The Tennessee Vols opened the 2026 season with a 56-9 win over Furman on Saturday afternoon in Neyland Stadium.

Tennessee was led by true freshman quarterback Faizon Brandon, who accounted for five total touchdowns (three passing and two rushing) in his college debut.

Brandon is the first SEC player with three passing touchdowns and two rushing touchdowns in his debut since Cam Newton at Auburn in 2010.

Faizon Brandon in his Tennessee debut:

🏈 226 Pass Yds
🏈 68 Rush Yds
🏈 5 Total TD

He is the first SEC player with 3 Pass TD & 2 Rush TD in his first start since Cam Newton 🔥 pic.twitter.com/zg8nknxLAs

— SEC Network (@SECNetwork) September 5, 2026

Tennessee predicted to move up a spot in the AP Top 25 after win over Furman

Tennessee started the season ranked No. 20 in the AP Top 25 poll.

On3 predicts that the Vols will climb to No. 19 in the new AP Top 25 poll after their win over Furman.

They have Michigan, which was ranked No. 16 in the preseason poll, falling to No. 25 in the AP Top 25 following their controversial last second win against Western Michigan.

The Big Ten says a Western Michigan defender started his jump from an established out-of-bounds position and made contact with the ball with 1 second remaining.

Full statement (and video from Big Ten):

"Following video review, it was determined Western Michigan’s #18 started… pic.twitter.com/zm59F0deS3

— Brandon Marcello (@bmarcello) September 6, 2026

The new AP Top 25 poll is typically released on Sunday afternoons, but there are games on Sunday and Monday this week, so it won’t be released until Tuesday.

Also, the results of those games on Sunday and Monday could potentially impact Tennessee’s ranking.

No. 17 Washington plays Washington State on Sunday, and No. 19 SMU plays Florida State on Monday night. If either of those teams lose, they’d likely fall below Tennessee in the rankings.