If you aren’t familiar with Phil Steele, he’s a highly respected sportswriter who covers college and pro football. His college football preview magazine is one of the most complete and comprehensive guides on college football that you’ll find.
Steele recently released his toughest schedules for 2014 and the Vols are ranked No. 2, behind only Notre Dame.
2. Tennessee (2013 ranking: 6th) – The Volunteers again have one of the toughest schedules in the nation, and it begins with their non-conference slate. Tennessee hosts Utah State and Arkansas State, no pushovers, and then travels to Oklahoma. In the SEC, Tennessee hosts Alabama, Florida, and Missouri and travels to Georgia, South Carolina, and Vanderbilt.
Other SEC schools on his list: Arkansas (3), Auburn (5), Texas A&M (12), Kentucky (15), Ole Miss (20), South Carolina (30), Missouri (31), Florida (32), LSU (33), Georgia (35), Mississippi State (56), Vanderbilt (58) and Alabama (61).