Robert Neyland served his eighth year as head coach of the Volunteers.
This was the first year that the Vols played in the newly formed Southeastern Conference.
On October 21, Tennessee suffered a 12–6 defeat at Shields–Watkins Field to Alabama, snapping a 55-game winning streak at home that dated back to a win over Emory and Henry on October 3, 1925.
A week earlier, the Volunteers lost to Duke in Durham, North Carolina, 10–2.
It was Tennessee's first defeat since a loss on October 18, 1930, to Alabama.