Game by Game Tennessee Volunteers Predictions for 2026: Picks for Every Game on Vols’ Football Schedule

How many games will the Tennessee Vols win this year? The Tennessee Volunteers schedule kicks off on Saturday, September 5 against Furman. It is a soft regular-season opener before a daunting slate of matchups against some of the best college football teams in 2026.

What the upcoming season should be about for Josh Heupel and the Volunteers is the growth of true freshman quarterback Faizon Brandon and other young players like David Sanders Jr., TK Keys, and Ty Redmond. For those who set realistic expectations, this could be an exciting year of Tennessee football.

Let’s dive into our game-by-game predictions for the Volunteers this season.

Week 1 vs Furman: WIN (1-0)

It should be a beatdown at Neyland Stadium. Volunteers running back DeSean Bishop can go off for 100-plus yards in less than three quarters of action, with Brandon also throwing the first two touchdown passes of his collegiate career. A four-touchdown lead early allows the Volunteers coaching staff to put in George MacIntyre and he’ll hit Keys for the freshman wideout’s first touchdown.

Week 2 @ Georgia Tech: WIN (2-0)

Fortunately for Tennessee, the NCAA rightfully reduced the suspension for All-SEC linebacker Arion Carter. He will be pivotal for the Volunteers to contain Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets running back Justice Haynes. It also helps Tennessee that junior Alberto Mendoza is making his first collegiate start in a new offense and Georgia Tech’s receiving corps and offensive line leave something to be desired. In front of a hostile crowd at Bobby Dodd Stadium on Saturday night on ESPN, Brandon protects the football in his first road start and the Volunteers’ defense avoids enough mistakes to get the win.

Week 3 vs Kennesaw State: WIN (3-0)

The Volunteers schedule takes a drastic turn after this. Back at Neyland Stadium, Heupel can ride Bishop (150-plus yards and 2 touchdowns) to another multi-touchdown victory. This matchup versus Kennesaw State also allows Tennessee defensive coordinator Jim Knowles to make more tweaks and refine some shortcomings with his group before a daunting stretch against SEC opponents and top-flight quarterbacks.

Week 4 vs Texas: LOSS (3-1)

It’s worth reminding fans that, historically, it takes multiple seasons before Jim Knowles’ system really clicks. To make matters worse for Tennessee, the Texas Longhorns have one of the best offensive lines in the nation with an All-American talent at wide receiver (Cam Coleman) to support Arch Manning. On Saturday afternoon in Knoxville, we think Manning delivers a Heisman-caliber performance with 4 total touchdowns on the road against a ranked SEC opponent. This is also going to be a very rough day full of learning experiences for Brandon.

Related: Highest-Paid College Football Players 2026

Week 5 vs Auburn: WIN (4-1)

The Auburn Tigers aren’t the dumpster fire that they were under Hugh Freeze with head coach Alex Golesh (23-15 at South Florida) creating genuine excitement around the program. This matchup, of course, also represents a meeting between a young coach and his teacher with Golesh making his return to Neyland Stadium to go head-to-head with Heupel. We expect Auburn to keep it close, but Tennessee is better suited defensively to contain this style of offense and on the other side of the ball, the Volunteers’ offense has more familiarity with Heupel’s system than the Tigers do with Golesh. The little things will make the difference in a Vols win.

Week 6 @ Arkansas: WIN (5-1)

The Arkansas Razorbacks are coming off a humbling 2-10 (0-8 in SEC) mark that prompted the program to hire Ryan Silverfield as the new head coach. There are intriguing elements to the Razorbacks’ offense, but quarterback KJ Jackson isn’t exactly the best equipped to pepper receiver Chris Marshall and take advantage of Tennessee’s cornerbacks. It’s a perfect chance for the Volunteers to win in Fayetteville for the first time in 25 years, which we think they’ll do by 13-plus points.

Read More: Preseason 2026 College Football Rankings, See Where Tennessee Lands

Week 7 vs Alabama: LOSS (5-2)

Tennessee went into Tuscaloosa last season and trailed 16-7 with 1st-and-Goal from the 1-yard line with 9 seconds left in the half. Joey Aguilar’s pick-six flipped the flow of that game entirely. All of that is just to say the 37-20 score didn’t truly capture how close the teams were. We feel like the Volunteers and Alabama Crimson Tide are relatively close again entering the season and Keelon Russell’s inexperience in big moments could show up at Neyland in the Third Saturday of October. However, Alabama has a slightly better roster right now and we give the Crimson Tide coaching staff a slight edge. Pair that with a missed field goal from Cooper Ranvier and Tennessee loses a heartbreaker at home.

Week 8 @ South Carolina: WIN (6-2)

This is one of the matchups on the Tennessee schedule we are most excited for. LaNorris Sellers is one of the most gifted dual-threat quarterbacks in college football, but decision-making and inconsistency will provide the Volunteers defense with some chances at takeaways and big stops. Another key element of this matchup, South Carolina Gamecocks edge rusher Dylan Stewart versus Vols left tackle David Sanders Jr. Winning in South Carolina with a true freshman quarterback will not be easy and this might be a lower-scoring game than some expect, but we predict Tennessee comes out on top for their first ranked win of 2026.

Week 10 vs Kentucky: WIN (7-2)

We think the Kentucky Wildcats’ future under first-year head coach Will Stein is very bright, but success isn’t coming this early. The Wildcats’ roster isn’t good enough to win on the road, and as good of a play-caller as Stein is, he doesn’t have the experience or skill group to win a chess match versus Knowles. Plus, a battle-tested Brandon will be much better suited in November to exploit Kentucky’s defense and deliver Tennessee its seventh win of the season.

Week 11 @ Texas A&M: LOSS (7-3)

This matchup is a bit similar to what we wrote about Texas versus Tennessee. The Volunteers might have the offensive line to slow down the Aggies’ pass rush, but this passing game isn’t anywhere near ready for Mike Elko’s defense and what he will throw at a true freshman quarterback at Kyle Field. Aggies quarterback Marcel Reed can also put on a show in this matchup, approaching 400 total yards of offense with 4 total touchdowns with Texas A&M winning by 14-plus at home.

Week 12 vs LSU: LOSS (7-4)

Lane Kiffin returns to Knoxville once again, only this time he has one of the best rosters in college football that money can buy. The LSU Tigers will certainly rally around their coach, viewing this matchup both as an opportunity to embolden Kiffin’s ego and to prove why this team belongs in the College Football Playoff. For the first and only time in 2026, Tennessee loses consecutive games and each of them are by double digits.

Related: Josh Heupel Makes Wild Statement About Lane Kiffin’s Upcoming Visit to Tennessee

Week 13 @ Vanderbilt: WIN (8-4)

This in-state rivalry to cap off the regular season will also be a look into the future with a battle between the true freshman quarterbacks. Five-star recruit Jared Curtis isn’t the Vanderbilt Commodores starter to open the 2026 campaign, but he will have taken over by this point in the calendar. Tennessee’s teenage signal-caller will, however, have more experience on his side and with that comes better rapport with his receivers and more comfort in an expanded playbook. Brandon caps off the Volunteers’ regular season with a victory at FirstBank Stadium, his eighth win as a freshman and it will secure Tennessee a nice bowl game.