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Ranking Tennessee football’s six seasons that began on Sept. 26

By Caleb Calhoun

KNOXVILLE, TENNESSEE - OCTOBER 05: A Tennessee Volunteers megaphone sits on the sideline during the game against the Georgia Bulldogs at Neyland Stadium on October 05, 2019 in Knoxville, Tennessee. (Photo by Silas Walker/Getty Images)
KNOXVILLE, TENNESSEE - OCTOBER 05: A Tennessee Volunteers megaphone sits on the sideline during the game against the Georgia Bulldogs at Neyland Stadium on October 05, 2019 in Knoxville, Tennessee. (Photo by Silas Walker/Getty Images) /
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Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images
Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images /

6. 1953: 6-4-1 (3-2-1)

Head coach: Harvey Robinson

This was a unique year for Tennessee football. The Vols were two years removed from their first consensus national championship, but it was also their first year in the post-Robert Neyland era. Neyland retired at the end of the 1952 season and became athletic director, naming Harvey Robinson, an assistant of his throughout his entire third stint, as his successor.

On top of that, the Vols were adding a new live mascot. It was the first year that Smokey would be on the sidelines during games. All of this led to a good bit of excitement surrounding a new era, and UT started the season ranked No. 17, coming off an 8-2-1 season in 1952. Nobody expected much of a drop-off.

Well, the drop-off happened. On Sept. 26 this year, Rocky Top suffered a 26-0 blowout loss in its season-opener to the Mississippi State Maroons. That set the tone for what would be a disastrous start overall, as they lost the next week to the Duke Blue Devils 21-7. Although they rebounded to beat Chattanooga, they then tied the Alabama Crimson Tide to fall to 1-2-1.

That Sept. 26 game set a bad tone. However, the Vols rebounded and won four straight over the Louisville Cardinals, North Carolina Tar Heels, LSU Tigers and Florida Gators to get back into the top 25 at No. 18.

It didn’t last, as they fell the next week to the Kentucky Wildcats. Following a win over the Vanderbilt Commodores, they lost to the Houston Cougars to finish 6-4-1. This was a sign of things to come, as the Vols would fall to 4-6 the next year, forcing Neyland to fire Robinson.

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