Tennessee football is shifting its mindset following the release of the initial College Football Playoff rankings.
Coming in at No. 25, the Vols’ playoff hopes are all but gone.
With three games left in the regular season, Tennessee is focused on finishing strong and positioning itself for bowl season. The Vols are the only three-loss team currently ranked in both the CFP and AP Top 25.
If Tennessee can handle its final two conference matchups, it could strengthen its bowl outlook.
The Vols still have one ranked opponent left in No. 16 Vanderbilt, giving them a final chance to secure a ranked win before the regular season ends.
Current bowl projections have Tennessee headed to the ReliaQuest Bowl in Tampa, Florida, where they could face Illinois if the postseason started today.
Others at ESPN, have Tennessee headed to the Duke’s Mayo Bowl in Charlotte, North Carolina.
Despite the disappointment, head coach Josh Heupel said his team remains locked in.
“As a competitor in this game, at times, there’s going to be a result that you don’t like. Welcome to competing. If I had my wish, after that one, you’d play right away and move on to the next one,” Heupel said.
Players echoed their coach’s message, emphasizing their commitment to staying focused.
“Each week, you just want to go out there and play your best regardless if you are going to make the playoffs or not,” said Colton Hood. “We just want to go be the best version of ourselves.”
Junior linebacker Jalen Murray said the team remains grateful and determined to improve.
“We are blessed to be able to come out here to play. Every day, take advantage of the opportunity to play for Tennessee,” Murray said. “We get to play the game that we all grew up playing. Definitely anxious to get back out on the field, but we are taking this week to really focus on ourselves and the details.”
Quarterback Joey Aguilar shared the same mindset.
“Just keep fighting,” Aguilar said after the Oklahoma game. “We’re blessed to have three more games, and just got to take it week by week. College football’s crazy. But our next focus is our next opponent.”
That mentality carried into Tennessee’s second bye week, where the Vols focused on correcting mistakes and resetting for the final stretch.
“Don’t expect this team to do anything other than compete as we continue to finish this one up,” Heupel said.
The Vols’ playoff dreams may be out of reach, but their message remains unchanged: the fight isn’t over yet.
