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All for Tennessee Official Week 8 SEC Power Rankings: Vols Move Up

By Caleb Calhoun

Sep 24, 2016; Knoxville, TN, USA; General view during the first quarter of the game between the Florida Gators and Tennessee Volunteers at Neyland Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Randy Sartin-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 24, 2016; Knoxville, TN, USA; General view during the first quarter of the game between the Florida Gators and Tennessee Volunteers at Neyland Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Randy Sartin-USA TODAY Sports /
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Oct 22, 2016; Lexington, KY, USA; Mississippi State Bulldogs wide receiver Malik Dear (22) and wide receiver Fred Ross (8) celebrate after scoring a touchdown against the Kentucky Wildcats in the first half at Commonwealth Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark Zerof-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 22, 2016; Lexington, KY, USA; Mississippi State Bulldogs wide receiver Malik Dear (22) and wide receiver Fred Ross (8) celebrate after scoring a touchdown against the Kentucky Wildcats in the first half at Commonwealth Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark Zerof-USA TODAY Sports /

Well the wheels have come off of Dan Mullen’s Mississippi State Bulldogs this year as they try to rebuild after the loss of Dak Prescott. And the rebuilding project is not going nearly as well as planned, which is why they continue falling in our SEC Power Rankings.

A close road loss to the Kentucky Wildcats has them now down at No. 11 on our list, as this team is riddled with problems. The defense is a flat-out disaster. After struggling all year, they collapsed against Kentucky and cost the Bulldogs.

Nick Fitzgerald is still the exact type of quarterback Mullen needs to run his system, but right now he looks like all they have. And he’s not good enough yet to mask all of their other problems the way Prescott was the past couple of years.

So Mullen has a lot of work to do. The future is bright for the program still, but they have to adjust to life without the greatest player in their history.

They’ll have a chance to tune up and find some more things out with what should be an easy win against Samford this weekend.

But then the rebuilding gets really tough with a brutal SEC West run to close the season against the Texas A&M Aggies, Alabama Crimson Tide, Arkansas Razorbacks, and Ole Miss Rebels.

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