Every year, the SEC proves to be a gauntlet in the fall. Tennessee football is accustomed to fighting through the conference slate, but this year will be even tougher. Now, it’s a nine-game SEC schedule.
How tough is the Vols’ 2026 pull, though? According to ESPN’s FPI strength of schedule metric, UT has the 14th-toughest schedule in the nation. However, as far as SEC schedules, it’s not that bad.
Tennessee’s slate of games ranks 13th in the SEC, with just Ohio State at No. 8 as the only non-conference opponent ahead. The top-five toughest schedules go to Arkansas, Oklahoma, Texas, Kentucky and Ole Miss. The Vols play Arkansas on the road and host Texas and Kentucky.
The SEC teams with easier schedules than Tennessee are Alabama at No. 15, Vanderbilt at No. 18 and Georgia at No. 20. UT plays Alabama at home and will face Vanderbilt on the road.
Georgia Tech, UT’s premier out-of-conference foe, is placed at No. 32 in strength of schedule. Tennessee will play that game in Atlanta on the road.
In ESPN’s FPI rankings, Tennessee clocks in at No. 16 in the country. This is good for eighth in the SEC, behind No. 2 Texas, No. 5 Georgia, No. 8 Alabama, No. 9 LSU, No. 11 Texas A&M, No. 12 Oklahoma and No. 14 Ole Miss.
More From RTI: Here’s The Exact Time and Date That David Gabriel Georges Will Announce His Commitment
Here’s a look at Tennessee’s full schedule, including where each opponent is ranked on ESPN’s FPI:
- Sept. 5 – vs. Furman (N/a)
- Sept. 12 – at Georgia Tech (No. 48)
- Sept. 19 – vs. Kennesaw State (No. 106)
- Sept. 26 – vs. Texas (No. 2)
- Oct. 3 – vs. Auburn (No. 22)
- Oct. 10 – at Arkansas (No. 47)
- Oct. 17 – vs. Alabama (No. 8)
- Oct. 24 – at South Carolina (No. 23)
- Nov. 7 – vs. Kentucky (No. 40)
- Nov. 14 – at Texas A&M (No. 11)
- Nov. 21 – vs. LSU (No. 9)
- Nov. 28 – at Vanderbilt (No. 29)
