5. 1944: 7-1-1 (5-0-1)
Rose Bowl; No. 12 AP
Coming off John Barnhill’s first bowl game
The period between Robert Neyland’s first and second stints lasted only one year, in 1935, and W.H. Britton coached Tennessee football to a losing record then. John Barnhill had way more pressure, as he was taking over Neyland between his second and third stints, and Neyland finished his second stint with the greatest three-year run in school history.
That run included two national championships, three straight SEC Championships and three straight undefeated regular seasons from 1938 to 1940. Barnhill did go 8-2 and finish No. 18 in 1941 with no bowl, and then he impressively went 9-1-1 with a Sugar Bowl win and No. 7 ranked finish in 1942. The Vols didn’t field a team in 1943 due to World War II.
As a result, we come to 1944, Barnhill’s first year after his first bowl game. Well, he didn’t disappoint. Coming back from the war, Rocky Top went 7-1-1 and 5-0-1 in the SEC. They actually went 7-0-1 in the regular season, only tying the Alabama Crimson Tide, which is why the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets won the title at 4-0.
UT then got another shot at the USC Trojans in the Rose Bowl, but they couldn’t avenge the end of the 1939 season, as they lost this one 25-0. However, they still finished No. 12, and Barnhill proved he could keep the program afloat in Neyland’s absence, going 8-1 in 1945 before Neyland returned in 1946.