For over a decade, Tennessee was lost in the wilderness.
From 2008 through 2021, the Vols didn’t win 10 games a single time. Their glass ceiling had been lowered dramatically since the end of the Phillip Fulmer era as the Vols suffered through forgettable tenures from Derek Dooley, Butch Jones and Jeremy Pruitt.
The floor was lower, too. During those down years, Tennessee missed 6 bowl games and finished under .500 in SEC play in 9 different seasons.
Then Josh Heupel arrived. By 2022, the Vols were humming again. Heupel led Tennessee to an 11-win season — its first since 2001 — and a No. 6 finish in the College Football Playoff committee rankings.
At the time, Tennessee’s trajectory seemed to be rising. But in the years since, that 2022 campaign has remained the signature season of the Heupel era.
Tennessee has been between 4-4 and 6-2 in SEC play during every season of Heupel’s tenure. That high floor is a gift given what the Vols endured for nearly a decade and a half prior to his arrival.
But the lack of high-end results entering Year 6 is notable. We’ll see if Heupel and Tennessee can break that trend this season.
Tennessee win total analysis
This piece is part of a series we’re running this offseason at Saturday Down South where we’ll look at regular-season win totals for all 16 SEC teams. We’ve previously analyzed Alabama, Georgia and LSU, Auburn, Kentucky, Ole Miss, Oklahoma and Vanderbilt, Florida and Texas. Now it’s Tennessee’s turn.
Tennessee regular season win total
According to the latest college football odds on BetMGM, here’s a look at Tennessee’s win total for 2026:
- Over 7.5 wins (-115)
- Under 7.5 wins (-115)
Tennessee football 2026 schedule
Here’s what Tennessee’s schedule looks like this fall:
- Sept. 5: vs. Furman
- Sept. 12: at Georgia Tech
- Sept. 19: vs. Kennesaw State
- Sept. 26: vs. Texas
- Oct. 3: vs. Auburn
- Oct. 10: at Arkansas
- Oct. 17: vs. Alabama
- Oct. 24: at South Carolina
- Oct. 31: OFF
- Nov. 7: vs. Kentucky
- Nov. 14: at Texas A&M
- Nov. 21: vs. LSU
- Nov. 28: at Vanderbilt
Tennessee has a manageable nonconference slate with the toughest game being a road trip to Atlanta to take on Georgia Tech. The Yellow Jackets figure to be in rebuilding mode this offseason after losing quarterback Haynes King (graduation), backup quarterback Aaron Philo (Florida) and offensive coordinator Buster Faulkner (Florida), among other pieces.
As for the SEC slate, Tennessee has one of the tougher challenges you’ll see in 2026. The Volunteers play several programs with legitimate College Football Playoff aspirations — Texas, Alabama, Texas A&M and LSU. It’s worth noting that 3 of those 4 games (all but Texas A&M) will come in Knoxville.
On the other end of the spectrum, the Vols play 3 teams expected to be near the bottom of the SEC standings (Vanderbilt, Arkansas and Kentucky). Games against Auburn and South Carolina could be tricky, but are certainly winnable for the Vols.
Ultimately, I like Tennessee to go over its win total of 7.5 games. Here are 3 reasons why:
The schedule sets up well for the Vols
Tennessee has 4 really tough games on its schedule, but as previously mentioned, 3 of those are at home. Given how well Tennessee typically plays at home, I think a 1-2 record in those contests is realistic and 2-1 is on the table as well.
Tennessee also gets home games against Auburn and Kentucky, which are both must-win contests if you’re on the over. Road wins over South Carolina and Vanderbilt also seem possible — if not probable.
The timing of when Tennessee plays its toughest and weakest opponents is also critical. As the Vols are breaking in a new quarterback (more on that later), they won’t have to face a great team until Week 4. Perhaps more importantly for win total analysis, they won’t play an SEC game they’re expected to win until Week 5. That should be plenty of time for either George MacIntrye or Faizon Brandon to settle in.
One more schedule-related item I want to note — the open date before the game against Kentucky on Nov. 7 is important. That game could very well decide whether or not Tennessee goes over this win total or not. Kentucky has a wide range of outcomes this season after hauling in top-10 portal class this offseason, but the Vols should be favored at home. There’s no rest advantage for the Vols (Kentucky is also idle on Halloween weekend) but I trust Heupel and Co. to have this team ready for that game.
Tennessee’s QB situation should resolve itself
Anytime an SEC team goes into a season with an unproven quarterback, questions will be asked. That’s certainly the case for Tennessee this season as the Vols will have to decide between a pair of untested options in MacIntrye and Brandon. However, both of these players look like pretty good candidates to have breakout seasons in Heupel’s offense. MacIntrye is a former 4-star prospect who is entering his second year in Tennessee’s offense. Brandon was a 5-star in the class of 2026 and has long been considered to be the Vols’ quarterback of the future.
Tennessee is coming off of a very productive offensive season with Joey Aguilar under center. Aguilar — a flawed quarterback who many were doubting a year ago — finished 2nd in the SEC in passer efficiency rating last season and averaged an impressive 8.8 yards per attempt. The long ball was a huge weapon for the Vols. As a team, Tennessee had 9 passing plays of 50+ yards — tied for the most in the SEC.
It’s not a stretch to say Tennessee could deploy a similar strategy this season. The Vols return receivers Mike Matthews and Braylon Staley, though they do lose Chris Brazzell and his 16.4 yards per reception. Still, Matthews and Staley were 2 of the SEC’s most productive wide receivers a year ago and should prove to be excellent targets for whoever wins Tennessee’s starting QB job.
Lastly, Heupel’s offense will always have respectable floor. It’s what makes him one of college football’s most-respected coaches. Even in down years in 2023 and 2024, the Vols ranked in the top 10 in the SEC in passer efficiency rating. In good years like 2021, 2022 and 2025, Tennessee was near the top. If you think Tennessee takes a step back without Aguilar and Brazzell, I think that’s a realistic projection. But Tennessee is unlikely to regress to the point where its passing offense is worse than most of the SEC teams on its schedule.
Tennessee’s defense should be much improved
I’m not sure many outside of Knoxville realize just how bad the Vols were on defense last season. They finished the year ranked 131st in defensive success rate and 119th in EPA-per-play allowed, according to Game on Paper. It’s a miracle — and a huge credit to Tennessee’s offense — that the Vols managed to make a bowl game last season, let alone win 4 SEC contests.
Injuries played a part in Tennessee’s struggles, but it wasn’t the whole story. Defensive coordinator Tim Banks was fired and replaced with Jim Knowles, who spent the 2025 season at Penn State after leading Ohio State to the national championship the year before. Knowles, also highly regarded for his work at Oklahoma State and Duke, is known as one of the best defensive coordinators in the country.
Talent-wise, Tennessee is capable of much more than it produced on defense last season. The Vols also added numerous defensive playmakers via the transfer portal, including ex-Penn State players like linebacker Amare Campbell and defensive lineman Xavier Gilliam. Former Auburn cornerback Kayin Lee is also a notable addition on the defensive side of the ball. Between improved personnel and a new play-caller, Tennessee’s defense should be much better in 2026.
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Spenser is a news editor for Saturday Down South and covers college football across all Saturday Football brands.
