Former College Football Playoff Team at Risk of Falling Behind in the SEC

The Tennessee Volunteers looked like a program ready to take the next step and become a consistent contender in the SEC.

After a breakthrough 2024 season that included a College Football Playoff appearance, the trajectory pointed upward. Instead, 2025 brought a reset that raised new questions about the program’s long-term ceiling.

Under Josh Heupel, Tennessee slipped to 8-5 last season, a noticeable drop from its 10-3 campaign the year before. That kind of regression is not catastrophic, but it is enough to shift perception. In the SEC, momentum matters, and losing it can be the difference between contending and falling into the middle tier.

Now, heading into 2026, the uncertainty begins at the most important position on the field. With Joey Aguilar gone, Tennessee is expected to turn to either George MacIntyre or five-star freshman Faizon Brandon. That alone introduces volatility, especially in a system that relies heavily on quarterback decision-making and tempo.

But the bigger issue may not be the quarterback. It may be the system itself.

Tennessee head coach Josh Heupel during the Orange and White game. | Caitie McMekin/News Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Heupel’s offense once felt revolutionary in the SEC. The up-tempo, spread attack overwhelmed defenses that were not built to handle that kind of pace. It created mismatches, forced communication breakdowns and allowed Tennessee to dictate the terms of the game. That advantage is shrinking.

As USA Today's Blake Toppmeyer pointed out on "The Paul Finebaum Show," the scheme has lost its element of surprise.

"My question is how well will that work now that a number of teams run that system in the SEC?" Toppmeyer said. "You know, whenever Tennessee brought Josh Heupel and Alex Golesh as his OC into that program, there weren't a lot of SEC teams running that spread uptempo system... It lost some of the novelty. Defenses will be prepared for it."

That is the reality facing Tennessee. What was once an edge is now common practice. Defenses have adapted, and defensive coordinators have spent years studying how to slow down tempo-based attacks.

That means the offense can no longer rely on confusion alone to create production. This is where great coaches separate themselves.

When a system gets figured out, evolution becomes necessary. The best offensive minds adjust, adding wrinkles, changing tendencies and finding new ways to stress defenses. The ones who do not adapt get left behind. Right now, Heupel is at that crossroads.

The offense still has value. Tempo can still create pressure, and talent can still win matchups. But it will not be as easy as it once was.

Defenses are more disciplined, more prepared and more comfortable facing this style of play. That puts more pressure on execution and decision-making, especially at quarterback.

If Tennessee can evolve offensively while stabilizing the quarterback position, it has enough talent to return to contention. If not, it risks becoming predictable, and in the SEC, predictable teams do not stay relevant for long.

That is the challenge for 2026. Adapt or fall behind.

Add us as a preferred source on Google