After four games, Tennessee’s 2026 schedule still looks a lot like it did in the preseason - but a few spots have shifted in a meaningful way.
The early read on the Vols’ remaining slate is straightforward: Auburn and Arkansas still look like games Tennessee should handle, Alabama now feels more dangerous than it did before the season, and South Carolina has moved from potential trap game to a spot where the Vols may be able to take care of business. The biggest swing from the original outlook is that Tennessee no longer gets the benefit of the doubt against Alabama, while the LSU game still leans orange.
Oct. 3 against Auburn still feels like a clean spot for Tennessee to get right. It’s a home game, it comes after the loss to Texas, and the matchup doesn’t inspire much confidence in Auburn’s ability to consistently move the ball against Tennessee’s defense. That was the preseason pick, and it’s still the pick now.
The trip to Arkansas on Oct. 10 looks even more manageable than it did before the year. Ryan Silverfield’s first season in Fayetteville has not gone the way anyone wanted, and the Razorbacks already look like the SEC’s weakest team.
Home-field advantage doesn’t seem like much of a factor here, either. Tennessee should have a real chance to steady itself again.
The Oct. 17 meeting with Alabama is the one that changed the most. Before the season, Tennessee was the upset pick, with skepticism surrounding what the Tide would be.
That has flipped. Alabama has looked stronger out of the gate, while Tennessee’s offense looked rough against Texas.
The Vols still have upset potential, but for now the prediction changes to Alabama.
South Carolina on Oct. 24 was originally the road game that felt like the letdown candidate. Tennessee usually drops one away from home, and this had that kind of smell to it.
Now, though, the picture is different. South Carolina has stumbled badly, Shane Beamer’s seat is scorching hot, and Tennessee is now being backed to go into Columbia and leave with a win.
The Kentucky game on Nov. 7 remains a Tennessee win. Will Stein’s first Kentucky team has been better than expected, but not enough to change the outcome here. The Wildcats look respectable in the SEC, yet this still profiles as one of the sport’s lopsided rivalries, and the Vols are expected to handle it.
Nov. 14 at Texas A&M still reads as a loss, even with the Aggies’ shaky start. The preseason view was that College Station would be a tough place for Tennessee to win, and that hasn’t changed enough to flip the pick. UT may have a better shot now than it did in August, but Texas A&M is still the choice.
The Nov. 21 home game against LSU remains the preseason outlier, and it still leans Tennessee. While others had Lane Kiffin coming in and beating the Vols, the belief here was that his first LSU team would not be elite.
That hasn’t changed. LSU doesn’t look bad, but it still hasn’t earned top-tier SEC status, and Tennessee is still being picked to win behind a strong defensive performance.
The source also notes Sam Leavitt at quarterback as part of that view.
The regular season closes Nov. 28 at Vanderbilt, and that prediction stays put as well. Vanderbilt has been a mess without Diego Pavia at quarterback, and Clark Lea is still viewed as a good coach, but not one who can rescue this season. Tennessee is expected to win on the road, even if the game will almost certainly still feel like a home game for the Vols.
Through four games, Tennessee has already banked wins over Furman, Georgia Tech and Kennesaw State, while the loss to Texas is the one result that has already happened and matters most in shaping the updated outlook. The revised finish remains 9-3 overall and 6-3 in the SEC, with wins over Auburn, Arkansas, South Carolina, Kentucky, LSU and Vanderbilt, and losses to Alabama and Texas A&M.
In Other News...
Tennessee Just Got A Left Side O-Line Problem It Can't Ignore
The opening drive against Texas left Tennessee with an immediate problem on the left side of its offensive line, and it is one the Volunteers are now expected to live with for the rest of the 2026 season. Starting left guard Wendell Moe Jr. is expected to miss the remainder of the year after sustaining an injury in that game, and head coach Josh Heupel has not offered any specifics on the injury itself.
In the meantime, Tennessee has already started to reshuffle up front, moving Sham Umarov to left guard and inserting Donovan Haslam at right guard. It is the kind of in-game adjustment that can solve one issue for a night, but for the Volunteers it also underscores how much strain one absence can put on the interior of the line as the season moves forward. [Read more 🡒]
Tennessee Just Lost A Proven Starter At The Worst Possible Time
Wendell Moe Jr. was supposed to be one of the steadying pieces of Tennessees season, the veteran guard who brought preseason All-American recognition and returned as an All-SEC pick. Instead, the Volunteers are bracing for life without him after he was injured against Texas, a blow that lands especially hard because of how much value he provided on an offensive line that already needed continuity and reliability.
The timing makes it even tougher for Tennessee, which now has to sort through its depth and identify the next linemen up for the coming stretch of games. Losing a proven starter in the middle of the season changes the look of the line immediately, and for a team with big ambitions, the absence of a player with Moe Jr.s experience is the kind of setback that can ripple well beyond one position group. [Read more 🡒]
Tennessee Got A Faizon Brandon Scare At The Worst Time
Faizon Brandons brief injury scare against Texas gave Tennessee a tense moment at the worst possible time, but the freshman quarterback was evaluated and cleared by medical staff to return and finish the game. For a Volunteers offense already trying to settle in around a young passer, getting him back on the field was a relief in the moment and a sign that the shoulder issue did not linger long enough to knock him out of the lineup.
Brandon also did not appear on Tennessees initial SEC Student Athlete Availability Report for the upcoming Auburn game, which points to the staff expecting him to be available. Josh Heupel added to that optimism by confirming Brandon was healthy and ready to play, a reassuring update for a Tennessee team that can ill afford another setback at quarterback as conference play keeps tightening. [Read more 🡒]