2024 Tennessee Football Schedule: Must wins, toss-ups and major challenges

Year four under Josh Heupel and year one of the Nico Iamaleava era is just a few months away. Tennessee football has been revived under Heupel’s leadership, and now with an expanded playoff, expectations have returned in a big way to Knoxville.

Tennessee will navigate a conference schedule that doesn’t feature divisions following the addition of Oklahoma and Texas to the Southeastern Conference. Roadtrips to Oklahoma and Georgia, a home game against Alabama and a trip to Charlotte to take on NC State highlight the 2024 schedule.

It’s almost summer, we’ve got nothing better to do — let’s dig in a little deeper.

Must Wins

vs. Chattanooga, vs. Kent State, vs. UTEP

Tennessee has three non-conference cupcakes this season. None should be any issue.

at Vanderbilt

Once again, you can expect Tennessee to roll into Nashville and thump Vanderbilt, which has shown no signs of life under Clark Lea. The Commodores should be limping to the finish line, and Tennessee could have a College Football Playoff spot to play for.

vs. Mississippi State

Josh Heupel’s former offensive coordinator Jeff Lebby comes over from Oklahoma and inherits a bit of a mess. The Bulldogs have been active in the transfer portal, rebuilding their entire offensive line and adding former Baylor quarterback Blake Shapen. I’d bet Lebby eventually gets rolling in Starkville, but it could be a tough year one. A trip to Knoxville won’t be easy while he rebuilds.

vs. Florida

Billy Napier’s seat is getting pretty warm in Gainesville, and an absolutely brutal schedule in 2024 won’t help. Tennessee laid an egg last year on the road, but they have the upper hand coming into this one in Knoxville. The Gators have a measly win total of 4.5. Mental hurdle or not, this is one you’ve just got to take care of at home.

Don’t sleep on ‘em

vs. N.C. State

This one has potential to be tricky. Playing in Charlotte, Tennessee gets a really solid NC State team that just got a major upgrade at quarterback in Grayson McCall. He’s going to have weapons, too, after the Wolfpack added WR Noah Rogers from Ohio State and TE Justin Joly from UConn. Early lines have Tennessee as just a five point favorite.

at Arkansas

The Razorbacks shouldn’t be very good, but any SEC road game is just a little bit scary (outside of Vanderbilt). Sam Pittman is also on the hot seat and also has to navigate a brutal schedule. Arkansas gets Tennessee coming off of a bye week, but the Vols very well could be caught looking ahead to Florida the following week. The Hogs could be just dangerous enough to make some noise in this spot.

vs. Kentucky

Tennessee always seems to have Kentucky’s number, and that should continue this season. However, former top prospect Brock Vandagriff takes over under center and could elevate the entire offense to a new level. Kentucky hung around last year in Lexington, can they do it again in Knoxville this year? I doubt it, but Tennessee can’t get caught sleeping here looking out ahead to Georgia.

Toss Ups

at Oklahoma

This one might be one of the most fun matchups of the entire college football season. Former top prospects Jackson Arnold and Nico Iamaleava square off in a game that is going to feature plenty of points. Both Arnold and Iamaleava showed us big flashes during bowl season.

Oh yeah, Josh Heupel is returning to Norman on the other sideline. The former Sooner quarterback and offensive coordinator will want this one pretty bad.

Just looking at the schedule, the result here will have a huge impact on Tennessee’s season trajectory. A win here and the College Football Playoff is firmly in reach.

vs. Alabama

Goodbye Nick Saban, hello Kalen DeBoer. The former Washington head coach will get his introduction into this rivalry in Knoxville, where Tennessee won back in 2022. Early lines have Alabama as a tiny road favorite here — some are even as low as two points. This will be a big opportunity for both sides, very likely with playoff ramifications.

Major Challenges

at Georgia

Kirby Smart is rolling and not showing any signs of slowing down. Now veteran quarterback Carson Beck is a Heisman favorite, and Georgia should be in contention for another title. On the positive side, Georgia doesn’t get the cakewalk they had last season. Road games against Alabama, Ole Miss and Texas highlight their tough 2024 slate. Tennessee catches them following the trip to Ole Miss. Still, walking into Athens feels like a daunting task.