Tennessee Football Snubbed from Early 2025 College Football Playoff Projection

The Vols are once again being doubted in preseason playoff predictions.

Tennessee Volunteers head coach Josh Heupel watches the game in the first half at Ohio Stadium on Saturday, Dec. 21, 2024 in Columbus, Ohio. | Samantha Madar/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Tennessee Volunteers, fresh off their first appearance in the expanded 12-team College Football Playoff in 2024, were noticeably absent from ESPN’s latest way-too-early playoff projections for the 2025 season.

Despite returning a strong nucleus of talent, analyst Bill Connelly didn’t see the Volunteers among the top contenders to secure one of the 12 coveted postseason spots.

This omission may feel familiar to Tennessee fans, who watched their team defy expectations last season. The Volunteers weren’t widely predicted to make the playoffs in 2024, yet they managed to secure the ninth seed. Although their postseason run ended with a first-round loss to Ohio State, the program took a significant step forward under head coach Josh Heupel. Tennessee proved they could compete at the highest level.

For 2025, Connelly’s projections list four SEC teams—Texas, Georgia, LSU, and South Carolina—but exclude the Volunteers. Texas is slated as the two-seed and SEC Champion, with Georgia (seven-seed), LSU (nine-seed), and South Carolina (10-seed) rounding out the conference’s representatives.

Meanwhile, Tennessee, which faces questions about key offensive departures, isn’t even mentioned in the discussion.

On defense, the Volunteers will return a solid core, but the departure of edge rusher James Pearce Jr. looms large. Pearce was a game-changer in 2024, and replacing his production will be critical. Tennessee also faces a daunting schedule, including matchups against Georgia at home and Alabama and Florida on the road.

Still, writing off Tennessee this early could prove to be a mistake. Quarterback Nico Iamaleava continues to develop into one of the SEC’s top signal-callers, and Tennessee’s staff has shown a knack for getting the most out of their roster.

Tennessee quarterback Nico Iamaleava (8) throws under pressure from Vanderbilt linebacker Bryan Longwell (4) during the second quarter at FirstBank Stadium in Nashville, Tenn., Saturday, Nov. 30, 2024. | Stephanie Amador / The Tennessean / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Volunteers have also proven that they can handle adversity. Losing Dylan Sampson and several other stars certainly stings, but Heupel’s up-tempo offensive system has consistently produced elite numbers, regardless of personnel changes. And let’s not forget Tennessee’s commitment to building a strong defense, which could take another step forward next season.

If 2024 taught us anything, it’s that the Vols thrive as underdogs. Tennessee wasn’t on many preseason playoff radars last year, yet they broke through anyway. The 2025 season could follow a similar script, with the Volunteers once again proving doubters wrong.

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