Breaking: Tennessee QB Nico Iamaleava commits to North Carolina in blockbuster deal worth…….

Bill Connelly has updated his S&P+ rankings ahead of the 2024 college football season, following a spring filled with yet another round of transfer portal mayhem. Connelly’s formula gave Tennessee, which came in at number 15, a 23.4 percent probability of finishing 10-2 or better.

Starting at quarterback, Nico Iamaleava, a former five-star prospect, will usher in a new era for Tennessee. Under Iamaleava’s leadership, S&P+ placed the Tennessee offense in 14th place. The Vols will have a lot of familiarity up front again, with Dylan Sampson, an electrifying running back, and receivers Bru McCoy and Squirrel White returning.

The defense is ranked 19th and will be supported by the front but has a lot of problems in the secondary. James Pearce, an edge rusher, is expected to make a comeback this autumn with the goal of selecting first overall in the 2025 NFL Draft. Omari Thomas and Keenan Pili, two veterans, are back, but the wild card will be a defensive backfield that has been completely redesigned.

An important component of these preseason rankings is returning production, where the Vols are ranked 108th overall. This is generally the result of them losing their entire secondary education due to transfer portals or graduation.

Tennessee’s ranking of ninth in the SEC shows how deep the conference is even with the addition of Texas and Oklahoma.

2024 SEC S&P+ Preseason Rankings: 1. Georgia

4. Texas

5. The state of Alabama

8. Ole Miss

9. LSU

11. The state of Missouri

13. University of Texas at Arlington

15. Oklahoma

16. The state of Tennessee

25. Kentucky

31. Auburn

33. Florida

43. Caa in South Carolinarolin

46. Arkansas

68. Mississippi State

Vanderbilt 97

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Why Miami football and Tennessee football are the underdogs to qualify for the 2024 College Football Playoffs

In 2024, the Vols and Canes have a chance to shock everyone.

Less than 100 days remain until the 2024 college football season kicks out. Praise be! Kickoff will mark the start of a new chapter in the history of the sport, which has changed more in the previous few years than it has in decades. The new 12-team College Football Playoff tournament, which will determine the national champion, will be a part of that.

Never before will so many universities have the chance to choose the top college football squad. Teams with a perfect record or those with a single loss will no longer be the only ones vying for the biggest prize in sports. There’s now a possibility that the 12-team field will include clubs with as many as three losses.

Although there have been differing opinions on this, it certainly has to thrill many colleges whose teams have always felt like they were on the outside looking in. And now there’s a genuine chance for a dark horse squad to enter and make some noise, especially with the way the transfer site allows rosters to be turned upside down.

The Miami Hurricanes and Tennessee Volunteers are two teams that ought to be dark horse contenders.

Josh Heupel brought the Vols back to prominence in the SEC since he moved to Knoxville in 2021. Everyone was taken aback when the 2022 Tennessee football team was briefly considered the best squad in the nation. They ultimately won the Orange Bowl and finished 11-2.

Heupel has never had a losing season at Tennessee, and although the club did see a slight regression in the previous year, it was most likely not due to coaching. The Vols’ offense—particularly their wide receiver corps—was beset with injuries, and their quarterback play was mediocre.

However, there was some positive for Tennessee football. With an average of nearly 500 yards per game, they were among the top 25 in total offense even with all of their offensive problems. That was mostly because we had a top-10 rushing offense. Still, last year’s progress achieved by the defense was very amazing.

Even with all of the attention that Heupel’s attack receives, defensive coordinator Tim Banks’ team is improving every game. Last season, Banks’ defense allowed 20.3 points per game, placing it in the top 25 for scoring defense.

The potential advancement is what makes Tennessee football such a formidable opponent in the 2024 College Football Playoff. With former five-star quarterback Nico Iamaleava taking over as the starter, the offense ought to make significant progress in the right direction. Along with him will be Dylan Sampson, a top-20 SEC rusher from the previous season, and Squirrel White and Bru McCoy, two returning receivers.

James Pearce Jr., a defensive end, is another option on the defensive end. The NFL is already planning to select him first overall in the next draft. Additionally, Heupel and staff used the portal to bring in corners Jermod McCoy and Jalen McMurray to take care of their secondary needs.

Navigating the notoriously difficult SEC schedule will be the Vols’ biggest obstacle to making the playoffs. But, aside from the Big Ten, SEC clubs will probably prevail in the playoffs over those from other leagues. When December arrives, don’t be astonished if the orange and white appear on the field.

Mario Cristobal needs to demonstrate improvement as he enters his third season with the Miami (FL) football club. The Canes haven’t looked anything like the legendary teams that ruled college football in the past since Cristobal took charge in 2022. The Canes have finished 12-13 in their first two seasons under Cristobal, which is comparable to the 21-15 record of former head coach Manny Diaz in his final three seasons.

The Miami football program has only finished in the top 10 once since 2004 and has been irrelevant for more than 20 years. But after all of the work that Cristobal and his team have put into the recruiting workshops and the transfer portal over the past few years, optimism is starting to grow once more. According to 247Sports, the Canes have added two composite top 10 ranked classes in the last two cycles (No. 4 and No. 7).

The transfer portal class Miami added during the previous winter and spring cycles to go along with their recruiting classes is where they stand to gain the most ground and be seen as a dark horse for the 2024 College Football Playoff.

Cam Ward, a former quarterback at Washington State, is the most prominent addition. Over the years, the Miami football team has been lacking a lot, but the quarterback position has been the most significant. By 2024, Ward ought to have rectified that entirely. In a Pac-12 conference full of talented quarterbacks, Ward finished the previous season rated in the top 10 in the majority of throwing categories.

But that’s only one improvement. Damien Martinez of Oregon State, who finished as the second-best rusher in the Pac-12, will be joining him on the offensive. Martinez ought likely have a lot of carries because Cristobal enjoys a strong running game. However, Miami also boasts Xavier Restrepo, Jacolby George, and transfer Sam Brown—the best graded returning wide receivers in the ACC according to Pro-Football-Focus. Shannon Dawson, the offensive coordinator, obviously has a lot of resources at his disposal.

Regarding the defense, it actually finished the previous season in the top 25 in terms of overall defense (24th). However, with some players leaving for the NFL, defensive coordinator Lance Guidry will have a largely rebuilt defensive front to work with. They will add 12 new players between the portal and recruitment, including three five-star players, to join All-ACC picks Francis Mauigoa and Reuben Bain Jr.

This Miami football squad is built to contend not only in the ACC but also to get to the 12-team College Football Playoffs and maybe even surprise a few opponents.