Where Tennessee was picked to finish in the SEC by the media

Where Tennessee was picked to finish in the SEC by the media

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Where Tennessee was picked to finish in the SEC by the media
KNOXVILLE, TENNESSEE – NOVEMBER 29: DeSean Bishop #18 of the Tennessee Volunteers runs the ball during the first half of the game against the Vanderbilt Commodores at Neyland Stadium on November 29, 2025 in Knoxville, Tennessee. (Photo by Johnnie Izquierdo/Getty Images) | Getty Images

The annual picks for the Southeastern Conference are in from the media, and the Tennessee Volunteers have been placed in the middle of the pack. Fueled by questions at quarterback, the media projected Tennessee to finished eighth in the conference for the 2026 season. The Volunteers are coming off of an 8-5 season in 2025, going 4-4 in SEC play.

Josh Heupel will be breaking in yet another new starter at quarterback, with the options narrowed down to true freshman Faizon Brandon or redshirt freshman George MacIntyre. The Volunteers do return four starters on the offensive line, standout running back DeSean Bishop, along with two starting receivers with plenty of experience in Braylon Staley and Mike Matthews.

Defensively, new coordinator Jim Knowles will try to patch up one of the worst units in the conference from a season ago with a slew of new faces.

Georgia is projected to win the conference, while Texas closely followed. Ole Miss, LSU, Texas A&M, Alabama and Oklahoma made up the next tier. Tennessee narrowly beat out Florida for the No. 8 spot.

SEC predicted order of finish (Media)

1 Georgia 2,519
2 Texas 2,449
3 Ole Miss 2,004
4 Texas A&M 1,967
5 LSU 1,961
6 Alabama 1,930
7 Oklahoma 1,914
8 Tennessee 1,320
9 Florida 1,217
10 Missouri 1,105
11 South Carolina 956
12 Auburn 936
13 Vanderbilt 751
14 Kentucky 546
15 Mississippi State 467
16 Arkansas 262

Tennessee placed four players on the All-SEC third team. Running back DeSean Bishop, guard Wendell Moe, tackle David Sanders and linebacker Arion Carter each got the nod.

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