Every year, you click off the games in your head when you see the schedule. Win, win, we got that one…. and then just about every single year, one of those “easy” games sneaks up and bites you. Last year it was nearly Mississippi State, then you had an unexpected great season from Vanderbilt. The year before it was a road trip to Arkansas. South Carolina in 2022 — we won’t even discuss.
Tennessee’s season will be determined by outcomes against Texas, Alabama, LSU and Texas A&M. We already know they’re
about touchdown underdogs to both Texas and Texas A&M, while home games against Alabama and LSU are literal toss-ups according to some early lines.
But what about the games that Tennessee should win? Those tricky little road spots are interesting, and it gets going early on with a non-conference matchup at Georgia Tech. The Volunteers will be breaking in a freshman starter at quarterback and draw an always physical Brent Keys squad as their first real test.
Josh Heupel will play host to his former offensive coordinator on October 3rd as Auburn comes to town. Nobody quite knows what Alex Golesh’s year-one team is going to look like, but an experienced quarterback in Byrum Brown certainly is going to help.
Tennessee takes a trip to one of their personal houses of horror the following week, going back down to Fayetteville to take on Ryan Silverfield’s year one team. You probably know by now that Tennessee hasn’t won at Arkansas since 2001.
South Carolina, another team that not many people know what to make of, will host Tennessee on October 24th. The Volunteers and Gamecocks always seem to play wild ones when they meet down in Columbia.
Will Stein’s year-one Kentucky squad will come to Knoxville next in a trappy spot ahead of a trip to Texas A&M. The LSU matchup follows that will all of the Lane Kiffin drama coming back to town.
Finally, Tennessee ends it with a trip to Nashville to take on Vanderbilt, which will be trying to keep the momentum going after a big 2025. Clark Lea’s 2026 team’s ceiling is likely tied to true freshman quarterback Jared Curtis and how quickly he can adjust to the offense, assuming he wins the gig.
So while Tennessee has massive, massive games that will carry a ton of national interest, there are plenty of spots on this schedule that can trip up the Volunteers. Which one scares you the most? Discuss below!
