After a disappointing 2025 campaign, Tennessee football is looking to get back on the right track in Josh Heupel’s sixth season as head coach. The Vols are breaking in a new starting quarterback and have potential weaknesses on the defensive front. However, the offensive supporting staff is strong and Tennessee rebuilt the back seven of its defense this offseason.
What are the most important games on Tennessee’s 2026 schedule? Ranking them from least to most important here.
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12. Furman
It feels strange ranking the season opener as the least important game, but the Paladins are the only FCS opponent on Tennessee’s schedule and should be the easiest game.
Coach Clay Hendrix has built Furman into one of the SoCon’s best programs, but Tennessee should have this one well in hand by halftime. How Josh Heupel manages his quarterbacks will be the most interesting part of this game.
11. Kennesaw State
Former Tennessee assistant coach Jerry Mack brings his second Kennesaw State team to Neyland Stadium in week three. The Owls won the CUSA a season ago and should be better than most the group of five teams that Tennessee has hosted in recent years.
But with every other game coming against a power four opponent, Kennesaw State is obviously the 11th biggest game.
10. Kentucky
There’s excitement around the Kentucky program entering Will Stein’s first season as head coach. But the Wildcats still have a ways to go as far as building a roster that can be competitive in the SEC.
Phil Steele projected Tennessee to be two-touchdown favorites in this game. A home contest coming off an open date, this should be the easies SEC game on Tennessee’s schedule.
9. at Texas A&M
If Kentucky is the easiest game on Tennessee’s SEC schedule, a road trip to Texas A&M is the most difficult. The Aggies have high expectations after returning quarterback Marcel Reed and much of the roster from a team that went 11-2 a season ago.
A road upset would be massive, but Tennessee can survive a loss here and still reach the goals it sets for the 2026 season.
8. Auburn
The storylines for this game will surround former Tennessee offensive coordinator Alex Golesh returning to Knoxville as Auburn’s head coach. Auburn has a shaky offensive line but a dynamic quarterback in Byrum Brown. And while expectations won’t be sky-high, the Tigers could still be 4-1 or even 5-0 when they come to Neyland Stadium.
This is a game Tennessee needs to take care of if they’re going to put together a strong record. The optics would also be tough for Heupel if he lost his first matchup against his former offensive coordinator.
7. at Arkansas
Arkansas is entering its first season under Ryan Silverfield after an extended and disappointing end to the Sam Pittman era. In theory, this should be Tennessee’s easiest road game of the season. The Razorbacks have a brand new team and a plethora of deficiencies.
But Tennessee doesn’t have to look too far in the rearview to find an inexplicable loss in Fayetteville. The Vols need to take care of business in this one but that is no guarantee.
6. Texas
Texas is the preseason favorite in the SEC. Arch Manning in the Longhorns will role into Neyland Stadium for both team’s conference opener in week three for a game that will have all sorts of pomp and circumstance surrounding it.
On paper, this is a game Tennessee will probably drop so can likely afford to drop. But a win would prove massive, changing the season’s outlook in mid September. This matchup feels a bit like the Georgia game a season ago.
5. at Georgia Tech
Uncertainty surrounds Tennessee entering the 2026 season but the same could be said for a Georgia Tech program breaking in a new starting quarterback, a new offensive coordinator and an abundance of starters on both sides of the ball.
But Brent Pry has built a strong program in Atlanta and this is far from a layup for Tennessee. The Vols’ quarterback will be making his first road start and this is the first true test of the season. With a nine-game schedule looming, this is not one that Tennessee can afford to drop.
4. at South Carolina
If the goal is for Tennessee to make the playoffs, this is another one the Vols can not afford to drop. But it’s going to be far from easy. It’s hard to know what to expect from a South Carolina team that was dreadful a season ago but returns a talented quarterback and a plethora of other potential NFL players.
The timing of this game also could not be worse. It’s a week after Tennessee plays Alabama and a week before its lone open date of the season. Meanwhile, South Carolina is coming off an open date entering the late October matchup. Tennessee avoided a night game in Columbia but this road trip is still fraught with peril.
3. LSU
Five years after Lane Kiffin’s fateful return to Knoxville was filled with mustard bottles and golf balls, the former Tennessee coach brings his first LSU team to Neyland Stadium in the penultimate week of the regular season.
Opinions vary on what LSU will look like this season largely due to uncertainty around Arizona State transfer quarterback Sam Leavitt. The Tigers should be vulnerable and Tennessee needs to play better at home this season then they did a year ago. This is the type of game Tennessee won at Neyland Stadium in Josh Heupel’s first four seasons but lost a year ago.
2. at Vanderbilt
One might scoff at Vanderbilt being this high on the list. But consider how much different the tone surrounding Tennessee football would be this offseason if they had followed up a road win at Florida by beating Vanderbilt to go 9-3 last season.
Tennessee fans can forgive losing to Vanderbilt once, but a second consecutive loss to the Commodores would guarantee a long offseason and a warming seat for Heupel. Vanderbilt should take a step back after losing Diego Pavia and his veteran supporting cast, but don’t expect the Commodores to fall back to complete irrelevance.
1. Alabama
It’s the Third Saturday in October and there’s not all that much that needs to be said. Alabama remains vulnerable and seems to be moving farther and farther away from being a national championship contender in the post Nick Saban era.
If Tennessee defeats Alabama they could very well be 6-1 and in the thick of the College Football Playoff race when they travel to Columbia the next week.
