By Mark Nagi
If you’ve read this column over the years, you might remember that this is the week when I make some bold calls as to what 2026 will look like in the world of sports locally, nationally and even internationally. This is important work that I do not take lightly.
Please know that some of these predictions are tongue in cheek, so do not, I repeat DO NOT, go to FanDuel and put the kid’s 529s down on these prognostications.
In January, the College Football Playoff will end with Ohio State defeating Oregon 34-31 to claim its second straight national title. After the game, Urban Meyer showed up and burned a Michigan jersey at midfield for no reason.
In February, the Seattle Seahawks face the New England Patriots in a rematch of Super Bowl 49. The Seahawks have the ball at the Patriots one yard line in the final seconds while trailing by 4 points. Marshawn Lynch comes out of retirement, enters the game but once again is not handed the football. Sam Darnold’s pass is intercepted, sealing the Pats Super Bowl victory. Also in February, sports fans watch the luge and the skeleton events at the Winter Olympics, and then never think about them again until 2030.
In March, Tennessee’s men’s basketball team advances to the Sweet 16, where they are beaten by an Oklahoma State team comprised of 27-year-old NBA veterans. When asked how on earth that is allowed, NCAA officials leave and seek asylum in Cuba. The Lady Vols basketball team also advances as far as the Sweet 16.
In April, some former Tennessee Vols hear their names called early in the NFL Draft. CB Colton Hood is picked in the first round by Buffalo. WR Chris Brazzell is taken in the second round by the NY Jets, prompting his immediate retirement from football. LB Arion Carter is selected in the fourth round by Philadelphia.
In May, Tennessee’s baseball and softball teams are each eliminated in the opening rounds of the SEC tournament, giving them extra time to prepare for the NCAA tournament.
In June, Tennessee’s baseball and softball teams are each eliminated in the opening rounds of the NCAA tournament. Also in June, the Colorado Avalanche win their fourth Stanley Cup while the Denver Nuggets take home their second NBA title.
In July, Tennessee head coach Josh Heupel tells a packed room of reporters at SEC Media Days that the Vols have 40 players on their roster who have never been on an airplane for a Vols road game. Athletic director Danny White, suspicious of such a statement, jumps to the podium and reveals that former Tennessee head coach Butch Jones was wearing a Josh Heupel mask, Scooby-Doo style. Also, SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey announces that the SEC will expand to 24 teams, and each team will be guaranteed a spot in the College Football Playoff.
In August, Tennessee’s Fall practice gets underway. True freshman Faizon Brandon wins the starting QB job. He is also asked to play in the secondary. Tony Vitello is fired as manager of the San Francisco Giants and hired as the new head coach of the Arkansas Razorbacks. (Editor’s note: The writer plans on predicting this each year until it happens… because we all know it is going to eventually happen.)
In September, Tennessee picks up wins against Furman, Georgia Tech and Kennesaw State before welcoming Texas to Neyland Stadium on the 26th. During the week, the term “the real UT” is spoken aloud or written down a million times by the 50,000 reporters who cover the Longhorns and Vols. Arch Manning throws for 5 TDs in a 35-28 Texas victory.
In October, the Vols upset Alabama 24-21 at Neyland Stadium, prompting yet another field storming. Goalposts are thrown off the Gay Street Bridge. The Vols then lose the following week at South Carolina 2-0, prompting Gamecocks head coach Shane Beamer to crowd surf.
In November, Lane Kiffin and the LSU Tigers come to Neyland Stadium. Among the items thrown at Kiffin are frying pans, shovels, monkey wrenches, hockey pucks, batteries, apples, tennis rackets and a copy of “Decade of Dysfunction,” which you can pick up on Amazon. LSU wins 3-0 and Kiffin is helicoptered to safety.
In December, Vandy QB Diego Pavia, given another year of NCAA eligibility, is once again a Heisman Trophy finalist. Pavia says if he isn’t given the Heisman, he is going to leave the country. Pavia is immediately taken to New York Harbor and put onto a steamship heading for Papua, New Guinea.
