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2026 Tennessee Volunteers Football Predictions with Betting Odds and Best Bets

by Ryan Cobbett - 8/18/2026

Tennessee Volunteers football predictions George MacIntyre

The Tennessee Volunteers had big hopes to return to the College Football Playoff last season, but they fell way short of returning. While the current regime has shown they are capable of reaching the playoff bracket, they have yet to establish any sort of consistency, which is plaguing the program. One reason for the inconsistency is at quarterback, and it will continue this season as the Vols will welcome having their fifth different starting quarterback in as many years. While the offense will be anchored by a strong ground game, the defense also has some question marks heading into the season. One playoff appearance cannot be the ceiling for a program like this, Josh Heupel and company need to build this program back up to a playoff caliber team.

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Tennessee Volunteers Summary of Last Season

The Tennessee Volunteers finished last season with an 8-5 record after an up and down season. They opened the season with a 5-1 record, but they were underwhelming the rest of the season. They lost every single game to a ranked team in the regular season, though they did keep two of those games within one possession. Their perfect start was squandered by Georgia in a 44-41 overtime loss, then they lost big games down the stretch against Alabama on the road and Oklahoma and Vanderbilt at home. The Vols also lost to Illinois in the Liberty Mutual Music City Bowl 30-28 finishing with an 8-5 record.

The Volunteers had one of the best offenses in the country last season as they averaged 466.3 YPG (7th) and 39.8 PPG (6th). Joey Aguilar led the team with 3,565 passing yards, and he completed 67.3% of his passes while adding 24 passing touchdowns. He also totaled four rushing touchdowns. DeSean Bishop led the team with 1,076 rushing yards and 16 rushing touchdowns. Star Thomas finished second on the team with 596 rushing yards, and he and Peyton Lewis tied for second with seven rushing touchdowns. Chris Brazzell II was one of the most explosive athletes in the country last season. He tallied 1,017 receiving yards and nine touchdowns. Braylon Staley and Mike Matthews both recorded more than 800 receiving yards and the two combined for 10 receiving touchdowns.

Unfortunately for the Vols, the defense held them back last season. They allowed nearly 400 YPG and opponents scored nearly 30 PPG. Edwin Spillman led the team with 81 tackles, and he also added 2.5 sacks, two pass deflections, and one interception. Jeremiah Telander finished right behind Spillman with 80 tackles, and he also added a sack and an interception. Dominic Bailey led the team with 5.5 sacks, and he also forced a fumble. Edrees Farooq led the team with four forced fumbles, and he joined Ty Redmond as the only Tennessee players to record at least two interceptions.

Tennessee Volunteers Football Key Additions/Losses

Tennessee ranks 26th in returning production with a 62% mark. 65% of the defensive production from last year returns, which ranks 13th in the country. Though they have a favorable mark, Tennessee still lost a lot of talent. Colton Hood headlined a five-man draft class for the Vols as he was drafted in the second round. He was followed by Brazzell (third round), cornerback Jermod McCoy (fourth round), edge rusher Joshua Josephs (fifth round), and edge rusher Tyre West (seventh round). They also lost offensive tackle Lance Heard (Kentucky), cornerback Rickey Gibson III (Texas A&M), edge rusher Jordan Ross (LSU), and safety Boo Carter (Colorado) in the transfer portal.

The transfer portal class was originally headlined by edge rusher Chaz Coleman who came to Knoxville from Penn State, but he was medically disqualified by Tennessee. They brought in strong defensive prospects in defensive lineman Xavier Gilliam (Penn State), linebacker Amare Campbell (Penn State), cornerback Kayin Lee (Auburn), safety Dejuan Lane (Penn State), and safety TJ Metcalf (Michigan). The Vols also brought in offensive tackle Ory Williams (LSU), running back Javin Gordon (Tulane), and offensive lineman Donovan Haslam (West Virginia).

2026 Tennessee Volunteers Football Schedule Breakdown

Tennessee will begin the season with four ranked opponents on their schedule. They have a reasonably easy start to the year as they begin with Furman, Georgia Tech, and Kennesaw State. Then they host Texas to end their September. Outside of their contest with Alabama, October is also fairly light as they take on Arkansas and South Carolina on the road, and Alabama and Auburn at home. Tennessee has two wins that sandwich two more ranked opponents in November. They begin the month with a home game against Kentucky, followed by a road game at Texas A&M and a home game against LSU, before ending the regular season with a road game at Vanderbilt. Luckily for Tennessee, they have multiple opponents with quarterback questions, but they will need to find a way to go at least 2-2 against their ranked opponents if they want to crack the playoffs again this year.

2026 Tennessee Volunteers Football X-Factors/Big Questions

Can Tennessee Navigate the SEC Waters with an Inexperienced QB?

No. While the quarterback position is a big hindrance for the program currently, even if one of their guys emerges as a mainstay, the defensive limitations and tough schedule will keep the Vols from relevancy this season. Texas will be either quarterback first test, and the Vols will leave September with one loss already which would put the pressure on the entire program as there would be little room for error the rest of the way. Tennessee could improve on last year’s total, but 9-3 seems to be their ceiling.

Is Tennessee Being Overlooked?

No. There are too many questions surrounding the team, and this is far from Heupel’s most complete roster. They will be a solid program that will land a good bowl game, but the conference championship and playoff hopes will be short lived. Establishing a quarterback will be good for the program’s future and will be the biggest (realistic) win they could hope for this season.

2026 Tennessee Volunteers Football Notable Odds:

National Championship: +5000

SEC Champion: +1800

Heisman Winner- George MacIntyre: +10000

Predicted Win Total: 7.5 Games

2026 Tennessee Volunteers Football Predictions:

I am going to take the under on the win total. There are too many question marks surrounding this team to feel confident that they reach eight wins. I do not see them beating any of their ranked opponents, and I see them potentially slipping up against one of Auburn, South Carolina, or Vanderbilt. The Vols have a lot of rebuilding to do. However, if the quarterback situation gets ironed out for the coming years, it will be easier for the coaching staff to build a more competitive team in the near future. Heupel and company aren’t pushing a playoff narrative this year; they just want to win by establishing consistency first.

Prediction: Under 7.5 Wins, +100

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