ESPN released its Football Power Index rankings for the 2023 college football season on Tuesday, and the Tennessee Volunteers come in at No. 12. They are the fourth-highest ranked SEC team, behind Alabama, Georgia, and LSU.
The FPI predicts that the Vols will finish the season 8-4 and gives them a 98.1% chance to win at least six games. They have a 5.4% chance to win the SEC East, a 1.2% chance to win the SEC, and a 2.5% chance to make the College Football Playoff. There’s an 0.7% chance to make the national championship game and an 0.2% chance to win the title.
Ohio State is the team ranked No. 1 in the FPI, followed by Alabama, Georgia, LSU, and Texas. Other SEC teams in the rankings include Ole Miss at No. 16, Florida at No. 18, and Texas A&M at No. 19.
Tennessee finished fifth in the FPI in 2022 after going 11-2 and winning the Orange Bowl over Clemson. They started the season 8-0 before losses at Georgia and South Carolina. It was the Volunteers’ first 11-win season since 2001 and the program’s first 10-win regular season since 2003.
With a new quarterback stepping in for 2023, the Vols will rely on head coach Josh Heupel’s uptempo offense. Last season, the Vols led college football in scoring, averaging 46.1 points per game.
Tennessee opens the 2023 season on September 2 against Virginia at Nissan Stadium in Nashville. They open the home schedule at Neyland Stadium on September 9 against Austin Peay and go on the road to open the SEC schedule at Florida on September 16. The Vols host UTSA on September 30 and opens its SEC home schedule against South Carolina on September 30. Tennessee faces Texas A&M in Knoxville on October 14 and plays back-to-back road games at Alabama on October 21 and Kentucky on October 28.
They play UConn at home on November 4, go to Missouri on November 11, host Georgia on November 18, before closing the regular-season schedule against Vanderbilt on November 25.
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