Josh Heupel reveals how he addresses the hype of the Georgia game

As if the hype wasn’t great enough for Georgia vs. Tennessee, the noise got even louder when the Volunteers came in at No. 1 in the first College Football Playoff rankings this week. The game is sure to have major implications both nationally and within the SEC — and Josh Heupel knows that.

However, he doesn’t think that’s impacting how his team is preparing for such a big matchup.

Heupel thinks Tennessee has stayed the course despite the magnitude of the game, which kicks off a 3:30 p.m. ET from Athens. He said that’s part of being a competitor, and controlling emotions will be key.

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“The outside noise and the fact that this is a big game, everybody knows that,” Heupel said. “The reality is as a competitor, you’re so entrenched in the preparation — or you should be — that the week kind of unfolds in a normal routine for you. Our guys are confident. They’ve prepared in a really good way.

“I don’t feel like they’ve changed their habits in any way that’s going to hurt us during the course of the football game because we’re not prepared. I think handling the emotion in the early stages of the football game is important in any big ballgame. You’ve got to play extremely smart and settle into the football game early. I think that’s important.”

Josh Heupel reveals key to Tennessee’s red zone success

Tennessee’s offense has become one of the dominant on-field stories of this college football season, fueled by extreme tempo and a scheme that has quarterback Hendon Hooker a bona fide Heisman candidate as he sprays the ball around to the Volunteers stable of talented receivers.

And there’s been no let up in the red zone for Tennessee, either, something head coach Josh Heupel said has more to do with the offensive line playing strong, receivers making plays and Hooker being savvy than it does scheme or tempo. So far this season, on 44 red zone trips, the Vols have come away with 35 touchdowns.

“At the end of the day, it still comes down to execution,” Heupel said. “So when we’re good in the red zone, it’s because the quarterback is making good decisions, we’re being physical up front, we’re able to run the football effectively, make competitive one-on-one catches. The tempo can be an advantage for us but you’ve seen us at times slow down and still execute, too.”