Three games that will define Tennessee football season, including LSU, Lane Kiffin

Tennessee football won eight games in 2025, marking the first time it had failed to reach nine victories in a season since Josh Heupel was named coach of the Vols in 2021.

The Vols are set to face four ranked teams this season and a new nine-game SEC schedule while breaking in a freshman quarterback, so reestablishing the nine-win floor Heupel had set for this program won't be easy.

Here are the three games that will define the season for Tennessee football in 2026.

At Georgia Tech, Sept. 12 (7 p.m., ESPN)

On paper and in the polls, UT looks like the better team and a likely favorite to knock off the Yellow Jackets, even on the road. But first-year quarterback Faizon Brandon will still be an unknown commodity by the time the Vols arrive in Atlanta for their second game.

The Vols host FCS foe Furman in the season opener on Sept. 5 (3:30 p.m., SEC Network+, ESPN+). and Brandon shouldn't expect to meet much resistance, nor to play four full quarters in that game. The SEC slate that follows promises to be tougher to navigate, but how Brandon reacts to a road environment at Bobby Dodd Stadium will say a lot about how truly ready he is to lead UT for the remainder of the season.

Brandon has been praised for his maturity and focus while working through practices in the spring and summer. But those traits won't be truly tested until he steps in front of a hostile crowd for the first time. If he passes, the Vols can feel confident they picked the right quarterback.

Home vs Alabama, Oct. 17 (TBA)

For 16 years, Alabama dominated UT. But shortly after arriving in Knoxville, Heupel made the Third Saturday in October feel like a rivalry again. The Vols have split the last four meetings with the Crimson Tide by winning the last two games played at Neyland Stadium.

The Vols have been on the losing end of the series for most of this century. But another home victory, their third since 2021, would assert that UT has been on even footing with Alabama since the transfer portal and NIL were introduced to college football. And the quarterback battle between Brandon and fellow first-year starter Kelon Russell from Alabama adds another intriguing layer to this edition of the rivalry.

One of the great advantages to UT's 2026 schedule is that many of their toughest opponents will have to visit Knoxville. A win over Alabama at home would go a long way towards building a resume worthy of the College Football Playoff.

Home vs LSU – Nov. 21 (TBA)

It's sure to be hostile environment that welcomes former UT coach Lane Kiffin in his first game back at Neyland Stadium since 2021, when fans littered the field with debris as the clock wound down on a controversial loss to Ole Miss. Heupel joked at SEC media days that he hopes UT fans are stocked with mustard bottles and golf balls when Kiffin returns.

But there will be more than revenge at stake when LSU comes to Knoxville. The Vols won 18 of 22 home games between 2021 and 2024, then dropped three of seven and beat just one SEC opponent, 2-10 Arkansas, inside Neyland Stadium in 2025. Protecting their home field will be paramount if the Vols hope to crack double digit victories again.

If UT finds itself in the College Football Playoff hunt in late November, the game against LSU will likely be its last chance to notch a marquee, resume-boosting win.

Stephen Thompson covers Tennessee Volunteers men's basketball. Email him at stephen.thompson@knoxnews.com and follow him on X @stephenethom.

This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Three games that will define Tennessee football season, including LSU, Lane Kiffin