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Tennessee football: Vols 10 greatest seasons without top 25 finish

By Caleb Calhoun

JACKSONVILLE, FL - JANUARY 02: Eric Gray #3 of the Tennessee Volunteers celebrates after a 16-yard touchdown run to give his team the lead in the fourth quarter of the TaxSlayer Gator Bowl against the Indiana Hoosiers at TIAA Bank Field on January 2, 2020 in Jacksonville, Florida. Tennessee defeated Indiana 23-22. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images)
JACKSONVILLE, FL - JANUARY 02: Eric Gray #3 of the Tennessee Volunteers celebrates after a 16-yard touchdown run to give his team the lead in the fourth quarter of the TaxSlayer Gator Bowl against the Indiana Hoosiers at TIAA Bank Field on January 2, 2020 in Jacksonville, Florida. Tennessee defeated Indiana 23-22. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images) /
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Photo by Doug Pensinger/Getty Images
Photo by Doug Pensinger/Getty Images /

1. 1983

9-3 (4-2)

W Citrus Bowl

One player was the headliner of this team: Reggie White. It’s also the one team that had no business not finishing in the top 25, as every other Tennessee football team with nine wins since 1936 has managed to do so.

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Anyway, to this point, Johnny Majors’ rebuild on Rocky Top was done in steps. There was the first bowl game in 1979, the first bowl win in 1981, and the first win over the Alabama Crimson Tide in 1982. This team would be the best team Majors coached in the early 1980s, though. It was another rocky start, as the Vols fell to 1-2 with losses to the Pitt panthers and Auburn Tigers.

However, they then regrouped and won five straight. Included in those wins was a historic performance against the LSU Tigers with six solo tackles, three tackles for a loss and a sack. He did that as a defensive tackle against an NFL offensive line double and triple-teaming him. Oh, they also beat the No. 11 ranked Alabama Crimson Tide a week later.

There was one heartbreaker late, as they fell at home 13-10 to the Ole Miss Rebels. However, they regrouped and won their final three games, highlighted by a thrilling 30-23 win in the Citrus Bowl over the No. 16 ranked Maryland Terrapins. With that victory, they finished 9-3 and had two top 25 wins under the belt. Oh, and White became an All-American with a school-record 15 sacks.

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Somehow, though, 8-4 Alabama finished in the top 25, ranked all the way up at No. 12, ahead of Tennessee football. The Vols beat Alabama and had one more win, so it made no sense. That highway robbery is why this team tops our list. They shouldn’t, though, as they actually should have finished ranked.

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