Three Star Report

Vols Football

Tennessee last won a football national championship in 1998. The fans have already done their part and the figures are checkable, 27 consecutive Neyland sellouts and an interest list 29,414 names long. What gets measured on this page is the other side of that.

220
rushing yards for DeSean Bishop on 34 carries, with all 3 Tennessee touchdowns
Oct 4

Auburn outgained Tennessee 345 to 323 at Neyland and lost by 10

Auburn outgained Tennessee 345 to 323 at Neyland and lost 24-14. DeSean Bishop ran 34 times for 220 yards and all 3 touchdowns, and the defense took the ball away 3 times.

84.3
PERCENT OF NEYLAND FILLED IN 2021, THE LOW OF 13 SEASONS
Sep 28

Neyland's crowd follows the record more closely than 8 other SEC crowds do

Tennessee filled 91.3 percent of Neyland across its 4 losing seasons since 2012. Florida's announced crowds were 99.9 percent of the Swamp's capacity across its 4. The crowd Tennessee sells out today was earned on the field, and the 2019 and 2021 seasons show what happens when it is not.

29
straight sellouts at Neyland, since September 2022
Sep 25

Neyland has sold out 29 straight games, and Tennessee is 2-2 against the top 10 in them

Neyland has sold out 29 straight games since September 2022, and Tennessee is 2-2 against AP top 10 teams in them. Texas, ranked No. 1, comes Saturday.

3-7
Josh Heupel against AP top 10 teams at Tennessee
Sep 23

Josh Heupel is 3-7 against AP top 10 teams at Tennessee

Josh Heupel is 3-7 against AP top 10 teams at Tennessee and 0-3 against AP No. 1, and Texas, ranked No. 1, plays at Neyland on Saturday.

1,076
national rank of Kevin Roche Jr. in the 2025 recruiting class
Sep 16

The tight end I watched in Atlanta was the 1,076th ranked recruit in his class

Kevin Roche Jr. caught 6 passes for 66 yards against Tennessee at Bobby Dodd Stadium, the most by a Georgia Tech tight end in a game since 2004. He signed as a three star, 1,076th in the country, with 6 FBS offers. The Titans room without Chig Okonkwo is at his pace after 1 game.

92
places between Tennessee's average early opponent and its week 4 opponent
Sep 3

Tennessee plays nobody for three weeks. Then Texas.

Tennessee's first three opponents average 98th in SP+. Its fourth is Texas, 6th. That 92 place step is the second steepest in the SEC.

14th of 16
Tennessee's SEC schedule rank by mean opponent strength
Aug 23

Tennessee's schedule is easy on average and brutal at the top.

Tennessee draws the 14th toughest schedule of 16 SEC teams by average opponent SP+. Four of those opponents project in the national top 13.

44th
Tennessee's defense rank beside a 4th ranked offense
Aug 21

Tennessee has a top 5 offense. Every other team with one has a top 10 defense.

Five teams project a top 5 SP+ offense for 2026. Four of them pair it with a defense ranked 9th or better. Tennessee's defense projects 44th.

40
RANKS BETWEEN TENNESSEE'S OFFENSE AND ITS DEFENSE
Aug 18

Tennessee SP+ 2026: The Widest Offense-Defense Gap in the Top 25

SP+ has Tennessee 14th. The number is two very different teams averaged together.