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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 Jamie Squire/Getty Images
Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images /

3. 1942: 9-1-1 (4-1); W Sugar Bowl; No. 7 AP

Head coach: John Barnhill

Two years after Robert Neyland’s second stint had ended, Tennessee football was still continuing the success he had left under John Barnhill, unlike what they did in 1935 after his first stint. They had gone 8-2 and finished No. 18 in the nation in 1942 and were hoping to get back to an elite bowl game in 1942, the year before they would cancel their season due to World War II.

The Sept. 26 game made for a rough start, though, as they had a scoreless tie with the South Carolina Gamecocks in the opener. South Carolina would go 1-7-1 that year, so it was a bad tie. After beating Fordham and Dayton, the Vols then lost to the Alabama Crimson Tide, falling to 2-1-1 on the season with no impressive wins.

However, after that point, they got on a roll. They got one more easy win over Furman, but then they beat the No. 19 ranked LSU Tigers in a 26-0 shutout. Following that, they scored wins over the Cincinnati Bearcats, Ole Miss Rebels, Kentucky Wildcats and Vanderbilt Commodores to finish the regular season ranked No. 7.

UT then returned to the Sugar Bowl for the second time in three years and faced the No. 4 ranked and 10-0 Tulsa Golden Hurricane. Well, in their tradition of gigantic upsets and hugely memorable wins on seasons that start Sept. 26, they beat Tulsa 14-7. It was their first Sugar Bowl win in school history.

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