Is it too early to already be thinking about next season’s bowl game? Probably. But that hasn’t stopped the media from laying out some way-too-early predictions and projections for next year’s college football bowl slate and playoff games.
There’s obviously a lot to still happen before now and then, with spring camp, summer workouts, fall camp, and, of course, the regular season. Heck, Tennessee is still waiting to find out if its quarterback will be able to play for the Vols next fall. But where there’s a will, there’s a way. And On3 Sports’ Brett McMurphy is stepping up to the plate.
McMurphy released his way-too-early bowl projections for the 2026 football season on Tuesday morning. He’s got four SEC teams in the 12-team field, but none of them are Tennessee. McMurphy’s four SEC playoff teams include 2-seed Georgia, 5-seed Texas, 10-seed Texas A&M, and 11-seed Oklahoma. Three of those teams are on Tennessee’s 2026 schedule, so you can sort of infer his predictions for each of those games.
McMurphy has Tennessee heading to the Sunshine State for its bowl game. He’s got Tennessee playing against SMU in the Gator Bowl from Everbank Stadium in Jacksonville, FL. The 2025 Gator Bowl saw No. 20 Virginia (10-2, 7-1 ACC) defeat No. 25 Missouri (8-4, 4-4 SEC) by a score of 13-7.
Tennessee has played in the Gator Bowl twice in recent memory. The Vols punked Iowa by a score of 45-29 to close the 2014 season and then narrowly defeated Indiana 23-22 to end the 2019 season. The Indiana win, though, was vacated by the NCAA in 2023.
It’s unclear whether McMurphy’s projections are based on Joey Aguilar returning to Tennessee next season or if they factor in a quarterback competition between the Vols’ freshman signal callers. Perhaps it’s an either/or situation, too.
Here’s a look at Tennessee’s postseason history under head coach Josh Heupel:
- 2021 – Music City Bowl – Purdue 48, Tennessee 45
- 2022 – Orange Bowl – Tennessee 31, Clemson 14
- 2023 – Citrus Bowl – Tennessee 35, Iowa 0
- 2024 – College Football Playoffs, First Round – Ohio State 42, Tennessee 17
- 2025 – Music City Bowl – Illinois 30, Tennessee 28
More From RTI: Why Paul Finebaum Has a Gut Feeling That Joey Aguilar Will Play For Tennessee in 2026
It’s been quite the busy offseason for Tennessee after finishing its 2025 campaign with an 8-5 overall record. The Vols made some major changes to the defensive coaching staff, including the hiring of defensive coordinator Jim Knowles, co-defensive coordinator and safeties coach Anthony Poindexter, cornerbacks coach Derek Jones, and LEOs coach Andrew “AJ” Jackson. Tennessee also made a big splash by hiring Derek Owings away from Indiana as the Vols’ new head strength coach.
In addition to finalizing a Top 10 recruiting class, Tennessee also added some needed pieces through the transfer portal. The Vols signed 20 players in the portal last cycle, with an emphasis on defensive backs and some key contributors on defense. Tennessee also retained starting linebacker Arion Carter after he flirted with both the NFL Draft and the transfer portal in the offseason.
Tennessee will kick off the sixth year of the Josh Heupel era on Saturday, Sep. 5, against Furman in Neyland Stadium. Stay tuned to Rocky Top Insider for more Tennessee Football news, notes, and coverage.
