Post spring practice bowl game projection for the Tennessee Vols isn’t encouraging for fans on Rocky Top
The Tennessee Volunteers have went to a bowl game in each of Josh Heupel’s five seasons as the program’s head coach. That includes Tennessee’s College Football Playoff appearance in 2024.
The latest bowl game projections from On3’s Brett McMurphy confirm that the national media’s view of the Tennessee Vols ahead of the 2026 season isn’t very high.
McMurphy revealed his post-spring practice bowl game projections on Wednesday and he has the Volunteers playing SMU in the Gator Bowl in Jacksonville, FL.
Tennessee’s most recent appearance in the Gator Bowl came in early 2020 when the Vols came from behind to beat Indiana.
Last year’s Gator Bowl featured a matchup between Missouri and Virginia.
Playing in the Gator Bowl would likely mean that Tennessee finishes the regular season with seven or eight wins.
The College Football Playoff is still the expectation for Tennessee
The national media may not have high expectations for the Vols this fall, but Tennessee has high expectations for itself.
Vols head coach Josh Heupel made it clear last week that getting to the playoff is the goal every year for Tennessee.
“As a football team, we’re in a position to go compete to be in that playoff every year,” said Heupel last week during a Big Orange Caravan stop. “And that’s the standard. That’s the expectation. And we’re going to go chase championships day in and day out.”
Tennessee will kick off the 2026 college football season on September 5 in Knoxville against Furman.