BetOnline sets Tennessee football's championship odds for 2024
Tennessee Football Josh Heupel, Nico Iamaleava & James Pearce Talk Citrus Bowl Win
BetOnline has Tennessee football at 25/1 to win the 2025 College Football National Championship, according to odds released on Wednesday. Only nine teams, including five Southeastern Conference teams, had the same odds or better odds than the Vols.
Tennessee was tied with Penn State at 25/1. Georgia topped the list at 5/1, ahead of Alabama (11/2), Ohio State (7/1), Texas (9/1), Michigan (10/1), LSU (12/1), Oregon (12/1), Ole Miss (14/1) and Florida State (18/1).
Division I college football next season shifts to a 12-team College Football Playoff field.
The Vols on Monday finished a nine-win season with a 35-0 win over Iowa in the Cheez-It Citrus Bowl at Camping World Stadium in Orlando. Tennessee’s 20 wins over the last two seasons — 11-2 in 2022 and 9-4 this season — are the most for the Vols in back-to-back season since 2003 and 2004, with 20 total and 10 wins in each season.
‘I think it speaks to the future being extremely bright’
“I think it speaks to the culture that we have inside of our building, our locker room,” Tennessee coach JoshHeupel said during his postgame press conference after the bowl win. “It speaks to the type of competitors that we have that buckle their chinstraps that wear a Power T on the side of their helmet.
“You look at the young guys that got so many meaningful snaps, I think it speaks to the future being extremely bright.”
The most meaningful snaps were those of five-star freshman quarterback NicoIamaleava, who was making his first career start after redshirt senior Joe Milton III opted out and declared for the 2024 NFL Draft.
Iamaleava had 178 total yards and four total touchdowns, completing 12 of 19 passes for 151 yards and one passing touchdown and rushing 15 times for 27 yards and three rushing touchdowns.
“I believe he is going to be a great, dynamic playmaker,” Heupel said of Iamaleava. “I thought he handled himself composed all day long. Subtle things of breaking the huddle, communication inside of the huddle, controlling the run game, his eyes were in the right place.
“Great to see a young guy go out and perform in that way in his first career start. There are a lot of things that Nico can continue to grow and will continue to grow in.”
Tennessee has six super senior returning, four transfer portal additions
Six super seniors have announced their return to Tennessee for the 2024 season: Offensive lineman JohnCampbell, linebacker KeenanPili, defensive tackle OmariThomas, offensive linemen CooperMays and GeraldMincey and wide receiver BruMcCoy.
The Vols have added four players out of the NCAA Transfer Portal: Tulane wide receiver ChrisBrazzell, Notre Dame tight end HoldenStaes, Oregon State defensive back JermodMcCoy and MTSU defensive back JakobeThomas.
Tennessee opens the 2024 season at home against Chattanooga on August 31 at Neyland Stadium. The Vols play North Carolina State in a neutral-site game in Charlotte on September 7, host Kent State on September 14 and go to Oklahoma to open SEC play on September 21, as the Sooners make their debut in the league.
Florida and Alabama come to Knoxville in back-to-back weeks in October and Tennessee goes to Georgia in November.
“There are a lot of things that we’re going to need to reset and grow from when they come back in January,” Heupel said on Monday. “Every season starts over. But it’s a group that I love being around, and if we can continue to be great teammates that care about the people around us more than we care about ourselves; if we can pour into each other compete extremely hard every single day, while having as much fun as we possibly can, the future is extremely bright.
“The challenge is great. The standard is to win championships at Tennessee. Nobody shies away from that. We have to continue to grow to put ourselves in a position to go do that.”
