1996 Tennessee Volunteers football team

1996 Tennessee Volunteers football
Florida Citrus Bowl champion
ConferenceSoutheastern Conference
DivisionEastern Division
Ranking
CoachesNo. 9
APNo. 9
Record10–2 (7–1 SEC)
Head coach
Offensive coordinatorDavid Cutcliffe (4th season)
Offensive schemePro-style
Defensive coordinatorJohn Chavis (2nd season)
Base defenseMultiple 4–3
Captains
Home stadiumNeyland Stadium
Seasons
← 1995
1997 →
1996 Southeastern Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team   W   L     W   L  
Eastern Division
No. 1 Florida x$   8 0     12 1  
No. 9 Tennessee   7 1     10 2  
South Carolina   4 4     6 5  
Kentucky   3 5     4 7  
Georgia   3 5     5 6  
Vanderbilt   0 8     2 9  
Western Division
No. 11 Alabama xy   6 2     10 3  
No. 12 LSU x   6 2     10 2  
No. 24 Auburn   4 4     8 4  
Mississippi State   3 5     5 6  
Ole Miss   2 6     5 6  
Arkansas   2 6     4 7  
Championship: Florida 45, Alabama 30
  • $ – Conference champion
  • x – Division champion/co-champions
  • y – Championship game participant
Rankings from AP Poll

The 1996 Tennessee Volunteers football team represented the University of Tennessee in the 1996 NCAA Division I-A football season. The offense scored 437 points and the defense allowed only 185 points. Quarterback Peyton Manning was in his junior year and head coach Phillip Fulmer was in his fifth year. This was the first season that Tennessee had ever lost to the cross-state University of Memphis Tigers.