The Tennessee Volunteers have looked impressive in 2014.

The Vols have outscored opponents 72-26 in their first two games and dominated both sides of the football. But, those two match ups were against the likes of Utah State and Arkansas State. Both teams entered as, at best, shocking upsets for the highly favored Vols. For the first time this season, Tennessee finds itself as the underdog.

The Vols travel to Norman this weekend to take on No. 4 Oklahoma. Tennessee opened as a 21-point underdog for Saturday’s game. Unlike the previous two weeks, the Vols will find themselves facing a national powerhouse that has been a consistent contender.

Head coach Butch Jones acknowledged his upcoming opponent’s success during his weekly press conference, calling Oklahoma a model for success for Tennessee to follow.

“You look at illustrations throughout the course of the country of programs that have really been built on a foundation, a foundational value and have been around for a very long number of years,” Jones said. “You win with consistency and continuity. Consistent messaging, the players know what they’re getting every day.

“There’s a comfort level from a recruiting aspect that you know the coaches are going to be in place. It’s a whole great big conglomeration of everything that goes into it, and I think Oklahoma’s one of the models. Coach Stoops has done a tremendous tremendous job and that was a program that had so much tradition, and it does, but they were down a little bit and he came in and got it back going the right way.”

While the Vols currently face a rebuilding process, Oklahoma looks to contend for another national championship. Week 3 will provide a tough test for Tennessee and it doesn’t get much easier from here. Following a Week 4 bye, the Vols will face No. 6 Georgia in Athens before hosting Florida at Neyland Stadium.

Though Tennessee fans hope that the first two weeks are more an example of the team’s dominance than benefit of a weak schedule, the upcoming weeks may provide a wake up call for the Big Orange. It’s not to say that the Vols aren’t an improved team from last season, but the expectations set in the last two weeks may be deceptive.

Last season, Tennessee faced a similar situation entering its matchup with Oregon. Coming off two big wins against smaller programs, the Vols found themselves on the short end of a blowout to a national powerhouse. Week 3 will provide a better example of where Tennessee truly stands in its rebuilding process.

Though they are definitely a program on the rise, the Vols face a difficult task in surviving their next few games with a winning record in tact. If they prove to be competitive in these match ups, fans should take a moral victory and feel optimistic that the “Brick by brick” rebuilding process is steadily making progress.