ESPN picks the game that could decide Tennessee football's 2026 fate

Tennessee has a big year ahead of it in 2026, as it could be a make-or-break year for head coach Josh Heupel. The team does have a lot of new faces, specifically on defense. Heupel brought in a former Ohio State and Penn State defensive coordinator to call the defense this season. Knowles is considered to be one of the best defensive minds in football with his complex scheme and the different looks he provides.

Tennessee has a very tough schedule in 2026, and with the new nine-game SEC conference schedule, it makes it even tougher. Tennessee's nonconference schedule is Furman, Georgia Tech, and Kennesaw State. They should be 3-0 after this, but 2-1 is possible too, especially since the Vols will have to travel to Atlanta to play the Yellow Jackets.

ESPN released an article on "College football's defining games in 2026 for every Power 4 team," and Tennessee's was an interesting one, no doubt. ESPN says that the Tennessee game against Texas in week four is the defining game for the Vols. ESPN's main reason was that it would be a good chance to see how Knowles defense looks against Arch Manning and the re-tooled Longhorns offense. Plus, we can settle the debate over who the real "UT" is.

Tennessee verus Texas could define the Vols 2026

I think this is fair. Tennessee will get to see how the new defense looks, and it will be a gnarly road test. Whoever is the starting quarterback in week four will face arguably the toughest crowd they will see all season. Not to mention, it's the first SEC game, so starting 1-0 in the conference would be a major confidence boost for Tennessee as they head into a stretch of Auburn, Arkansas, and Alabama.

It might be hard to peg this as a defining game, but I know Heupel and Vol's fans everywhere have the LSU game on November 21 circled when former head coach Lane Kiffin returns to Knoxville. Ending the season with Kiffin’s return and a rivalry matchup against Vanderbilt is a wild way to close out the year, and it proves Tennessee will need to be locked in for all 12 games in 2026.