Tennessee’s 2-0 start has the Vols sitting at No. 15 in the AP Poll, but the bigger picture still looks like a prove-it stretch. One more non-conference game remains this weekend before Tennessee dives into a nine-game SEC run, and that schedule will likely decide whether the Vols are playing for a playoff spot in December or settling into the bowl picture.
Right now, both ESPN and On3 have Tennessee on the outside of the playoff field, but the projections do line up on one possible destination: a New Year’s Eve meeting with Michigan in the ReliaQuest Bowl in Tampa, FL. On3’s Brett McMurphy and ESPN’s Mark Schlabach both have that matchup, which would be a rare one. The only previous game between Tennessee and Michigan came in 2001, and the Vols won it.
Michigan’s season has already taken a sharp turn after an uneven opening win over Western Michigan, and the Wolverines followed that up with a much cleaner result against No. 11 Oklahoma. In Ann Arbor, Michigan held the Sooners to 189 passing yards and 100 rushing yards in a 17-10 win.
The ReliaQuest Bowl has already featured plenty of notable teams in recent seasons. Iowa beat No. 13 Vanderbilt 34-27 last year, Michigan knocked off Alabama in the 2023 game, and Tennessee crushed Northwestern in the former Outback Bowl in 2016.
ESPN’s Kyle Bonagura has Tennessee facing another Big Ten opponent, this time Penn State in the Citrus Bowl on Jan. 2 in Orlando, FL. That potential matchup would bring its own subplot, since Josh Heupel’s name was tied to Penn State during the Nittany Lions’ coaching search this offseason. Heupel denied any connection to another program and said he was committed to Tennessee.
“I wouldn’t want low expectations,” Heupel told On3’s Chris Low. “That’s part of why I want to be here. We’ll win big.”
Tennessee and Penn State have met five times, with Penn State leading the series 3-2. Their last matchup came in the 2007 Outback Bowl, now known as the ReliaQuest Bowl, which would make this a reunion exactly 20 years to the season.
The Citrus Bowl last season went to Texas, which beat Michigan 41-27. Tennessee’s most recent trip to that game came in 2023, when Nico Iamaleava made his first start and helped the Vols beat Iowa 35-0.
For now, Tennessee turns back to the field on Saturday against Kennesaw State in Neyland Stadium. The schedule stiffens fast after that, with No. 1 Texas coming to Knoxville next weekend to open SEC play.
In Other News...
Faizon Brandon Gets A Massive Tennessee Test Sooner Than Anyone Expected
The SEC opener in Knoxville arrives with a little more intrigue than Tennessee probably expected this early, and it starts with the spotlight on Faizon Brandon. The true freshman has stepped into the biggest job on the field for a Volunteers team that is already 2-0, and now he gets a noon kickoff on ABC in Neyland Stadium against Texas, another undefeated team with its own freshman quarterback story line in Arch Manning.
September 26 will be Brandons first real crash course in what SEC life looks like when the stakes and the stage both jump at once. Tennessee does not have the luxury of easing him into the league schedule, and Texas brings the kind of early test that can expose young quarterbacks quickly, especially in a matchup that will set the tone for both teams before the rest of the conference slate really takes hold. [Read more 🡒]
Tennessee Defense Has The Talent But One Issue Still Lingers
There is plenty to like about Tennessees defense on paper, and Amare Campbell sounded like a player who can see the ceiling as clearly as anyone in the room. The linebacker pointed to the groups talent, leadership and edge, while also crediting Arion Carter for bringing energy and helping set the tone. He also noted how the Volunteers have leaned into a four-linebacker package and how much internal competition has sharpened that room.
Still, Campbells bigger point was that the Vols have to clean up the details before the talent really starts showing up on Saturdays. He emphasized consistent execution, better technique and fewer penalties, and said the challenge has been carrying practice intensity into game action. It is the kind of issue Tennessee can live with in August, but one that becomes a lot harder to ignore once the season starts to settle in. [Read more 🡒]
One Hall Of Fame Voter Sees Tennessee Very Differently Right Now
Tennessees early-season win over Georgia Tech helped the Volunteers land at No. 14 in the latest FWAA-NFF Super 16 Poll, a weekly ranking that comes from FWAA writers and College Football Hall of Fame inductees. Released after Week 2 of the 2026 college football season, the poll offers another snapshot of how the sports insiders are sizing up the first stretch of the year, and Tennessee has clearly made an impression.
The ranking also gives the Vols a familiar measuring-stick moment, because the group at the top remains Texas at No. 1. For Tennessee, the bigger question now is whether that early recognition turns into something more lasting as the season settles in, with the poll serving as one more sign that the win over Georgia Tech may have mattered beyond the scoreboard. [Read more 🡒]