We hate to say it, but the loss to Oklahoma last weekend for Tennessee football flipped the script for the 2025 campaign. With a victory, the Vols were still going to be in the College Football Playoff hunt, but that's no longer the case for Josh Heupel and his players.
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Instead, the Sooners find themselves ranked No. 12 in the first CFP rankings, while Tennessee fell all the way to No. 25. There are still three games left in the season and Heupel made it clear his locker room is going to remain focused and keep competing. Hey, 9-3 would be nothing to sneeze at if the Vols can close the year on a three-game winning streak.
However, what has people so disappointed is that in the losses to Oklahoma and Georgia, it felt like Tennessee was only a few plays away from posting wins. With 9-3 being the ceiling for this group, Brett McMurphy now has UT projected to play in the TaxSlayer Gator Bowl against Miami. Not really what everyone was hoping for this winter:
NEW: College Football Bowl Projections via@Brett_McMurphy🏆
— On3 (@On3sports) November 3, 2025
More: https://t.co/rYu80rETiV pic.twitter.com/adZvkITq5q
Tennessee football is hoping to close the season out strong in 2025
It'd have a bit of a CFP feel, as Carson Beck and Miami looked like one of the top teams in the country earlier this year, but defeats at the hands of Louisville and SMU now has the Canes ranked No. 18. That was no question a huge disappointment for Mario Cristobal and his staff.
If Miami is left out of the CFP, do we think Beck and other high-profile players are going to play, or would they rest up and get mentally and physically ready for the NFL Draft instead? As for Joey Aguilar, he's going to be one and done with UT, but with how much he loves the program, we have a feeling nothing is going to stop him from playing in whatever bowl game the Vols are in.
While it's not the CFP, playing in any bowl game is huge for a program, as it provides you with extra practice sessions and it's a great experience for your players. With that said, the new expectation for Tennessee is to push for a playoff spot every season under Heupel. Not achieving that this campaign after doing so in 2024 is going to sting for quite some time.