Tennessee Football’s 2025 season kicks off in less than a week with a non-conference matchup against Syracuse on the horizon this upcoming weekend. Without getting too ahead of things, Tennessee looks poised for another postseason appearance in Josh Heupel’s fifth season on Rocky Top. Tennessee made it to the Music City Bowl in 2021, the Orange Bowl in 2022, the Citrus Bowl in 2023, and the College Football Playoffs in 2024.
With an over/under win total sitting around 8.5 wins, Tennessee is on track to make it back to a bowl before the season kicks off. The Vols are breaking in a new offense with quarterback Joey Aguilar, wide receivers Mike Matthews and Braylon Staley, and a host of new offensive linemen, but the defense looks set to continue last season’s productive nature.
Throughout the season, we’ll keep you updated on where Tennessee lands in the ever-evolving projections for the bowl season landscape. Tennessee isn’t widely looked at as a playoff team right now, so the preseason projections are mainly floating around a bowl game before or after New Year’s Day.
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Here’s a look at where Tennessee’s bowl projections stand on the Monday before the season-opening contest against Syracuse:
ESPN
Kyle Bonagura: Cheez-It Citrus Bowl
- Opponent: Michigan
- When: Wednesday, Dec. 31
- TV: 3:00 p.m. ET on ABC
- Where: Camping World Stadium – Orlando, FL
- Previous Season’s Matchup: Illinois 21, South Carolina 17
Mark Schlabach: Kinder’s Texas Bowl
- Opponent: Iowa State
- When: Saturday, Dec. 27
- TV: 9:15 p.m. ET on ESPN
- Where: NRG Stadium – Houston, TX
- Previous Season’s Matchup: LSU 44, Baylor 31
The Athletic
Scott Dochterman and Stewert Mandel: Duke’s Mayo Bowl
- Opponent: Louisville
- When: Friday, Jan. 2
- TV: 8:00 p.m. on ESPN
- Where: Bank of America Stadium – Charlotte, NC
- Previous Season’s Matchup: Minnesota 24, Virginia Tech 10
On3 Sports
Brett McMurphy: ReliaQuest Bowl
- Opponent: Iowa
- When: Wednesday, Dec. 31
- TV: Noon ET on ESPN
- Where: Raymond James Stadium – Tampa, FL
- Previous Season’s Matchup: Michigan 19, Alabama 13
For what it’s worth, ESPN’s Allstate Playoff Predictor gives Tennessee a 44% chance to make the playoffs, which is the eighth-highest mark among all teams. The Vols sit one spot below Oregon (51%) and one spot above Boise State (39%).
The playoff predictor essentially says that Tennessee’s season boils down to three games, with the assumption that the Vols win the remainder of their schedule. Those three games include Alabama, Georgia, and Florida. If Tennessee can go 2-1 in those games in any fashion, with the assumption that it wins the rest of the schedule, the playoff predictor has Tennessee with, at worst, a 97% chance to make the playoffs.
Check out ESPN’s Allstate Playoff Predictor here.
