We’ve made it — football is back. Josh Heupel enters year five in Knoxville looking to build off of his first College Football Playoff appearance last season, but he’ll have to do it this time around with new faces everywhere. New starters at quarterback, running back, receiver and several spots up front have created plenty of uncertainty heading into the fall. However, a decently favorable conference schedule could keep the Vols in it until the very end.
According to FanDuel Sportsbook, Tennessee
is -220 to win eight games. They’re +120 to win nine and +300 to have another ten-win season.
Tennessee ranks tenth in SEC Championship odds. The Volunteers are +2700 (27-1) to take home the conference title in Atlanta in December. Texas tops the board at +270, followed closely by Georgia at +290. Alabama (+500) and LSU (+600) are also in the mix. Tennessee is +390 to return to the College Football Playoff field. The Vols are a +7500 longshot to win the National Championship.
Predicting Tennessee’s 2025 season
Tennessee should be able to get past a Syracuse team that saw its offensive production gutted from a year ago. They should handle games like ETSU, UAB and New Mexico State without any issues.
They should be able to put away teams like Arkansas and Vanderbilt in Knoxville.
I could see Tennessee getting big scares on the road against both Mississippi State and Kentucky. The Wildcats in particular catch Tennessee at a really interesting time, sandwiched in between a trip to Tuscaloosa and what could be a do-or-die matchup against Oklahoma.
Let’s assume you take care of business and win the ones you’re supposed to. That really boils the season down to four key spots here — Georgia, at Alabama, Oklahoma and at Florida. For me, I can’t predict Tennessee to win in Tuscaloosa or Gainesville until I see it happen again. It’s been since 2003 since the Volunteers won in either place. I don’t see that changing this season.
So that leaves a couple of home games to likely determine whether or not Tennessee can make a run at the CFP. Can they finally get over the hump and beat Georgia for the first time since 2016? It’s possible. Both sides have plenty of questions and you know Neyland will be rocking on September 13th. I’m just not quite sold Tennessee will have enough firepower and chemistry going that early in the season.
Oklahoma, a trendy pick with a big upgrade at quarterback and running back, will be a tough out in November. That game means a lot to Josh Heupel though for obvious reasons and I think he finds a way to bring that one home.
Tennessee 2025 record prediction: 9-3 and a Citrus Bowl appearance
There are a ton of question marks with this offense heading into the season, starting at quarterback. It’s entirely possible that Tennessee actually upgraded at the position, grabbing a more aggressive passer in Joey Aguilar. That’s the opposite of what the national media is spinning, likely due to Nico Iamaleava’s five-star status out of high school. Let’s be honest though, Iamaleava held the passing attack back in conference play last season. Can Aguilar spark it? Can Kelsey Pope get a couple of young guys to emerge at receiver? We’ll see.
Tennessee will lean on a deep defensive front and a really strong secondary once again, assuming Jermod McCoy can come back healthy. Rodney Garner’s group remains the backbone of this team despite losing several key contributors from a season ago.
The question for me is just simply whether or not Tennessee can score enough to hang with the elite teams. Getting past some road woes would certainly help, too.
Feel free to drop your season predictions in the comments below, and don’t forget to use the feed on the homepage to keep the conversation going all season long!
