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There are 128 teams who play at the highest level of college football, and they all start the season undefeated.But the harsh reality is only 11 have a legitimate chance to win the 2016 College Football Playoff. In the final installment of an 11-part series, let's take a look at another of the few teams that could actually win the CFP: the Tennessee Volunteers. This program hasn't won 10 games in a season since 2007, but the investment that head coach Butch Jones has made in youth (40 true freshmen played over the past two years, more than any other team), combined with a slew of returning veterans (17, tied for third-most among Power 5 teams), should pay dividends with a roster that can contend for a national championship. Here are the 10 reasons the Volunteers should be considered among the few teams that could actually win the CFP next season.

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Dobbs is dominant in the SEC
The veteran quarterback pickings are very slim in the SEC in 2016. The conference returns only three quarterbacks who threw for 2,000 or more yards last season and has only two starting passers with at least 15 passing touchdowns to their career credit. That dearth of experienced competitors could put Joshua Dobbs near the top of the SEC quarterback list by default, but his performance last year shows he doesn't need the help to keep up. Dobbs ranked 14th among Power 5 quarterbacks in Total QBR (78.0) in part by his elite rushing skills (84.9 Total QBR on rushing plays, ranked 16th among Power 5 players). He already set team records for the most rushing yards by a quarterback in a game (166) and single season (671) and was the first Tennessee player to ever post 300 passing yards and 100 rushing yards in a single game. Dobbs also does a very good job of protecting the football -- according to the Tennessee sports information department, his five interceptions last year were the lowest total by a Tennessee starting quarterback in that category since Peyton Manning in 1995. Dobbs does have room for improvement, especially in the vertical passing game (83.3 Total QBR on aerials thrown 11 or more yards downfield, ranked 29th among Power 5 passers), so his production could be even better in 2016.

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Thunder + lightning + Dobbs = good backfield
As great as Dobbs is at rushing the ball, he may actually be the third best ball carrier on this club. Last year, Jalen Hurd became the first sophomore in Tennessee history to post 1,000 or more rushing yards in a single season and 2,000 or more rushing yards in a career. His seven games with 20 or more rushes last season were tied for ninth most among Power 5 backs and illustrate his thunder back ability. Alvin Kamara showcased his lightning back ability in his first game in the Tennessee backfield by racking up 144 yards against Bowling Green, which is the highest rushing total ever posted by a Volunteer in his first game. Kamara kept that breakaway pace up by ranking second in percentage of rushes that gained five or more yards among Power 5 running backs with 100 or more carries (53.3 percent).

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Young-ish line is very good
The Volunteers bring back four starters on their offensive line. Prime among these is guard Jashon Robertson, a 2014 ESPN Freshman All-American. He battled injuries last year and yet still allowed a negative play on 3.2 percent of his pass-blocking snaps, the lowest total among Volunteers offensive linemen with 100 or more pass-blocking snaps, according to STATS, LLC. (A negative play is defined as a sack, quarterback hurry, quarterback knockdown or penalty called.) Tennessee also brings back center Coleman Thomas (3.6 percent negative pass-blocking rate, second best on the club) and Chance Hall, who was a 2015 SEC All-Freshman selection.

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Good luck getting past those Tennessee linebackers
Tennessee can boast two tackling machines at linebacker. Jalen Reeves-Maybin posted 21 tackles against Oklahoma, a mark that was tied for the second-highest single-game total in FBS in 2015. He also led the team in tackles for loss (14), solo tackles (66) and total tackles (105). Freshman All-SEC middle linebacker Darrin Kirkland Jr. made the 2015 SEC coaches' All-Freshman team by racking up 66 tackles. That is the fourth-highest total ever posted by a Volunteers freshman, and Kirkland did it despite starting only 10 games.

Other reasons

- College football's most experienced receivers

- Historic special teams

- Bob Shoop is a terrific hire

- Aggressive, ball-hawking secondary

- Good luck dealing with those Tennessee pass rushers

- VOLS face an increasingly rare easy SEC schedule

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The bottom line
Tennessee's four losses last season occurred by a total of only 17 points and included contests against the eventual national champion (Alabama), a College Football Playoff team (Oklahoma) and the SEC East division champion (Florida). With the caliber of talent this year's club is returning, the Volunteers ought to be able to close the point gap against elite teams and make a run at their first national championship since 1998.