An unexpected SEC legend says Tennessee could be a College Football Playoff team in 2026 after saying the opposite 5 months ago
The Tennessee Volunteers are looking to rebound this fall after going 8-5 in 2025 with tough season-ending losses to Vanderbilt and Illinois.
A somewhat unexpected SEC legend said this week that he thinks the Tennessee Vols could be a College Football Playoff bubble team if things play out the right way in 2026.
Former Georgia Bulldogs defensive lineman David Pollack, a two-time SEC Defensive Player of the Year, thinks the Vols could be in the playoff conversation if the defense takes a big step forward in year one of the Jim Knowles era.
“What do I like most about Tennessee?” said Pollack. “The offense. You know why? Because you have (Josh) Heupel. You get elite quarterback play. You get elite rushing numbers. You want some stats? His tenure at Tennessee, almost 40 points per game. The last three years, they’ve been third in the SEC in rushing. They know how to run the football.
“The difference last year in Tennessee not going to the playoff was very simple — the defense. They didn’t take a step back — they fell off a cliff. They [allowed] 28 points a game and 373 yards a game, which was 15th in the SEC and 85th nationally. So what do you do about it? You bring in Jim Knowles, a proven DC who won a national championship with Ohio State a couple years ago. They needed a new scheme, obviously. They brought in a bunch of guys with a bunch of experience. Tennessee is a team that’s going to score. What if the defense for Tennessee gets 25 percent better? What if it gets 50 percent better? Then they’re looking at going to the playoffs. They’re right on the bubble of going to the playoffs.”
Pollack has come around on the Vols a bit this offseason.
The former Georgia standout wasn’t necessarily down on Tennessee earlier this year, but he made it clear in February that he didn’t think the Vols could be a playoff team this fall.
“They’re gonna have losses,” said Pollack in late February. “Tennessee, they’re not going to the playoff, to me. They’re not going to be a playoff team. Here’s the thing: seven wins, 11 wins, nine wins, 10 wins, eight wins. Like, that’s (Josh) Heupel’s floor. That is pretty dang good, Tennessee fans.
“I think they’re in the eight or nine (wins) range. Because I do think the defense is going to be good. I think (Jim) Knowles is a good fit…I think Tennessee is going to be good. So Tennessee fans, you’ve got to be excited about who you have. And I also think the system — like, Tennessee is very much in the NIL world doing a good job. They lost, I think, 28 guys to the portal, they bring in 20. And [they’re] getting some elite level high school recruits. So, I don’t think Tennessee football is going anywhere. I love the additions for them, and I think quarterback play is just a given.”
Good on Pollack for letting his opinion evolve as the offseason went on.
No one knows how it’ll play out for the Vols in 2026 — mostly because we don’t know what kind of quarterback play they’ll get or how the defense will perform in year one under Knowles.
But there are certainly plenty of reasons to be optimistic. The Vols have good skill position players, the offensive line should be a strength, and the secondary is expected to be much-improved.
If the ball bounces Tennessee’s way a few times, you never know. Maybe they’ll be one of the surprise teams of the season.