AP Top 25 Released; Reinforces Vols Tough Schedule
By Zach Ragan
Nov 10, 2012; Knoxville, TN, USA; Members of the Tennessee Volunteers marching band performs on the field prior to the game against the Missouri Tigers at Neyland Stadium. Missouri defeated Tennessee 51-48 in quadruple overtime. Mandatory Credit: Jim Brown-USA TODAY Sports
The Vols were left out the pre-season AP Top 25 once again, but many of their 2013 opponents weren’t.
Tennessee will play four of the top six teams and five of the top ten teams in 2013. All but one of those teams (Oregon) is an SEC opponent. The Vols also play Vanderbilt, who although unranked, did receive 19 votes.
The SEC has six schools ranked in all.
Here’s the full top 25, with first place votes.
- Alabama (58)
- Ohio State (1)
- Oregon
- Stanford
- Georgia (1)
- South Carolina
- Texas A&M
- Clemson
- Louisville
- Florida
- Florida State
- LSU
- Oklahoma State
- Notre Dame
- Texas
- Oklahoma
- Michigan
- Nebraska
- Boise State
- TCU
- UCLA
- Northwestern
- Wisconsin
- USC
- Oregon State
Tennessee has not been ranked in the preseason AP Top 25 since 2008 when Phillip Fulmer was the Vols head coach. The Volunteers started that season ranked 18th.
The Vols opened that season with an overtime loss at UCLA. The season was perhaps best summarized by an embarrassing 13-7 loss at home to Wyoming. Fulmer stepped down as head coach after the season.
The Vols have not been a part of the top 25 since week three of the 2012 season, when they were ranked 23rd. They dropped out of the rankings a week later after a loss at home to the Florida Gators.
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