Tennessee football: 3 takeaways from Vols No. 25 ranking in 2017 preseason AP Top 25 Poll

Tennessee football came in at No. 25 in the 2017 Associated Press preseason Top 25. Here are three takeaways from the Volunteers’ ranking.

Must Read: 10 players Vols can least afford to lose for 2017

Two weeks ago, Tennessee football came in at No. 24 in the preseason Coaches Poll. In response, our three takeaways noted the mystery surrounding the program, the schedule for the Vols, and the state of where they are under Butch Jones.

Now, the Vols are one spot lower in the 2017 Preseason AP Poll at No. 25.

Given the fact that they are once again the sixth highest-ranked SEC team, it’s pretty clear there’s a solid consensus as to where they belong in the conference. And there’s a decent consensus as to where they belong nationally.

So our takeaways with this poll are largely similar to the ones from the Coaches Poll. But there are a few more things to gather from it.

After all, Tennessee football’s been No. 25 in the preseason AP Poll before. That happened just two years ago. You can check out this article by Mike Griffith of SEC Country documenting their history of preseason and final rankings in the AP Poll since 1970.

But here is what we gathered from the 2017 Tennessee football AP Poll ranking.

1. Name is carrying the Vols to a degree 

While Tennessee football probably does belong in the Top 25, it’s hard to understand how they could be ahead of the Texas A&M Aggies so significantly. Kevin Sumlin’s team beat the Vols last year, plays in a tougher division, and had a nearly similar record.

So how could they only get three votes, the same as the Kentucky Wildcats, while the Vols are No. 25? The only way to explain it is name brand. Sumlin has received lots more offseason criticism than even Butch Jones. And people just expect more from Tennessee as and SEC team. But if you actually break down the success of the coaches and their rosters, the Vols have no business being so clear-cut as the sixth highest-ranked SEC team. But it does bring up something else.

2. The SEC East has just as much respect as the SEC West this year from the AP Poll

Tennessee football came in at No. 25 in the AP Poll while the Florida Gators and Georgia Bulldogs were once again in the Top 20. That makes for three teams from the East and three teams from the West in the Top 25. But that’s not all.

In the AP Poll, only one other team from each division has any preseason recognition. We already mentioned Texas A&M. They only have three votes for the Top 25. Well, tied with them are the Kentucky Wildcats, who also have three votes. So that’s three SEC East teams in the Top 25 with a fourth receiving votes and three SEC West teams in the Top 25 with a fourth receiving votes. It kind of shows the narrowing of the gap between the divisions this year from the AP’s perspective. But let’s step outside the conference real quick.

3. Three teams have no business being ahead of the Vols.

The Washington State Cougars finished 8-5 in the Pac-12 North last year and lost to an FCS team. Yet the AP Poll somehow has them one spot ahead of the Vols at No. 24. Meanwhile, the Texas Longhorns have gone 5-7 two years in a row and are somehow ahead of the Vols in both polls while they break in a new coach.

The Virginia Tech Hokies have to replace Jerod Evans and were blown out by the Vols last year, but they still get to be four spots ahead of Tennessee at No. 21. Sorry, but none of these teams being ahead of Tennessee make sense. And for Virginia Tech and Texas to be ahead of them in both polls is ridiculous.

Next: Top 15 Tennessee football 2017 dark horse candidates

As we mentioned with our takeaways from the Coaches Poll, the 2017 Tennessee football season is a complete mystery. And voters on both sides think so. But due to the success of the past two years under Butch Jones, which includes two straight Top 25 finishes, they are back to generating expectations on a regular basis now. And their name alone kept them in both Top 25 rankings. As a result, it’s clear that the program is on better footing than it has been on in years.