Tennessee Vols' 2025 national championship odds revealed by major sportsbook
The Tennessee Volunteers had a season to remember in 2024, even if it ended with a major whimper. For the first time since 2001, the Vols were in play for the national championship, earning their first-ever trip to the College Football Playoff. Despite a 42-17 loss to Ohio State in the first round, the season […]
The Tennessee Volunteers had a season to remember in 2024, even if it ended with a major whimper.
For the first time since 2001, the Vols were in play for the national championship, earning their first-ever trip to the College Football Playoff. Despite a 42-17 loss to Ohio State in the first round, the season felt like a step forward in Knoxville after coming so close in 2022 to the playoff.
Naturally, that begs the question of how things look in 2025, Josh Heupel's fifth season in Knoxville. From those at FanDuel, things look pretty much the same as they did in 2024.
FanDuel Sportsbook listed their 2025 national championship odds, and the Vols checked in at the eighth best odds, tied with Clemson, who has the best odds in the ACC.
Tennessee held the fourth-best SEC odds behind Texas, Georgia, and Alabama. That seems perhaps a bit high for the Crimson Tide given how pedestrian they looked in 2024 and the fact they're losing Jalen Milroe to the NFL, but seeing a Bama bias isn't very surprising, whether that's in the media, sportsbooks, or elsewhere.
Given Tennessee was ranked seventh in the final CFP ranking and seeded ninth, well, those odds make sense for the Vols. It's an apparent belief by the oddsmakers that they see Tennessee rebounding with a similar team and performance in 2025.
It will take some Heupel plugging some significant holes this offseason for that to come to fruition. Tennessee will have to replace their record-breaking workhorse RB in Dylan Sampson and their top three wideouts (although that proved to not be such a massive loss based on the inconsistencies at the wide receiver position in 2024). Cooper Mays' veteran leadership on the offensive line will also be sorely missed, and the Vols will have to replace three starters in the unit, although incoming five-star OT David Sanders, Jr. will help soften that blow on the edge.
Defensively, they'll have to replace James Pearce, Jr., Omarr Norman-Lott, Elijah Simmons, and Omari Thomas up front. CB Jermod McCoy's outlook for the start of the season is potentially murky after it was revealed last week that he tore his ACL.
So, there are plenty of question marks heading into the season for Tennessee and plenty of areas where Heupel and his staff will have to find answers for 2025 to be another successful year in Knoxville.
However, there's a common phrase around wagering that "the oddsmakers know something". That's something Vol fans likely will embrace at this point.
Tennessee Vols fortify key roster group with a transfer portal acquisition on Sunday
Josh Heupel added a versatile player over the weekend
