Breaking news:Best wide Jordan Clark decommit and Flip to Tennessee Vols football rejected Florida and bulldogs..
Breaking news:Best wide Jordan Clark decommit and Flip to Tennessee Vols football rejected Florida and bulldogs..
Tennessee Football 2025 Schedule Outlook: Key Matchups on the Vols Schedule
Knoxville, Tennessee, USA; Tennessee Volunteers quarterback Nico Iamaleava (8) talks with running back Dylan Sampson (6) during a game against the UTEP Miners. Mandatory Credit: Saul Young/USA TODAY Network via Imagn Images
Nov 23, 2024; Knoxville, Tennessee, USA; Tennessee Volunteers quarterback Nico Iamaleava (8) talks with running back Dylan Sampson (6) during a game against the UTEP Miners. Mandatory Credit: Saul Young/USA TODAY Network via Imagn Images / Saul Young/USA TODAY Network via Imagn Images
The Tennessee Volunteers will be looking to return to the College Football Playoff in 2025. This article will show you what games on their schedule will be key to making that return.
Tennessee does not open its schedule with a cupcake win. Week one will provide a key matchup that could set the tone for the season. The Volunteers will take on Syracuse in Atlanta for the Aflac Kickoff Game on August 30th.
The Orange went 10-3 in their first season under coach Fran Brown and finished 22nd in the final AP poll. They will have to find a new quarterback after Kyle McCord declared for the draft. Though, even with a new quarterback this will be a tough first game for the Volunteers and should set the tone for the rest of the season.
After what should be an easy matchup against East Tennessee State, the Volunteers will face Georgia on September 13th. The Bulldogs have been a tough matchup for the Volunteers over the past few years, but a duel in Neyland with a new quarterback under center for the Bulldogs provides Tennessee fans with some hope.
The Volunteers will get their first true road test on October 18th when they travel to Tuscaloosa to take on Alabama. The Crimson Tide will also have a new signal caller under center, with Jalen Milroe declaring for the NFL draft. With that said, the Volunteers have always had a hard time beating Alabama in Tuscaloosa, with their last win coming in 2003.
Four of the Volunteers’ final five games will come against lesser SEC opponents in Kentucky, Oklahoma, Florida and Vanderbilt. Any of those teams could be dangerous next year and possibly cause issues for the Volunteers, but they should be favorites in all of them.
If Tennessee can win the opener against Syracuse and find a way to beat either Georgia or Alabama, they will have put themselves in an excellent position to make the College Football Playoff.
Overall, the three toughest games on the Volunteer’s schedules come against teams that will have a new quarterback directing their offense. If the defense can give those quarterbacks issues and the offense can continue to grow under Nico Iamlavela, then the Volunteers are in an excellent position.
