Tennessee is headed into its 2026 opener as a huge favorite, with Furman coming to Neyland Stadium on Saturday at 3:30 p.m. ET. The game will air on ESPN+/SECN+.
FanDuel has not posted money line odds for the matchup, but the spread is massive: Tennessee is listed as a 48.5-point favorite. The over/under sits at 66.5 total points.
It will be the sixth time Josh Heupel has led Tennessee into a game against an FCS opponent, and the Vols have won all five of the previous meetings. Those results came by 56 points over Tennessee Tech in 2021, 41 over UT Martin in 2022, 17 over Austin Peay in 2023, 66 over Chattanooga in 2024 and 55 over ETSU in 2025.
Beyond the opener, Tennessee’s season futures are also coming into focus. The Vols are listed at +5000 to win the national title, which ranks 16th in the country and eighth in the SEC.
Tennessee’s SEC title odds are set at +1800, behind Georgia, Texas, Oklahoma, Alabama, LSU, Texas A&M and Ole Miss for eighth in the league.
The win total for the Vols is 7.5. The under side of seven or fewer wins is priced at -122, while eight or more wins is at +100.
Tennessee also has three players showing up in the Heisman market. Starting quarterback Faizon Brandon is first among the group at +7000, followed by sophomore backup quarterback George MacIntyre at +17500 and senior running back DeSean Bishop at +30000.
In Other News...
Another Former Tennessee Defender Just Got Caught In NFL Roster Crunch
The NFL roster squeeze reached another former Tennessee defender this week, with Matthew Butler among the players let go as teams trimmed down ahead of the season deadline. Butler, who lined up on the defensive line for the Volunteers, had been with the Miami Dolphins before his release and now finds himself back on the market as clubs finalize their openings.
Butler joins a growing list of recent Vols to hit the same wall, alongside former Tennessee quarterback Joey Aguilar and tight end McCallan Castles, who were also cut by their teams. For Butler, the next step is simple but far from easy: catch on with another NFL opportunity and keep his career moving toward the 2026 season. [Read more 🡒]
Josh Dobbs Just Added To Tennessee's Quarterback Pride Story
Josh Dobbs keeps finding ways to stay in the mix at the pro level, and his latest outing for the Detroit Lions only adds to the long line of Tennessee quarterbacks making noise in the NFL. The former Vol was efficient, completing 15 of 19 passes for 128 yards and two touchdowns, the kind of showing that reinforces why teams keep trusting him in backup conversations.
For Tennessee fans, it also fits into a broader theme that has been building for a while. Joe Milton III, Hendon Hooker and Joey Aguilar are all in the hunt for backup jobs around the league, giving the program a steady stream of quarterbacks with real NFL relevance. Dobbs is now in position to back up Jared Goff, and it is another reminder that the Vols quarterback pipeline keeps reaching the league in meaningful ways. [Read more 🡒]
Tennessees New Defensive Front Has A Camp Name Fans Need To Know
Jim Knowles is putting his stamp on Tennessee football quickly, and part of that has been building a new look along the defensive front with transfer tackle Xavier Gilliam right in the middle of it. Gilliam followed Knowles from Penn State and has already drawn strong reviews throughout spring and fall camp, with coaches and teammates noticing both his play and the way he carries himself as the Vols shape their identity for the coming season.
For Tennessee, that matters because Knowles is arriving with fresh expectations and a roster in transition, and the defensive front will be one of the clearest indicators of how fast the new system takes hold. Gilliams emergence has added some early momentum to that process, and the attention he has earned suggests there may be more to this front than just a schematic change as camp gives way to game prep. [Read more 🡒]