It’s thus safe to say that Josh Heupel is needing a bounce-back year in 2026. That will be no easy task, though, as the Vols and every other SEC team, have to play nine conference games. The Vols will also be starting an inexperienced quarterback no matter who wins the starting job.
With those things in mind, let’s go
over the most important games on the 2026 schedule.
September 12 at Georgia Tech
This game is very important for the Vols considering there are only three non-conference matchups. The Vols face off against FCS Furman in Week 1, which shouldn’t be a problem, and then head down to Atlanta to take on Georgia Tech a week later.
Tech is a must-win game for the Vols. With nine SEC games, you simply can’t afford to lose a non-conference matchup. The Yellow Jackets won’t be the easiest opponent, either. They have Fernando Mendoza’s brother, Alberto, at quarterback, and Justice Haynes at running back. The Vols will be favored, but this is a game that has to be taken seriously.
October 10 at Arkansas
The Vols have to go to Fayetteville, which has been a house of horrors for the team, in early October. The Vols have not won a game in Fayetteville since 2001 and they’ve only beaten Arkansas at all once since 2007. With so many tough games on the slate, you can’t afford to lose to Arkansas here, no matter how tough it has been in the past.
This game is also one week before the Alabama game. Alabama is going to be a very tough game to win, and you don’t want to go into it on the heels of a loss to Arkansas. The Vols have to take down the Razorbacks this year if they want to approach or exceed last season’s eight-win mark.
November 21 vs. LSU
The November 21 game at Neyland Stadium vs. LSU is one of the games I’m most looking forward to. It’s the final home game of the season and it could have major implications. This matchup is sandwiched between road games at Texas A&M and Vanderbilt, so a win is badly needed here.
The Tigers have won the last three times they’ve been to Knoxville. That trend needs to end this season. It would be a bad look for the Vols to drop their final home game, and the last three games of the season are all loseable. Taking down the Tigers in Knoxville could be the team’s 8th win, depending on how things shake out.
