Tennessee coach Josh Heupel on Oklahoma return which starts 29 days that will make or break season

During a Big Orange Caravan stop in May, Tennessee football coach Josh Heupel was asked about facing Oklahoma, the school he led to a national title as a Heisman Trophy runner-up quarterback.

“Before you said that, I didn’t know they were on the schedule,” Heupel replied.

The joke didn’t linger all the way to SEC media days in Dallas on Tuesday. Heupel answered questions from Oklahoma media about his homecoming in a straightforward manner.

“I’ve got great respect for the university, the program,” said Heupel, who was fired as Oklahoma offensive coordinator in 2015. “(There are) a lot of friends that are coaching on the opposing sideline, former teammates that will be coaching on that opposing sideline, too. So it'll be unique to be back there, but (I am) excited to be there.”

Indeed, the impact of that game is no laughing matter, and Heupel knows it.

When the Vols play the Sooners in Norman on Sept. 21, it will be Oklahoma’s first SEC game and its chance to show it belongs in the best conference in college football.

But Tennessee will have plenty to prove, as well. And that Week 4 game will only be the beginning.

The consensus is that the Vols aren’t a favorite to win the league title. Georgia and Texas share that designation.

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But Tennessee is firmly in that second tier along with teams like Ole Miss, Alabama, Missouri, LSU and perhaps Oklahoma.

With the College Football Playoff expanding to 12 teams, even finishing at the top of the SEC’s second tier is good enough.

A critical 29-day stretch, beginning with that Oklahoma game, will determine whether Tennessee belongs in the playoff.

Win these games, and the Vols are for real

Tennessee plays at Oklahoma on Sept. 21 and at Arkansas on Oct. 5 with an off week in between. It will host Florida on Oct. 12 and Alabama on Oct. 19 at Neyland Stadium.

Those 29 days will make or break the Vols’ chances at the playoff.

One game isn’t like the others. Tennessee should win at Arkansas unless first-year offensive coordinator Bobby Petrino can work his magic quickly.

But the Oklahoma, Florida and Alabama games should serve as benchmarks of belief.

Those are the select opportunities when Tennessee can convince its fans, then media and finally the College Football Playoff selection committee that it’s a deserving playoff team.

If the Vols win at Oklahoma, they’ll earn respect and bump another potential playoff contender.

If the Vols beat Florida, they’ll get over a critical hurdle that’s required of any Tennessee team taken seriously in the SEC race. Only the 2016 and 2021 Vols defeated the Gators in the past 20 years.

And if the Vols beat Alabama at Neyland Stadium, there will be immediate comparisons to the 2022 season – when Tennessee would’ve made a 12-team playoff.

But winning any three of those four games during that 29-day stretch should keep the Vols in the hunt.

What about Georgia? It's not make or break anymore

That’s not to downplay Tennessee’s Week 2 game against North Carolina State in Charlotte, which could be a tough test.

And, of course, the Vols’ trip to Georgia on Nov. 16 could carry playoff implications for both teams. But in the era of a 12-team playoff and an SEC title race with no divisions, that game isn’t make or break. An SEC team can go 10-2 and still make the playoff.

“The standard of Tennessee is to win championships,” Heupel said. “We’re in a race to get there as fast as we can.”

The opportunity will arrive as early as Heupel’s return to Oklahoma in late September.

This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Tennessee coach Josh Heupel on Oklahoma return which starts 29 days that will make or break season