How Vols’ opponents finished the regular season
Tennessee book-ended its 2023 regular season at Neyland Stadium on Saturday.
The No. 21 Vols routed Vanderbilt 48-24 to finished 8-4 overall and 4-4 in SEC play as they now await their bowl destination in the coming weeks.
For the second-straight season, Tennessee won eight or more game and finished .500 in the conference for a third-straight season, the longest streak since a 16-year stretch between 1989-2004.
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Tennessee did against a schedule that ranked top 50 nationally in strength and included three teams bound for at least New Year's Six bowls and with two still in the College Football Playoff picture.
The Vols' 12 regular season opponents combined to go 81-63 with seven teams finishing with winning records.
Here is a closer look at how the team's on Tennessee's schedule fared in their respective regular seasons.
Virginia
vs. Tennessee: Lost, 49-13
Record: 3-9
The Cavaliers had some highs and lows after dropping their opener to Tennessee at NIssan Stadium in Nashville on Sept. 2. Their triumphs included a win over then-top 10 North Carolina and Duke but Virginia lost close calls against Miami, Louisville and James Madison to finish six games below .500.
Austin Peay
vs. Tennessee: Lost, 30-13
Record: 9-3
The Governors gave Tennessee more of a fight than it expected in week 2 in Knoxville. Following an 0-2 start, Austin Peay finished the regular season undefeated on its way to the FCS playoffs where it lost 24-21 to Chattanooga on Saturday, ending its season.
Florida
vs. Tennessee: Won, 29-16
Record: 5-7
The Gators extended their win streak over Tennessee in Gainesville after the Vols unraveled in the second quarter. It was one of the few bright spots of Florida's season which later included losses to Georgia, Arkansas, LSU, Missouri and Florida State to hand it its third-straight losing season.
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UTSA
vs. Tennessee: Lost, 45-14
Record: 8-4
Before the season began, Tennessee's week 4 game against the Roadrunners was circled as a potential trap game, but the Vols had little trouble. Still, UTSA managed to win its next seven games before falling to Tulane in its final game of the regular season.
South Carolina
vs. Tennessee: Lost, 41-20
Record: 5-7
The Gamecocks knocked Tennessee out of playoff contention last season but the Vols got revenge in the fifth week of the season, using Kamal Hadden's interception return for a touchdown to spark a second half rout. South Carolina's season spiraled from that point, losing five of its last seven games to miss the postseason.
Texas A&M
vs. Tennessee: Lost, 20-13
Record: 7-5
Arguably Tennessee's best win, the Vols leaned on their defense and special teams to beat the Aggies to improve to 5-1 at that point in the season. Texas A&M later fired head coach Jimbo Fisher after six seasons, though it will play in a bowl game. The Aggies also lost one possessions game to Alabama and Ole Miss.
Alabama
vs. Tennessee: Won, 34-20
Record: 10-2
Tennessee led 20-7 at halftime before the Crimson Tide rallied back to scored 27 unanswered in the second half. Alabama lost to Texas in week 2 but closed out the season with 10-straight wins, including a thrilling win over Auburn in the final seconds on Saturday. It will play Georgia in the SEC Championship Game in Atlanta next week.
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Kentucky
vs. Tennessee: Lost, 33-27
Record: 7-5
Tennessee closed out the month of October with a strong showing in Lexington, outlasting the Wildcats despite Devin O'Leary's passing numbers. Kentucky started the season 5-0, including a blowout win over Florida but struggled down the stretch. It ended its regular season with a 38-31 upset of No. 11 Louisville.
UConn
vs. Tennessee: Lost, 59-3
Record: 3-9
The Huskies reached a bowl game in head coach Jim Mora's first season in 2022 but a string of close losses kept them well short of getting back to the postseason. Tennessee had little trouble with UConn earlier this month, but the Huskies lost five game by 10 points or less.
Missouri
vs. Tennessee: Won, 36-7
Record: 10-2
The Tigers were the surprise team in the SEC in head coach Eli Drinkwitz's fourth season. Missouri won 10 games for the first time since 2014 and will play in a New Year's Six Bowl after beating the likes of Kansas State, Kentucky and Tennessee, among others. The Tigers cruised past Arkansas, 48-14 on Friday.
Georgia
vs. Tennessee: Won, 38-10
Record: 12-0
The Bulldogs maybe on their way to a third-straight national title. Georgia finished the regular season unbeaten and met little resistance along the way. Georgia Tech and Missouri gave the Bulldogs its biggest fight, but it wasn’t enough to keep them from extending their win streak to an SEC-record 29 games.
Vanderbilt
vs. Tennessee: Lost, 48-24
Record: 2-10
Clark Lea provided some optimism in the Vanderbilt camp last season when the Commodores finished one game shy of making a bowl game. It was followed by a disastrous season that started 2-0 but finished with nine-straight losses and a winless mark in the SEC at 0-8.
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