2026 Tennessee Season Preview: Analyzing each game on the schedule
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We’re now just a matter of days away from the 2026 college football season getting underway. Josh Heupel and Tennessee are ready to roll, now with true freshman Faizon Brandon named as the starting quarterback. Brandon has plenty to work with offensively with four starters returning up front, DeSean Bishop back in the backfield, along with veteran receivers Mike Matthews and Braylon Staley.
Still, in a deep and always competitive SEC, the path to contending for a spot in the College Football Playoff won’t be easy to navigate. According to FanDuel Sportsbook, Tennessee’s win total sits at 7.5. Now with the season upon us, let’s dig into this and take a game by game approach.
September 5: Furman
We’ll likely get long looks at both Brandon and George MacIntyre here to open the season. The Paladins are coming off of a 6-6 season in 2025, losing their one power-four matchup 45-10 to Clemson to end the season. Tennessee should roll fairly easily here.
September 12: at Georgia Tech
The first real test comes here in week two against a completely rebuilt Georgia Tech squad. Brent Keys will be trying to bounce back after a tough end to last season as the Yellow Jackets saw their playoff hopes fade late. Haynes King has moved on to the NFL, opening the door for Alberto Mendoza — Fernando’s little brother — to take over. Big-time transfer Justice Haynes comes in to lead the backfield.
Returning only seven starters total and breaking in two new coordinators could prove problematic for Georgia Tech in this early season test, but Tennessee has enough question marks as well to where this could be very interesting.
September 19: Kennesaw State
Tennessee gets their first taste of an opposing coach that knows a little something about Knoxville. Jerry Mack, Josh Heupel’s initial running backs coach at Tennessee, won ten games and a C-USA title last season. Mack will turn to former LSU/Syracuse quarterback Rickie Collins under center as he tries to replicate the 2025 season.
Notable Kennesaw State scores from last year — a 10-9 loss to Wake Forest and a 56-9 loss to Indiana.
September 26: Texas
The first marquee of the season comes against Texas, which somehow lucked out with a noon kickoff in Knoxville. Arch Manning will have the somewhat odd task of trying to win on the road where his uncle is an absolute legend. Texas is loaded across the board, now armed with Cam Coleman at receiver to go along with Ryan Wingo. Hollywood Smothers adds even more juice to an offense that didn’t exactly need anymore.
Tough one here — I’d like it a lot better if it were under the lights. Texas hold the highest number of projected regular season wins on Tennessee’s schedule at 9.5
October 3: Auburn
Josh Heupel might feel like he’s playing against his own team on October 3rd. Alex Golesh leads Auburn into town, where Golesh had so much success in 2021 and 2022 as Tennessee’s offensive coordinator. Golesh will bring his quarterback Byrum Brown with him from USF.
How good this year one Golesh team can be will be very interesting considering how quickly Heupel was able to turn things around when he arrived in 2021.
October 10: at Arkansas
Tennessee hasn’t won in Fayetteville since 2001, oddly enough. However, this would feel like the year to do it. It’s year one for Ryan Silverfield, who comes in from Memphis. The Razorbacks have been picked to finish dead last in the SEC.
This is just one you have to go get.
October 17: Alabama
Alabama and Tennessee feel pretty similar this season, and the Volunteers are looking for their third straight win over the Crimson Tide at Neyland Stadium. Alabama, just like Tennessee, has a young quarterback they’re going to be working in. How will Keelon Russell handle all the noise? How will Faizon Brandon perform in such a big spot?
The season could be on the line from here on out.
October 24: at South Carolina
Tricky — another spot Tennessee will have to get past to get over that win total and perhaps make a push toward the playoff. Tennessee-South Carolina games in Columbia have a tendency to be wild and go down to the wire. The Gamecocks return quarterback La’Norris Sellers, along with a couple of athletic freaks at reciever (Nyck Harbor) and defensive end (Dylan Stewart).
Tennessee does get a favorable start time with an afternoon kick, however.
November 7: Kentucky
A much-needed new era of Kentucky football begins this year with new head coach Will Stein, who comes in from Oregon. The Kentucky native will turn to Notre Dame transfer Kenny Minchey at quarterback, hoping to drag the Wildcats out of the bottom of the SEC once again.
There’s a renewed sense of optimism in Lexington, but a trip to Neyland will be tough. Kentucky hasn’t won in Knoxville since Jeremy Pruitt circled the drain in 2020. Before that, you have to go all the way back in 1984.
November 14: at Texas A&M
To me, this is the toughest game on the entire schedule and some early odds agree. Tennessee draws the Aggies on the road at night, and Texas A&M has already announced a blackout. Mike Elko returns Marcel Reed at quarterback, coming off of a playoff appearance last season. Mario Craver returns at receiver, along with Alabama transfer Isaiah Horton.
A&M begins the season as the eighth-ranked team in the country. Tennessee will more than likely need to enter this game at 9-1 — or at minimum 8-2 — to be considered for the playoff field.
November 21: LSU
Ahh yes, yet another Lane Kiffin return to Knoxville. On top of Kiffin’s already and ever growing villain status, LSU’s domination in the transfer portal and attempt to add NFL player has turned up the heat even more. It won’t really matter what Tennessee or LSU has done to this point, this Saturday in Neyland Stadium is sure to be absolutely wild.
The Tigers are a borderline top ten team to start after adding talent across the board. Their season likely comes down to Sam Leavitt bouncing back from an injury last season. The roster, at least on paper, looks very stout. LSU is sure to get everyone’s best shot this season.
November 28: at Vanderbilt
How does Clark Lea move forward without Diego Pavia under center? Well the current plan, at least for the immediate, won’t be with 5-star freshman Jared Curtis. Veteran Blaze Berlowitz won the job during camp and will start in the opener, but we’ll see how long that lasts. Vanderbilt returns ten starters, most notably running back Sedrick Alexander and receiver Junior Sherrill.
Could this be Tennessee’s shot at hitting that over 7.5? Perhaps a shot a clinching a spot in the playoff. The range of outcomes for the Volunteers are pretty large here, which is no surprise considering the volatile transfer portal era we’re currently in.
Tennessee’s season is going to be defined by four massive games — Texas, Alabama, LSU and at Texas A&M. The Volunteers should be favored in the rest, but going to Georgia Tech, South Carolina and Vanderbilt will be no easy task. The Auburn and Arkansas games could be wildcards, too.
We asked you earlier this week to vote on the over/under of 7.5 from FanDuel. Unsurprisingly, most of you took the over, but admitted that it’ll be tight.
We’ll start to figure out exactly what this team is on September 12th with that trip to Georgia Tech.
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