Tennessee Vols continue to receive zero respect in 2024 bowl game predictions

The Tennessee Vols are hoping to make a lot of folks in the national media look foolish this fall. 

The majority of bowl game predictions (at least all that I've seen) have Tennessee coming up short of the newly expanded 12-team College Football Playoff. One of the latest bowl game predictions, via Athlon Sports, has the Vols playing Nebraska in the Reliaquest Bowl (formerly known as the Outback Bowl). 

If Tennessee plays in the Outback Bowl, it would be quite a disappointment for a team that has championship aspirations (unless there are notable injuries). 

But for whatever reason, it seems like the national media isn't expecting to be impressed by the Volunteers this fall. 

And I really don't get it. 

Tennessee is upgrading at quarterback with Nico Iamaleava taking over for Joe Milton. They added a dynamic playmaker in Tulane transfer wide receiver Chris Brazzell. They get wide receiver Bru McCoy back from injury. They upgraded the offensive line with the addition of Lance Heard (plus they return offensive lineman John Campbell, Cooper Mays, and Javontez Spraggins). They get linebacker Keenan Pili back. And they revamped their secondary, which was often the subject of criticism the last couple of years. 

The Vols also added several stud true freshmen that could make an instant impact in 2024 (Boo Carter, Mike Matthews, Braylon Staley, etc). 

What's not to like about this team? 

Sure, the Vols have plenty to prove after going 9-4 last season. But the ingredients for a special season are there. The national media, however, seems to think it'll be another ho-hum season for Tennessee. And I'm sure Josh Heupel and the Vols will be incredibly eager to prove all of these bowl projections wrong.