It’s been a banner year for Tennessee athletics, with both the Volunteers men’s basketball team and football team having success.
The Vols football team won 10 games in the 2024 season and was the No. 9 seed in the first-ever 12-team College Football Playoff.
The Vols lost in round one to the eventual national title winners, the Ohio State Buckeyes, but overall, they had a fantastic season. While the football season ended in a letdown for Tennessee fans, they turned their attention to the hoops team, where the Vols are seeing similar success.
Tennessee Makes the College Football Playoff and Sweet 16
With Tennessee’s round-of-32 victory over the UCLA Bruins, the Vols became the only team in 2025 to make the college football playoff and Sweet 16. While this isn’t the first time this has been done, with the Alabama Crimson Tide doing it most recently in 2024, it’s still a major feat.
The Vols have had an up-and-down history in college athletics, sometimes being at the top of the field in basketball and football and sometimes struggling to compete in both. So, for them to be a serious contender is something that Vols fans can get excited about.
Tennessee is the ONLY school to make the Sweet 16 of the Men’s NCAA Tournament AND the College Football Playoff 🔥🟠 pic.twitter.com/kM80Jr2Oi3
— Yahoo Sports (@YahooSports) March 24, 2025
While this is a huge accomplishment, the Vols have not won a national title in men’s basketball and have not won a college football national championship since 1998.
So even though this shows a trend upward for Tennessee, for fans to actually be satisfied, they have to get over the hump.
Can Tennessee Win March Madness This Year?
There is no question that the Tennessee men’s basketball team has a shot at the national championship this year, but the path to get there is a hard one. As of right now, according to Draftkings, Tennessee has the fifth-best odds of winning the title at +1700.
The Vols have a pretty tough Sweet Sixteen matchup against SEC rival Kentucky Wildcats and would probably have to beat one-seed Houston to advance to the final four.
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From there, the Vols would most likely have to overcome two one-seeds to win it all. Again, it’s not impossible, but it’s very hard.
Even if Tennessee does not win it all this season, having both their football and basketball programs see success is a good sign for the Vols.
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