Tennessee is back to playing meaningful games with postseason implications under Josh Heupel.
The Vols won 11 games last season, ending losing streaks against Florida and Alabama while beating LSU on the road and Clemson in the Orange Bowl.
The days of Tennessee hoping to escape matchups against SEC powers with some dignity are behind it. Now the Vols feel like they belong in games that decide division titles or playoff spots.
Tennessee's late November clash with Georgia could decide Eastern Division, just like it did last season and the Vols should have plenty of confidence, too when they roll into Tuscaloosa on Oct. 21 to face Alabama and try and beat the Crimson Tide in back-to-back games for the first time since 2003-04.
Tennessee doesn't have to beat Alabama to keep its hopes of an SEC Championship Game berth, but there are games the Vols can't afford to overlook if it wants to head into November with its goals intact.
Here's a look at three critical games on the 2023 schedule.
FLORIDA
When: Sept. 16
Where: Ben Hill Griffin Stadium | Gainesville, Florida
Last time: Tennessee 38, Florida 33
Tennessee snapped a five-game losing skid against Florida at Neyland Stadium last season and began its march back to college football relevancy by knocking off the Gators for just the second time in 18 tries.
The Tennessee-Florida game is always big, despite it losing much of the luster that made it one the premiere rivalries that decided the SEC East in the decade of the 1990s, but for the Vols, it will be another early-season test that could set the tone for the rest of the season.
Tennessee hasn't won in Gainesville since 2003, falling 38-14 in its last visit in Heupel's first season in 2021 but the Vols will likely be favored this time around. Even with Florida's recent struggles–coming off of back-to-back losing seasons–don't expect this one to be overlooked with South Carolina looming two weeks later.
TEXAS A&M
When: Oct. 14
Where: Neyland Stadium | Knoxville, Tennessee
Last Time: Texas A&M 34, Tennessee 13
The last time Tennessee and Texas A&M played in Knoxville, news broke just before kickoff that then-head coach Jeremy Pruitt had committed recruiting violations. The Vols lost handedly to fall to 3-7 and Pruitt was fired two weeks later.
A lot has changed over the last three seasons. Tennessee is a legitimate contender and the Aggies may be questioning their $10 million investment in head coach Jimbo Fisher as he enters his sixth season in College Station.
Texas A&M took Alabama to the wire and upset LSU last season but missed out on a bowl game with a 5-7 record. Fisher signed a top 15 recruiting class and is expected to improve in 2023.
The game is sandwiched between a bye week and the Alabama game. It will also be Tennessee's first time back on the field after playing South Carolina–the team that ended the Vols' playoff hopes last season.
KENTUCKY
When: Oct. 28
Where: Kroger Field | Lexington, Kentucky
Last Time: Tennessee 44, Kentucky 6
Tennessee further asserted its dominance over Kentucky with a convincing 44-6 win at Neyland Stadium last fall, but beating the Wildcats on their home turf hasn't been easy.
The Vols needed a goal line stand to hold off Kentucky in 2019 and ended up on the winning end of a 45-42 shootout in 2021. The Wildcats made some offseason moves in the transfer portal, adding former NC State quarterback Devin Leary and Vanderbilt running back Ray Davis.
Tennessee plays Kentucky the week after facing Alabama and regardless of how that game goes, the Vols can't be hungover going back to Lexington where the margin for error has been razor thin as of late.
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