SEC Power Rankings following Week 11 of 2019: Vols still top half

It’s already over for Chad Morris. And quite frankly, it had to be. Although coaches should usually get three years to build a program, Morris’s program was getting progressively worse into his second year. A 45-19 loss to the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers had to be the final straw, as this team looks to be in much worse shape than it did even at the beginning of the year.

John Chavis’s defense has simply not gotten the job done, and although they ran the ball nicely against Western Kentucky, there’s not much you can say about a 26-point home loss to a Group of Five program. The bottom has fallen out on this team, and they still haven’t won an SEC game in the Morris era.

So these guys clearly belong at the bottom of our SEC Power Rankings. The only question now is if interim head coach Barry Lunney Jr., who was promoted after just being the tight ends head coach, will be able to instill any new levels of energy into the program. It didn’t work for Brady Hoke on Rocky Top a few years ago.

The Hogs at least have a bye week with Lunney before their final two games. However, one is a certain loss since it’s on the road against the LSU Tigers. Their best chance for improvement over last year is their final game, at home against the next team on this list.