After an interesting year for Tennessee that was all about the schedule, how tough is the 2026 version?
The Vols were fantastic at beating the teams they were supposed to, but the five losses were to Georgia, Alabama, Oklahoma, Vanderbilt, and Illinois. Three College Football Playoff teams and two other stars of the season.
This year’s slate should be a bit easier, and the Vols need to take advantage of it.
The Good, the Bad, and Who Tennessee Misses in 2026
Tennessee football coach Josh Heupel during the NCAA college football game against New Mexico State on November 15, 2025, in Knoxville, Tenn.© Brianna Paciorka/News Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
(© Brianna Paciorka/News Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images)
The Good
Almost all of the toughest games are in Knoxville. Alabama, LSU, and Texas are home games, and there’s just one road date before the middle of October.
In the middle of the season, there’s a stretch of four games in finve against teams that didn’t go bowling, and there aren’t two road games in a row.
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The Bad
At Georgia Tech early and at Texas A&M late could be landmines. And no, there aren’t two road games in a row, but there aren’t back-to-back home games after October 3rd.
What SEC Teams Tennessee Will Miss
Florida, Georgia, Mississippi State, Missouri, Oklahoma, Ole Miss.
It’s not bad missing Georgia and Oklahoma, and even though Ole Miss is taking a step back, that’s a nice team to have off the slate, too. Overall, there isn’t a lot to be grouchy about here.
Tennessee’s Best and Worst Case Scenarios in 2026
Best Case: The Vols beat the Longhorns
It’s an amazingly funky quirk that these two monster programs haven’t met since the 1969 Cotton Bowl -a 36-13 Texas win. This time around, it’s the SEC opener, and Tennessee pulls it off.
After that, it takes care of Auburn and Arkansas before welcoming in Alabama. After getting to smoke the cigars again, it keeps rolling on through.
There’s a loss in November, but it doesn’t matter as it’s off to the SEC Championship and College Football Playoff.
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Worst Case: Texas and Alabama win
It’s the middle of the season, and the Volunteers already have two losses, and both are at home in games they needed to take down.
After losing to Texas and Alabama, there’s no more margin for error, but … at South Carolina. The season is basically over before November, and more losses are on the way against Texas A&M and LSU.
Tennessee Football 2026 Schedule
Sept 5 Furman
Sept 12 at Georgia Tech
Sept 19 Kennesaw State
Sept 26 Texas
Oct 3 Auburn
Oct 10 at Arkansas
Oct 17 Alabama
Oct 24 at South Carolina
Oct 31 OPEN DATE
Nov 7 Kentucky
Nov 14 at Texas A&M
Nov 21 LSU
Nov 28 at Vanderbilt
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Games That Will Decide Tennessee’s Season
1. Texas, Sept. 26
Again, to hammer this home, beating Texas in the SEC opener would do everything for the program. It would be a lift-off to what should be a great start to the conference season.
2. Alabama, Oct. 17
The Vols have won the last two home games against the Tide. It’s the middle of the season, and this should be when the campaign goes one way or another.
3. LSU, Nov. 21
The two teams haven’t played since 2022 – a 40-13 Vol blowout – but LSU won the previous five meetings. It’s the home finale, and Lane Kiffin is coming back to town. It’ll be … interesting.
Related: Texas 2026 Football Schedule Breakdown and Analysis
This story was originally published by College Football News on Feb 4, 2026, where it first appeared in the College Football section. Add College Football News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
