Tennessee football is counting down the days until fall camp with the 2026 season just around the corner. Coming off an 8-4 (4-4 SEC) regular season and ultimately a loss to Illinois in the Music City Bowl, Josh Heupel and the Vols will now look to get back into playoff contention.
With a new nine-game SEC schedule, here are the three most important games. That doesn’t mean the three toughest opponents, but the three that will make or break the year.
vs. Auburn
In week five, following the SEC opener against Texas, Tennessee will see a crew of familiar faces. Former UT offensive coordinator Alex Golesh is in his first year at Auburn and brings other former Vols assistants, such as defensive coordinator Tim Banks, with him.
From an optics perspective, it’ll be necessary for Tennessee to win. Letting a former assistant in his first year come into Neyland Stadium and grab an early SEC win would be a tough pill to swallow in year six of Heupel’s tenure.
From a season standpoint, it’s just as important. If the Vols go into it off a big win over Texas, keeping the ball rolling and maintaining momentum will be key. If it’s on the heels of a loss, UT will need to bounce back and not let things spiral.
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vs. Alabama
To a certain extent, every Tennessee season will be judged by how the team performs against Alabama. Especially with two straight wins in the series at home and Kalen DeBoer in to replace Nick Saban, the expectation is for the Vols to win at home.
With this game in Neyland Stadium, Tennessee has a real shot at winning. While the Vols will have a new and young quarterback, so will Alabama. For the likely winner of the Tides’ battle, Keelon Russell, it’ll be the first big-time environment he’ll play in, with only Mississippi State on the road beforehand.
A win could buy some good favor even if the season doesn’t go fully as planned, while a loss would cause some frustration.
at Vanderbilt
Tennessee is about as dominant as you can get in an in-conference rivalry with Vanderbilt. However, last year, the Commodores marched into Neyland Stadium and walked away with a rare win in Knoxville.
UT will need revenge on the road this year. Vanderbilt has very possibly the worst home-field advantage in the SEC, and Tennessee fans often outnumber Commodore supporters even when the game is in Nashville. Vanderbilt will also have a freshman quarterback in Jared Curtis.
I don’t think it’s unfair at all to say this is a must-win game for Tennessee.
