Tennessee football: Vols five best seasons with third-year head coach

5. Bowden Wyatt

1957: 8-3 (4-3)

No. 13 AP; No. 16 Coaches; W Gator Bowl

This first season came down to two: Either Doug Dickeys third season in 1966 or Bowden Wyatt’s in 1957. Both finished in the top 20, went 8-3 and won the Gator Bowl. Dickey also was building a program at the time, and it would keep rising after 1966, while Wyatt’s would falter and trend downward. So Wyatt’s was actually a bit of a teas.

However, Wyatt’s third team played three ranked teams compared to two that Dickey played, and there was a bit of special historical significance for Wyatt’s season. Those things are why the 1957 season makes it to fifth on the list of Tennessee football’s best seasons for third-year head coaches, albeit ever so slightly.

Wyatt suffered a drop-off, as was expected with the loss of Heisman runner-up Johnny Majors, from the team that had gone 10-1 in 1956 and won the SEC Championship. They opened things up with a 7-0 loss to the Auburn Tigers. After that, though, they reeled off six straight, finishing with a win over the No. 18 ranked Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets.

The Vols then lost two straight, to the No. 8 ranked Ole Miss Rebels and then Kentucky Wildcats. But they still finished 7-3. Then they went to the Gator Bowl and faced the No. 9 ranked Texas A&M Aggies. In Bear Bryant’s final game there, UT forced two turnovers and won 3-0. That was the historical significance.