ESPN says the Tennessee Vols played in one of the top 12 games of the 2025 college football season
The Tennessee Vols played in some wild games during the 2025 college football season.
The Tennessee Vols played in some wild games during the 2025 college football season.
From the Vols’ thrilling overtime win against Mississippi State in Starkville to Tennessee’s frustrating home loss to Oklahoma, it was a season full of high-stakes games with huge plays for Josh Heupel’s program.
ESPN says Tennessee played in one of the top 12 games of the 2025 season
ESPN’s Bill Connelly ranked the top 100 games of the 2025 season and a couple of Tennessee games made his list.
Connelly ranked Tennessee’s 41-38 overtime loss to the Georgia Bulldogs in September as the No. 12 best game of the season.
“Tennessee hasn’t beaten Georgia since 2016,” wrote Connelly. “We’re using the present tense there because, despite taking a 21-7 first-quarter lead, despite forcing a Georgia fourth-and-6 from the 28 with 2:32 left, and despite setting up a potential winning 43-yard field goal attempt at the buzzer, the Vols managed to let this one slip away.”
The loss to Georgia was easily one of the most gut-wrenching losses in the history of Tennessee football.
Tennessee looked like they were about to take down Georgia for the first time during the Heupel era, which could’ve served as a launching point for the Vols in 2025.
Instead, Max Gilbert’s game-winning field goal attempt sailed wide right and Georgia went on to win the game in overtime.
It was certainly a compelling game, but the outcome just didn’t go Tennessee’s way.
Connelly also included Tennessee’s overtime win against Mississippi State on his list, ranking the Vols’ win in Starkville at No. 95.
“Tennessee nearly got Starkville’d. In a game with eight lead changes, the Vols kept pulling ahead and falling behind again,” wrote Connelly. “MSU scored 10 points in three minutes to take a 34-27 lead late, but Joey Aguilar capped a 13-play, six-minute drive with a 6-yard TD run. Tennessee nearly drove into field goal range late but had to wait for OT to win it.”
The 2025 season didn’t end the way Vols fans hoped it would, but there were still some memorable moments (including a win over Florida in the Swamp) that fans got to enjoy.
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