Nobody, and I mean nobody, who is a Tennessee fan wants to be playing in the Music City Bowl after Christmas. After making the College Football Playoffs in 2024, Tennessee took a step back in 2025, losing winnable games to playoff teams in Georgia and Oklahoma.
There is a lot of work to do in Knoxville before the start of the 2026 campaign. Josh Heupel has already begun shaking up the defensive staff, bringing in veteran coordinator Jim Knowles to run that side of the ball. Heupel has also extended the contracts of two of his best assistants, Joey Halzle and Kelsey Pope.