Tennessee football moves into top 15 of both polls
The Tennessee football Volunteers rose up the AP and Coaches Polls.
Despite all teams re-entering the polls with the Pac-12 setting its schedule over the weekend, Tennessee football continued to rise after its 35-12 win over the Missouri Tigers. You can only deny a 2-0 SEC team on an eight-game winning streak for so long.
Rocky Top jumped seven spots to No. 14 in the AP Poll and eight spots to No. 12 in the USA TODAY Amway Coaches Poll. It’s the highest ranking for UT since Week Seven of the 2016 season, when the Vols were No. 9 in the AP Poll and No. 11 in the Coaches Poll and were 5-1 having just lost to the Texas A&M Aggies in overtime.
Ahead of Tennessee football in the AP Poll but not the Coaches Poll are the Auburn Tigers, who were blown out by the Georgia Bulldogs, and Oregon Ducks, who haven’t played yet. However, the Texas Longhorns, UCF Knights, Texas A&M Aggies, Mississippi State Bulldogs and Oklahoma Sooners all dropped behind them in both polls for losing.
UT also leapfrogged the Wisconsin Badgers, as Big Ten teams had already entered the rankings but haven’t played yet. Finally, they jumped ahead of the LSU Tigers, who were somehow ahead of them last week despite their loss. Perhaps MSU losing hurt LSU’s stock a bit.
Either way, the Vols are a top 15 team in both polls. The Clemson Tigers remain No. 1, and the Alabama Crimson Tide are No. 2. In the AP Poll, the Georgia Bulldogs are No. 3 while the Florida Gators are No. 4, and it’s vice versa in the Coaches Poll.
Next. Five takeaways from Vols' 35-12 win vs. Missouri. dark
Those are the only two SEC teams ahead of the Vols, who travel to Athens, Ga. to face the UGA Dawgs next week. Auburn, LSU and Texas A&M remain the other three SEC teams in the top 25, making for seven overall, and Tennessee football has to face all of them except LSU.