The countdown is officially on for the 2025 season to get here. The Tennessee Vols posted a 10-win campaign in 2024, finishing at No. 9 in the final AP Top 25 poll of the year. Yup, 2024 was no question something for Josh Heupel and Co. to build off of.
While the calendar may read January, a lot of UT fans have shifted their focus to late August, as the Vols will be facing Syracuse to begin the journey of returning to the College Football Playoff for the second winter in a row. For that game with the Orange in Week 1, Tennessee will have a ton of confidence knowing the Vegas oddsmakers already have the SEC side as heavy favorites:
Tennessee has opened as a 13.5-point favorite against Syracuse in the 2025 season opener
There are going to be plenty of new faces for the Vols in 2025, but there’s still an unreal amount of talent returning for this squad. The list of course includes quarterback Nico Iamaleava, who is hoping to keep improving from what was a tremendous first season as the starting QB.
The recent addition of Star Thomas at running back is 100 percent going to help the loss of SEC Offensive Player of the Year Dylan Sampson, who is off to the NFL. While Jermod McCoy suffered a torn ACL during an offseason workout back home in Texas, the hope is he’ll be back on the field towards the start of the campaign and he won’t miss too much action.
Heupel is building something special in Knoxville and people are excited about what’s to come for the program as a whole. Syracuse finished with an impressive run in 2024, but quarterback Kyle McCord, who led the NCAA in passing yards, is off to the NFL too. Because of this, it’s no surprise at all that Tennessee is so heavily favored for that upcoming matchup, which will take place in Atlanta.
