No. 17 Tennessee (1-0) will return to action in Week 2 of the 2025 college football season. The Vols are up one spot in the US LBM Coaches Poll after defeating Syracuse, 45-26, in Week 1.
Tennessee will host an in-state matchup Saturday at Neyland Stadium. The Vols will face East Tennessee State (1-0) at 3:30 p.m. EDT. The contest can be watched on SEC Network+ with Matt Schumacker (play-by-play), Dustin Fox (analyst) and Stephanie Otey (sideline reporter) on the call.
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East Tennessee State defeated Murray State, 45-17, during Week 1 in Johnson City, Tennessee.
Saturday will mark the second meeting between the Vols and ETSU. Tennessee defeated the Buccaneers, 59-3, on Sept. 8, 2018 at Neyland Stadium.
Following Week 1 contests, Vols Wire looks at game-by-game projected score predictions for Tennessee’s remaining games in the regular season from Nolan Analytics. Projected score predictions are listed below.
2025 Tennessee football game-by-game score predictions after Week 1
Syracuse Orange
Syracuse Orange
Tennessee kicked off its 2025 season against Syracuse in a neutral site matchup. The Vols’ offense totaled 493 yards (247 passing, 246 rushing) and 68 plays with 25 minutes, 29 seconds of time possession in Week 1.
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Score: Tennessee 45, Syracuse 26
Location: Mercedes-Benz Stadium (Atlanta, Georgia)
Date: Aug. 30
More: Tennessee’s offensive tempo detailed after Syracuse football game
East Tennessee State Buccaneers
East Tennessee State Buccaneers
The two in-state schools will play for a second time with the first meeting taking place in 2018. The Vols were victorious, 59-3, at Neyland Stadium.
Prediction: Tennessee 46, East Tennessee State 9
Location: Neyland Stadium (Knoxville, Tennessee)
Date: Sept. 6
Georgia Bulldogs
Georgia Bulldogs
Georgia has won eight consecutive games against Tennessee. The Vols last win in the series was in 2016. The longest win streak in the series is nine games by Tennessee from 1989-99.
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Prediction: Georgia 26, Tennessee 21
Location: Neyland Stadium (Knoxville, Tennessee)
Date: Sept. 13
UAB Blazers
UAB Blazers
Tennessee leads the series against UAB, 5-0, all time. The Vols and Blazers have played two one-possession games in the series (2005, 2010).
Prediction: Tennessee 46, UAB 14
Location: Neyland Stadium (Knoxville, Tennessee)
Date: Sept. 20
Mississippi State Bulldogs
Mississippi State Bulldogs
Tennessee defeated Mississippi State, 33-14, in 2024 at Neyland Stadium. The Vols will play at Mississippi State for the first time since 2012. Tennessee was led by then-head coach Derek Dooley.
Prediction: Tennessee 36, Mississippi State 17
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Location: Davis Wade Stadium (Starkville, Mississippi)
Date: Sept. 27
Arkansas Razorbacks
Arkansas Razorbacks
Tennessee suffered its first loss after an open date under Heupel at Arkansas in 2024. The Razorbacks last played at Neyland Stadium in 2015.
Prediction: Tennessee 33, Arkansas 17
Location: Neyland Stadium (Knoxville, Tennessee)
Date: Oct. 11
Alabama Crimson Tide
Alabama Crimson Tide
Tennessee defeated the Crimson Tide, 24-17, at Neyland Stadium in 2024. Tennessee’s last win at Alabama was in 2003. Heupel is 2-2 against Alabama as the Vols’ head coach.
Prediction: Alabama 27, Tennessee 23
Location: Bryant-Denny Stadium (Tuscaloosa, Alabama)
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Date: Oct. 18
Kentucky Wildcats
Kentucky Wildcats
Tennessee will play back-to-back road games against Alabama and Kentucky in 2025. The Vols are averaging 39.0 points per game at Kentucky under Heupel.
Prediction: Tennessee 32, Kentucky 20
Location: Kroger Field (Lexington, Kentucky)
Date: Oct. 25
Oklahoma Sooners
Oklahoma Sooners
Tennessee defeated the Sooners, 25-15, in 2024 for Heupel’s return to Norman, Oklahoma. The Sooners will play at Neyland Stadium for the first time since 2015.
Prediction: Tennessee 27, Oklahoma 21
Location: Neyland Stadium (Knoxville, Tennessee)
Date: Nov. 1
New Mexico State Aggies
New Mexico State Aggies
Tennessee and New Mexico State will play for the first time in 2025. The Aggies went 3-9 (2-6 C-USA) in 2024 under first-year head coach Tony Sanchez.
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Prediction: Tennessee 43, New Mexico State 13
Location: Neyland Stadium (Knoxville, Tennessee)
Date: Nov. 15
Florida Gators
Florida Gators
Tennessee defeated the Gators, 23-17 in overtime, last season. The Vols have not won at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium since 2003 under then-head coach Phillip Fulmer.
Prediction: Tennessee 26, Florida 24
Location: Ben Hill Griffin Stadium (Gainesville, Florida)
Date: Nov. 22
Vanderbilt Commodores
Vanderbilt Commodores
Tennessee has won six straight games in the in-state SEC series. The Vols won at Vanderbilt, 36-23, in 2024 to clinch an appearance in the College Football Playoff.
Prediction: Tennessee 36, Vanderbilt 17
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Location: Neyland Stadium (Knoxville, Tennessee)
Date: Nov. 29
Tennessee will have an open date on Oct. 4 and Nov. 8.
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This article originally appeared on Vols Wire: Updated game-by-game score projections for Tennessee after Week 1
