Why Tennessee football's chances of upsetting Oklahoma Sooners are improving

Tennessee's Week 2 game against Oklahoma is one of the most compelling games on its 2020 schedule.

The Sooners have made three straight College Football Playoff appearances, and they'll open the season as a highly ranked team. Tennessee could very well be ranked, too, setting up a Top 25 matchup in Norman, Oklahoma.

It will be a stiff test for Tennessee, but one that looks at least a bit more manageable than it did a few months ago.

Blake Toppmeyer and John Adams of the News Sentinel look ahead to that matchup on this edition of "The Volunteer State."

Tennessee only had two spring practices before the coronavirus pandemic shut it down. Oklahoma had one spring practice. 

You could argue the Sooners suffered more for not having spring practice, needing to break in Spencer Rattler as their new starting quarterback.

Sure, Tennessee would have benefited from more spring practices, but the Vols return eight starters on each side of the ball, including quarterback Jarrett Guarantano. Inconsistent as his career as been, at least Guarantano has experience on his side.

Additionally, the Vols will begin voluntary on-campus workouts June 8, compared to July 1 for Oklahoma. And, if there are any fan capacity restrictions at Oklahoma due to the pandemic – fan attendance is a lingering question universities face – that could negate some home-field advantage.

Blake Toppmeyer covers University of Tennessee football. Email him at blake.toppmeyer@knoxnews.com and follow him on Twitter @btoppmeyer. If you enjoy Blake’s coverage, consider a digital subscription that will allow you access to all of it. Current subscribers can click here to join Blake's subscriber-only text group offering updates and analysis on Vols football.