Into the meat grinder: Tennessee Volunteers edition

The Tennessee Volunteers look to make a step forward this season on their way back towards relevancy in the SEC. With the talent and experience on hand, many are predicting the Vols are poised to rise and challenge for the SEC East title in Butch Jones' third season in Knoxville.

One challenge standing in the Vols way is their daunting schedule. ESPN recently discussed the toughest stretch facing the team in 2015.

@ Florida Gators on Sept. 26

For those counting at home, the Gators have beaten Tennessee ten years in a row. Last season's loss was particularly heart breaking for Vol Nation as the team had a 9-0 lead going into the fourth quarter during the fan's epic success of Checkerboard Neyland campaign. Of course Florida won 10-9 to ruin the day. This season could be the year Tennessee turns the tide, as the strength of their team looks to be the defensive front while the Gators thinnest unit heading into the season is their offensive line and currently have questions about both quarterbacks on the roster. This is a huge game for a program attempting to prove they have turned a corner.

vs. Arkansas Razorbacks on Oct. 3

If the Razorbacks can get past Texas Tech at home and Texas A&M on a neutral field in Dallas, the Hogs will 4-0 heading into this match in Neyland Stadium. Arkansas looked like a dominant team down the stretch, as they were the first unranked team in AP Poll history to shutout consecutive ranked opponents. They followed that feat by defeated Texas 31-7 in their bowl game. The winner of this season's game could propel themselves right into the thick of their respective divisional race, while the loser may all but eliminate themselves two games into their conference slate.

vs. Georgia Bulldogs on Oct. 10

The Vols took the Bulldogs to overtime the last time they came to Tennessee and was a Pig Howard fumble into the end zone while stretching for the pylon away from the upset. This season the game could determine the East championship if the young Tennessee team continues to develop and incoming freshmen are ready to contribute for the third season in a row. Georgia will enter this contest coming off a game against the Alabama Crimson Tide, two conference losses in as many weeks could send the team into a downward spiral from which they can't recover.

@ Alabama Crimson Tide on Oct. 24

The Tide have currently won eight in a row in this series and have outscored the Vols by a margin of 201-59 the last five years. Expect nearly everyone to be picking the Tide in this one, but if Tennessee has turned a corner, they need to at least show they can compete with Alabama on the field. Tennessee has not won in Tuscaloosa since 2003, could this be the year they turn the Tide?

(h/t ESPN)