SP+ has the Tennessee offense 4th of 138 going into 2026. Only five teams in the country carry a top 5 offense. Tennessee is one of them.
The other four pair it with a defense ranked 9th or better. Ohio State 1st, Oregon 2nd, Georgia 5th, Notre Dame 9th. Tennessee sits 44th.
Four of five sit at the strong end
Defensive SP+ rank counts up from the best, so it is converted to a national percentile here where a higher number means a stronger defense. Ohio State 1st, Oregon 2nd, Georgia 5th, Notre Dame 9th, Tennessee 44th. Source: CollegeFootballData, pulled 2026-08-21.
SP+ is Bill Connelly’s team rating. Higher is better on offense, and the defensive number is converted here so higher is better on both sides.
We wrote the split up. This is that same gap measured against the company it keeps.
A preseason projection is a prior, not evidence. Nobody has played a game.
The offense projects fourth best in the country. What would have to be true is that the defense climbs toward the group Tennessee is now sitting in.