Tennessee football opens up fall camp for Josh Heupel’s fourth season as head coach next week and they open up the 2024 season in just over a month at Neyland Stadium.
The Vols enter the 2024 season with high expectations and a chance to make the new expanded College Football Playoff. What are the most important games on Tennessee’s schedule as they look to make that a reality? Taking a look here.
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12. UTC
Tennessee’s lone FCS opponent is the obvious candidate for the least important game of the season because the season opener should be completely free of drama. Chattanooga is a solid FCS program, going 8-5 last season including a 6-2 record in SoCon play.
The fact that it is Tennessee’s season opener gives it some extra relevance but it still should be a very easy win for the Vols.
11. Kent State
Tennessee’s week three matchup at Neyland Stadium pits the Vols against a Kent State program that was one of the nation’s worst a season ago. The Zips went 1-11 during the 2023 season and didn’t win a single game against a FBS team.
This matchup comes between key games against North Carolina State and Oklahoma but the date shouldn’t matter in what should be another easy win.
10. UTEP
Tennessee’s final buy game on its 2024 schedule is against UTEP on Nov. 23. It’s the Vols’ second to last game of the season and should be an easy win after an incredibly challenging game at Georgia the week before.
UTEP went 3-9 a season ago with just two of its wins coming against FBS teams. The Miners will offer little test for Tennessee at Neyland Stadium.
9. Vanderbilt
Just one week after the UTEP game is Tennessee’s regular season finale at Vanderbilt. After a promising 5-7 2022 season, Vanderbilt scuffled and went 2-10 and winless in SEC play last season.
Tennessee has defeated Vanderbilt by a combined score of 149-45 over Josh Heupel’s three seasons. There’s no reason to expect this game to be much different. The matchup at Vanderbilt should be the Vols’ easiest conference game.
8. Mississippi State
Mississippi State made the move away from Zach Arnett after just one season as head coach when the Bulldogs went 5-7 and missed a bowl game. They hired former Josh Heupel offensive coordinator Jeff Lebby to replace him, but the Bulldogs current roster looks bleak entering the season.
Tennessee hosts Mississippi State on the first Saturday of November and just two weeks removed from its second open date.
7. Kentucky
A week before Tennessee hosts Mississippi State, they host Kentucky at Neyland Stadium. The Wildcats have been solid but nothing special each of the last two seasons and there’s little pointing to a breakout season for Kentucky.
The Vols have been stout coming out of open dates under Josh Heupel and they’re 3-0 against Kentucky in Heupel’s three seasons as head coach. Tennessee should take care of business at home and earn a fourth straight win over the Wildcats.
6. Arkansas
Tennessee heads to Arkansas to face the Razorbacks the week after its first open date of the 2024 season. No coach in the SEC enters the season with a hotter seat than Sam Pittman and Tennessee should be significant favorites against the Razorbacks.
But while the Kentucky and Mississippi State games are at home, the Vols have to go on the road to face Arkansas. That’s why this game is more important and challenging in my opinion.
5. Georgia
These final five games are when things get really ratcheted up. The lack of divisions in the SEC as well as the 12-team playoff make this game less important as it normally would have. In the past, Tennessee would need to go right through the top program in the conference to make it to the playoffs. That’s no longer the case.
The road trip to Georgia is the hardest game on Tennessee’s schedule and winning it would be huge. But the path to victory is narrow which moves this down the list slightly.
4. Florida
Tennessee hosts rival Florida at Neyland Stadium in the second weekend in October which is later than the usual September matchup. But this is still an extremely important matchup for the Vols.
Expectations are low for Florida this season but part of that is because of the Gators’ incredibly challenging schedule. Florida always gives Tennessee issues and the Gators have a veteran quarterback in Graham Mertz. The Vols should win this game but it’s no guarantee. If they don’t win this one they almost certainly will miss the playoffs.
3. North Carolina State
Tennessee’s first test of the season comes in week two where they’ll face a solid North Carolina State team in Charlotte. The Wolfpack project to be a preseason top 25 team after going 9-3 last season with a bowl game loss against Kansas State.
The Vols are the better team but the gap isn’t huge and this will be Nico Iamaleava’s first real test of the season. Winning this game would put Tennessee in a strong spot to open the season. A loss would force them to play catchup.
2. Oklahoma
Tennessee’s SEC opener at Oklahoma is a big one for a number of reasons. It’s Josh Heupel’s return to his alma mater and the Sooners’ first game in the SEC. It will be one of the biggest games on Oklahoma’s schedule and a challenging road environment.
The matchup will be as close to a toss up as any other game on Tennessee’s schedule. Combining wins against North Carolina State and Oklahoma will put the Vols in the driver’s seat to make the playoffs.
1. Alabama
It’s a new day in the “Third Saturday in October” rivalry. Nick Saban is gone and in is Kalen DeBoer as Alabama’s head coach. Tennessee hosts Alabama at Neyland Stadium just a week after the Florida game which will make for a hectic eight days in Knoxville.
The game has major College Football Playoff implications, but Tennessee earning the win would also be a statement about the future of the rivalry.
