The Tennessee Volunteers’ 2025 season is off to a 1-0 start after defeating non-conference foe Syracuse in the opening game last weekend in Atlanta.
The Vols will host ETSU in their home opener this weekend in Neyland Stadium before getting the SEC slate going with a home game against Georgia in Knoxville the following weekend.
After each game this season, we’ll look through a handful of bowl projections to keep you updated on how the national media views Josh Heupel’s fifth team on Rocky Top as the Volunteers look to get back to the College Football Playoffs.
Speaking of the playoffs, we’ll start things off with a CFP note from ESPN. College Football Playoffs analyst Heather Dinich revealed what she thinks the CFP Rankings would look like after the first week of the season, tagging Tennessee as the No. 8 team in the country. That would slot the Vols in as the eight-seed in the CFB Playoff bracket, as Tennessee would host nine-seed Notre Dame in the first round.
Other projections don’t necessarily see Tennessee as a playoff component quite yet, though.
Sports Illustrated’s Bryan Fischer has Tennessee projected to the Liberty Bowl on Jan. 2 to face Big 12 opponent Kansas State. The Wildcats recently had the national spotlight in their Week 0 game against Iowa State in Ireland, but fell to the Cyclones by a score of 24-21 in the opening contest. Kansas State returned home to win a Week 1 shootout against North Dakota by a score of 38-25, moving its overall record to 1-1.
The 2024 Liberty Bowl saw Arkansas defeat Texas Tech by a score of 39-26 last December.
More From RTI: National CFB Analyst Says That Tennessee Answered Some of His Questions During Week 1 Against Syracuse
Tennessee could wind up seeing the Red Raiders this bowl season, though. ESPN’s Mark Schlabach has Tennessee projected to take on Texas Tech in the Texas Bowl from Houston, TX, on Dec. 28.
The Red Raiders are another team that could wind up making the College Football Playoffs if things go right for them this season. Some early projections had Texas Tech making the playoffs in the preseason, but most are waiting to see how things shake out early in the season to determine if it has reached that next level yet. Texas Tech throttled Arkansas-Pine Bluff in the season opener, 67-7, and will host Kent State this upcoming weekend.
Last year’s Texas Bowl matchup saw LSU defeat Baylor in a high-scoring matchup, 44-31.
The final projection today comes from ESPN’s Kyle Bonagura, who has Tennessee facing off against a high-profile team from the Big Ten. Bonagura’s projection lists Tennessee squaring off against Michigan in the Citrus Bowl from Orlando, FL, on Jan. 1. This would be the second time that Tennessee played the Citrus Bowl in a three-year stretch, dating back to the Vols’ shutout win over Iowa to wrap up the 2023 season.
Led by star freshman quarterback Bryce Underwood, Michigan defeated New Mexico 34-17 in its season opener last weekend in Ann Arbor. The Wolverines have a big SEC test coming up this weekend with a road game against Oklahoma in Norman, OK. For two teams that are looking to take the next step early in the season, this game should tell us a good bit about both squads early on. College GameDay will be at this game on Saturday morning.
The 2024 Citrus Bowl matchup saw Illinois defeat South Carolina, 21-17.
Stay tuned to Rocky Top Insider each week for more bowl projections as Tennessee looks to climb back into the College Football Playoffs for a second straight season.
