This isn’t your average college football ranking.
My Ultimate 136 is a set of rankings that is fluid, but it’s my job to look ahead and make a claim for all FBS teams based on what I know and why I know it. Here are the three pressing questions I started by asking when putting together this list:
- Who do I think is good?
- Why do I think they’re good?
- What are the chances they will finish above or below my expectations?
Here is a look at where Tennessee lands in my Ultimate 136.
Tennessee Volunteers ranking: 13
Last year’s ranking: 13
Top player: DB Jermod McCoy: AP Second Team All-American selection last season; his 13 passes defended ranked fourth in the SEC, also had an 89.6 coverage grade from PFF, which ranked ninth in FBS among cornerbacks.
RJ’s take: Josh Heupel returns Broyles Award finalist and defensive coordinator Tim Banks to a program that made its first appearance in the College Football Playoff this season. But he lost QB Nico Iamaleava in the biggest offseason story of the year. Iamaleava’s move to hold out of spring practice and threat to enter the portal if he wasn’t provided a raise in NIL pay from his 3-year, $8 million contract led to Tennessee telling him to kick rocks.
He landed at UCLA, and penciled Bruins starter Joey Aguilar transferred to Tennessee in what will look like a trade in print but a sign of the times for those of us who lived through it. Now, Heupel is forced to hold together a program that got its first taste of the CFP in a first-round appearance and was promptly dismantled by Ohio State in it. But it’s possible if his offense can run the ball effectively.
Aguilar has thrown for 6,760 yards and 56 touchdowns over the last two seasons at Appalachian State. Notre Dame transfer and guard Sam Pendleton and returning left tackle Lance Heard will help fortify the offensive line that will lose four starters from last year’s team.
In the last three years, the Volunteers are 23-0 when they run for at least 185 yards in a game. That includes an 8-0 mark they hit with running back Dylan Sampson leading the charge with 1,491 yards and 22 touchdowns last year. DeSean Bishop, Peyton Lewis and Star Thomas are among those who will be tasked with helping Tennessee reach that magical 185 mark in 2025.
McCoy, defensive tackle Bryson Eason and EDGE Joshua Josephs might be the three best players on the team, and they all play defense. McCoy led the Vols with 13 passes defended, including four interceptions. Eason and Joseph combined for 16 tackles for loss and 3.0 sacks in 2024.
However, the Vols open SEC play against Georgia, a team it hasn’t beaten since 2016. Games against Oklahoma, Florida and Syracuse round out a tough schedule, but it’s basically the same schedule as their 2024 season in reverse. A 10-win season ought to be treated like winning the national title in Knoxville, given the hand it’s forced to play this year.
[Check out RJ Young’s Ultimate 136 College Football Rankings here]
Tennessee Win Total Odds: Over 8.5 (+100) Under 8.5 (-122)
Have an issue with my rankings? Think your alma mater is too low, or your school’s rival is too high? Get at me on X, @RJ_Young, and I’ll select my favorite tweets and respond to them in a future article.
RJ Young is a national college football writer and analyst for FOX Sports. Follow him at @RJ_Young.
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