The Tennessee Vols almost certainly won’t be returning to the College Football Playoff in 2025.

Tennessee’s 33-27 loss to the Oklahoma Sooners on Saturday night essentially knocked the Volunteers out of playoff contention.

The Vols will need a LOT of chaos to happen in college football over the next few weeks, even to creep back into the playoff picture.

How should Tennessee fans feel about Josh Heupel after loss to Oklahoma?

Tennessee’s loss to Oklahoma was the Vols’ first loss in Neyland Stadium to a team other than the Georgia Bulldogs since 2021.

It’s the first loss that Tennessee head coach Josh Heupel has had in Knoxville that has left some fans questioning whether he can get the Vols over the hump.

I think that’s a fair question, but I’m not sure anyone knows the answer just yet.

The same issues that have held Tennessee back under Heupel over the last four years aren’t getting any better. Discipline, late-game management, failing to capitalize on turnovers, and overall consistency are issues that have plagued the Volunteers throughout the Heupel era.

Those issues have to get fixed for Tennessee ever to have a legitimate chance to win a national championship.

Can those issues get fixed under Heupel?

Again, that’s a question we’ll have to wait and see the answer to.

But for now, Tennessee has to stay the course with Heupel. I don’t think his seat should be warm because of the team’s first home loss to a non-Georgia team since 2021. And there are several reasons I feel this way.

For starters, no one truly expected Tennessee to compete for a spot in the College Football Playoff this fall. I know that was the goal in Tennessee’s locker room — and it should’ve been the goal — but this team was never in a strong position to reach the College Football Playoff.

The Vols had a lot of turnover on the offensive side of the ball, including an unexpected quarterback change after spring practice. Additionally, the number of defensive injuries the team has suffered has severely impacted that side of the ball. Not only are several key players out, but numerous guys, such as linebacker Arion Carter, are playing through injuries.

There’s no doubt that there are areas where the coaching needs improvement. There are several areas where Heupel needs to improve, including fourth-down play calls and late-game clock management, which have been key struggles for Tennessee this season. But if you take a look around college football each Saturday, you’ll see a lot of similar issues popping up.

Heupel has brought important stability to Tennessee over the last few years. I know this is a program with championship aspirations, but winning a championship in college football is one of the toughest things to do in sports (only a handful of active head coaches have won a national championship).

Everything has to go right, from health to highly-paid players playing to their potential, for a championship even to be a possibility.

Heupel needs the full support of the fan base despite the tough loss to Oklahoma. This year’s team can still accomplish some important things, like beating Florida in the Swamp later this month.

Tennessee needs to keep the focus on winning games instead of getting in its feelings about losing three games this season (finishing 9-3 in this era of college football isn’t bad). There will be time to evaluate what went wrong immediately after the final game of the regular season.

Ultimately, though, Heupel is Tennessee’s best shot at winning a championship over the next few years.

Where would Tennessee even turn if it moved on from Josh Heupel?

If Tennessee were to move on from Heupel, where would they turn?

Look at Penn State, LSU, and Florida right now. There’s a chance that none of those programs will land one of their top choices. It’s a toss-up right now on whether those programs will take a step forward or backward after firing their coaches. By now, most fans are aware that there’s no such thing as a “home run hire.” No one knows how a hire will ultimately play out.

Stability is the most valuable commodity in college football right now, and Tennessee has that with Heupel.

In this new age of college football — where depth is a dream and rosters dramatically change year to year — it’s necessary for expectations to be adjusted on a year-to-year basis. Unless you’re Ohio State, most programs will have some “down years” mixed in with years where they compete for a spot in the College Football Playoff.

It’s harder than ever to build a program from scratch. Programs are essentially hoping each season that they hit on the right roster combination while maintaining a strong culture that centers on competing daily. Tennessee has an identity and a strong culture under Heupel.

Obviously, some areas need improvement under Heupel for the program to reach the next level. But starting the program building process over with a new coach seems like a risky idea. The focus needs to be on improving the program’s shortcomings under Heupel instead of jumping into the turbulent waters of the coaching carousel.

Perhaps the conversation around Heupel will change in the future. However, for now, sticking with Heupel is the absolutely right path forward for Tennessee.

This article was originally published on A to Z Sports Tennessee Vols as It’s clear how Tennessee Vols fans should feel about Josh Heupel after disappointing loss to the Oklahoma Sooners.

Tennessee Volunteers News

‘I’m not changing it’ – Oklahoma kicker Tate Sandell addresses his shorts that went viral during win against Tennessee

Oklahoma kicker Tate Sandell went viral on Saturday during a game against Tennessee for the length of his shorts.

Zach Ragan