Despite being outside the top-25 rankings of the College Football Playoff committee and AP Poll, Tennessee football has moved up in the Coaches Poll. On Sunday, the Vols were pushed up one spot to No. 23. This comes after North Texas fell out of the rankings.
UT is one of eight SEC schools in the final Coaches Poll rankings heading into bowl season. It is led by No. 2 Georgia, followed by No. 6 Ole Miss, No. 7 Texas A&M, No. 8 Oklahoma, No. 11 Alabama, No. 12 Vanderbilt and No. 14 Texas.
The poll is led by Indiana, which just claimed the Big Ten title over Ohio State. The Buckeyes fell to No. 3. Ultimately, these rankings don’t have any meaningful impact, though. The CFP committee’s rankings hold all the weight in deciding what the playoff picture looks like.
Here’s what they officially decided will be the bracket to compete for a national title:
- 1-seed: Indiana (No. 1)
- 2-seed: Ohio State (No. 2)
- 3-seed: Georgia (No. 3)
- 4-seed Texas Tech (No. 4)
- 5-seed Oregon (No. 5)
- 6-seed Ole Miss (No. 6)
- 7-seed Texas A&M (No. 7)
- 8-seed Oklahoma (No. 8)
- 9-seed Alabama (No. 9)
- 10-seed Miami (No. 10)
- 11-seed Tulane (No. 20)
- 12-seed JMU (No. 24)
NOTRE DAME MISSES THE CUT IN THE FINAL COLLEGE FOOTBALL PLAYOFF BRACKET ✂️
Did the committee get it right? 🤔 pic.twitter.com/jXNxb3ig3K
— Yahoo Sports (@YahooSports) December 7, 2025
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UT head coach Josh Heupel has concluded his fifth regular season at Tennessee, however, it was capped off with a brutal loss to in-state rival Vanderbilt. The Commodores used a 31-3 run to end the game to win 45-24 in Neyland Stadium. This resulted in an 8-4 (4-4 SEC) mark for the Vols in a turbulent 2025 season that followed an unprecedented offseason of change.
In his Tennessee tenure, Heupel now holds a 45-19 (24-16 SEC) record. He has steered the Vols to a pair of 10-win regular seasons, including in 2024, which saw UT earn a spot in the College Football Playoffs as the 9-seed. Tennessee would go on to lose at Ohio State, the eventual national champion, in the first round.
Heupel has just helped ink one of the best signing classes in the country as he prepares for next season, as well. The group ranks No. 4 in the country on 247. Now, he’ll prepare to deal with the transfer portal as he looks to manage his current roster and add pieces once it opens in January.
So far, just three players have announced their intention to enter. Defensive back Boo Carter, defensive lineman Jamal Wallace and edge rusher Kellen Lindstrom are all departing.
