Tennessee football: Vols continue slide in SEC Power Rankings after Week 8

Tennessee wide receiver Velus Jones Jr. (1) runs the ball during the Alabama and Tennessee football game at Neyland Stadium at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville, Tenn., on Saturday, Oct. 24, 2020.Tennessee Vs Alabama Football 100315
Tennessee wide receiver Velus Jones Jr. (1) runs the ball during the Alabama and Tennessee football game at Neyland Stadium at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville, Tenn., on Saturday, Oct. 24, 2020.Tennessee Vs Alabama Football 100315
13 of 15
Oct 17, 2020; Tuscaloosa, Alabama, USA; Georgia running back Zamir White (3) celebrates his touchdown with teammates after scoring in the first quarter against Alabama during the first quarter at Bryant-Denny Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Gary Cosby Jr/The Tuscaloosa News via USA TODAY Sports
Oct 17, 2020; Tuscaloosa, Alabama, USA; Georgia running back Zamir White (3) celebrates his touchdown with teammates after scoring in the first quarter against Alabama during the first quarter at Bryant-Denny Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Gary Cosby Jr/The Tuscaloosa News via USA TODAY Sports

Did not play

A much-needed bye came for Kirby Smart’s team. After blowing out the Auburn Tigers and Tennessee football, we had every reason to believe the Georgia Bulldogs may be the best team in the SEC. However, Auburn is barely getting by on a week to week basis and could be three bad calls away from an 0-5 record, so that win doesn’t look as good.

Meanwhile, the Vols have lost two straight after losing to UGA, including a 34-7 loss to the Kentucky Wildcats. Simply put, the Dawgs’ 3-0 start doesn’t look as impressive anymore. In fact, dominating the Arkansas Razorbacks in the second half of their opener may be the most impressive thing they did. People were worried about UGA because of that game for a while.

That loss to the Alabama Crimson Tide, though, was devastating. Stetson Bennett being a turnover machine was bad enough, but the secondary getting torched was even worse. That was supposed to be the bet unit on the team, and it looked disastrous. As a result, Smart and his staff needed to spend this off-week shoring up those issues.

We’ll know if Bennett’s turnover issues were fixed this week when UGA faces a Kentucky Wildcats team famous for coming away with interceptions. The next week, the Dawgs have their most important game against the Florida Gators. If they can manage to get past the next two weeks, the loss to Alabama will then have been meaningless. That’s the good news for them.