KNOXVILLE, TN (WOKI / WVLT)The Tennessee Volunteers are back in the Associated Press Top 25 heading into the 2026 college football season.
Tennessee debuted at No. 20 in the AP preseason poll released Monday, marking a return to the national rankings after ending the 2025 season outside the Top 25.
The Volunteers are among nine Southeastern Conference teams ranked in the preseason poll, highlighting the depth and competitiveness of the SEC entering the new season.
Defending national power Ohio State sits atop the rankings at No. 1, followed by Oregon, Georgia, Notre Dame, and Texas in the top five.
The SEC is well represented throughout the poll, with Texas A&M ranked eighth, Ole Miss ninth, Oklahoma tenth, LSU eleventh, Alabama thirteenth, and Missouri twenty-fifth. Several other conference programs, including Florida, South Carolina, Vanderbilt, and Auburn, received votes but did not earn a Top 25 ranking.
Tennessee will begin its 2026 campaign on September 5 against Furman at Neyland Stadium.
One of the most anticipated games on the Volunteers’ schedule comes just three weeks later when Tennessee hosts No. 5 Texas on September 26. The matchup is expected to be the Vols’ first ranked opponent of the season and one of the marquee early-season games in college football.
Fans still have opportunities to attend games at Neyland Stadium this season. Single-game tickets remain available for the season opener against Furman as well as Tennessee’s November 7 matchup against Kentucky.
The preseason ranking gives Tennessee a spot in the national spotlight entering the season and provides an early indication of the expectations surrounding the Vols as they prepare to compete in another challenging SEC schedule.
