Oct 20, 2018; Knoxville, TN, USA; Fans outside Neyland Stadium before a game between the Tennessee Volunteers and Alabama Crimson Tide. Mandatory Credit: Bryan Lynn-USA TODAY Sports
If you look back at recent history, Tennessee football set the standard when it came to SEC teams playing tough non-conference schedules. Johnny Majors and Phillip Fulmer almost always went out of their way to select a couple of brutal teams a year.
Recently, the rest of the league has done the same thing. Meanwhile, the Vols have fallen behind. For the second time in three years, they will play all four non-SEC games at home with their one Power Five opponent, the Pittsburgh Panthers, being unranked.