The Tennessee Vols will have an unlikely superfan in 2026.

LSU Tigers head coach Lane Kiffin probably won’t admit it publicly, but he’ll be a huge Vols fan this fall.

Of course, it’s not because Kiffin, who was Tennessee’s head coach in 2009, wants to see his former employer do well in 2026 — it’s because Kiffin needs the Vols to have a good record for LSU’s College Football Playoff resume.

After his controversial exit from Ole Miss last November, Kiffin is facing playoff-or-bust expectations in year one in Baton Rouge.

LSU’s road to the playoff, however, is far from easy.

ESPN analytics give LSU the 10th best chance to reach the playoff this season, but the Tigers’ hopes could hinge on a late November road matchup against Tennessee.

And LSU will need the Vols to have a good record to make a potential win against Tennessee stand out to the committee.

“If LSU starts November 0-2, it will be under tremendous pressure to finish the season with back-to-back road wins against Tennessee and Arkansas, and it will need to hope both of those opponents fare better than last year’s combined 10-15 finish,” noted ESPN college football reporter Heather Dinich this week (Dinich’s take on the playoff is particularly important as she’s the reporter who is the most plugged in with the playoff committee).

So yeah, Kiffin needs Tennessee to win as many games as possible, but it’s for a completely self-serving reason — not because he has a special place in his heart for the Volunteers.

Of course, Tennessee will be hoping to be in the playoff picture in late November as well, so they’ll need LSU to have a good record for the same reason.

In general, I expect this upcoming season to be one of the craziest college football seasons we’ve ever seen. The parity in the sport is at a level we’ve never seen before — any team in the SEC can beat any other team in any given week.