Popular SEC commenter and host of the That SEC Podcast, Mike Bratton, has kept his eye on all of the happenings around the Southeastern Conference’s football world since the end of the regular season. He’s taken to social media on a handful of occasions to give his take on the top quarterbacks in the conference, early win-loss predictions for all 16 teams, and more.
On Sunday, Bratton posted the second version of his way-too-early SEC power rankings. He’s got Tennessee landing as the fifth-best team in the conference, ahead of previous playoff teams like Texas A&M and Alabama, and also in front of Lane Kiffin’s inaugural team with LSU. Tennessee sits only behind Georgia, Ole Miss, Oklahoma, and Texas in the rankings.
Tennessee’s 4-4 record in conference play during the 2025 season had the Vols tied with Missouri for eighth place in the conference. The big difference for next season’s standings and rankings will be the addition of a ninth conference game for all 16 teams.
The Vols’ schedule next season includes conference home games against Texas, Auburn, Alabama, Kentucky, and LSU, with conference road games at Arkansas, South Carolina, Texas A&M, and Vanderbilt. Tennessee will also have a key non-conference game in the second week of the season with a road matchup at Georgia Tech.
2026 SEC Football Power Rankings 2.0 pic.twitter.com/WfZSC7txTA
— SEC Mike (@MichaelWBratton) February 16, 2026
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Two weeks before posting his SEC Power Rankings 2.0 list, Bratton went through the win-loss records for each team. He gave Tennessee a 9-3 projection, with wins over Furman, Georgia Tech, Kennesaw State, Auburn, Arkansas, Alabama, Kentucky, LSU, and Vanderbilt. The three losses came against Texas, at South Carolina, and at Texas A&M.
Following a season that saw Tennessee have one of the worst overall defenses in the SEC, the Vols worked hard on getting changes made this offseason. Tennessee has had a coaching overhaul on the defensive side of the ball, starting with the additions of defensive coordinator Jim Knowles and co-defensive coordinator Anthony Poindexter. The Vols also added some key pieces to the roster through the transfer portal, including eight defensive backs, three defensive linemen, and two linebackers.
Tennessee also made it a point to upgrade its strength and conditioning department. The Vols hired Indiana’s Derek Owings as its head strength coach, who recently came off a run to the national championship trophy in his sixth year alongside head coach Curt Cignetti. Owings now brings his expertise to Rocky Top to transform the Vols’ roster as he did with the Hoosiers.
Stay tuned to Rocky Top Insider for more Tennessee Football news, notes, and coverage.
