the spring with the lead at the position, but freshman Darrin Kirkland Jr. as well as redshirt freshman Dillon Bates will compete in the fall for the starting position.

If the middle linebacker situation is not figured out in fall camp, Tennessee defense could experience some major problems this season.

Can Tennessee finally hang with the traditional powers?

The days of losing to teams like Alabama, Georgia, and Oklahoma by four touchdowns look to be over, but the Vols will have to back that up on the field.

Before last season, it had almost become accepted that Tennessee would lose games by 30 or more points.

2014 was better for the Vols, but they still suffered a 34-10 loss to Oklahoma and a 34-3 loss to Ole Miss.

To compete in the SEC East, those blowout losses will obviously have to go away.

The home opener against Oklahoma will be a measuring stick for how Tennessee will fare in SEC play.

Will the offensive line be better?

There was no doubt about what Tennessee’s worst position group was.

The Vols were forced to replace all five starters from the 2013 season last year, and the inexperience of the new starters showed during 2014.

Tennessee gave up an SEC-worst 43 sacks last season, and while that number is bad, it should be noted that the number of sacks per game decreased when quarterback Josh Dobbs was thrown into the mix.

The starters on Tennessee’s offensive line now have experience and will have a full season with a mobile quarterback – Dobbs.

Those factors will help, but for Tennessee offense to reach the heights it wants to, the number of sacks from last season will need to be far fewer.

Will the losing streak to Florida be snapped at ten?

One of the only disappointments in an otherwise successful second season for Butch Jones was the loss to Florida.

At the time, the Gators had beaten the Vols nine times in a row and everyone surrounding the program was convinced the streak would be ended.

The streak is now up to ten, but Florida is more vulnerable than ever before, with a new head coach and an offense that has a really hard time moving the ball.

If Tennessee can get past the mental block of playing the Gators, this certainly could be the season the streak ends.

Is the future now?

Many media members and Vol fans have pegged 2016 as “the year”, but could the success start a year early?

Tennessee has more talent than they have had since the Phillip Fulmer era, but not great depth quite yet.

If the Vols can avoid any major injuries and receive some luck along the way, the high-level success that Tennessee fans have been longing for for so long could arrive a year early.

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