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Tennessee football falls slightly in Week 2 SEC Power Rankings

By Caleb Calhoun

Tennessee defensive back Doneiko Slaughter (3) celebrates with a coach during an NCAA college football game between the Tennessee Volunteers and Pittsburgh Panthers in Knoxville, Tenn. on Saturday, September 11, 2021.Utvpitt0911 2095
Tennessee defensive back Doneiko Slaughter (3) celebrates with a coach during an NCAA college football game between the Tennessee Volunteers and Pittsburgh Panthers in Knoxville, Tenn. on Saturday, September 11, 2021.Utvpitt0911 2095 /
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Sep 11, 2021; Starkville, Mississippi, USA; Mississippi State Bulldogs wide receiver Makai Polk (10) misses a pass in the end zone during the fourth quarter against North Carolina State Wolfpack at Davis Wade Stadium at Scott Field. Mandatory Credit: Matt Bush-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 11, 2021; Starkville, Mississippi, USA; Mississippi State Bulldogs wide receiver Makai Polk (10) misses a pass in the end zone during the fourth quarter against North Carolina State Wolfpack at Davis Wade Stadium at Scott Field. Mandatory Credit: Matt Bush-USA TODAY Sports /

. 2-0. Previous: . Bulldogs . 6. team. 893

Last week: Defeated N.C. State Wolfpack 24-10

Remember what we said last week? Mike Leach programs are hot and cold from week to week. They may struggle to put the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs one week, but they’ll score a huge victory over a Power Five team the next week. The Mississippi State Bulldogs did that last Saturday, and now it looks like Tennessee football should have hired him back in 2017 again.

This is not a bad N.C. State Wolfpack team MSU defeated. Dave Doeren, another coach Tennessee football almost hired, is running a solid program down there, and Leach’s team had complete control of the game. It was 24-3 until the final minute of the fourth quarter.

At this point, MSU is one of six SEC teams who are 2-0 with two wins against FBS schools, and it’s one of four SEC teams who are 2-0 with wins against Power Five schools. Struggling with Louisiana Tech is still enough to keep them down here, but they’ll have plenty more chances to prove the next step they’ve taken under Leach.

That starts this week with a tough test against one of the best Group of Five programs in college football. MSU will visit the Memphis Tigers. Then they have a chance to knock the LSU Tigers out the next week. These are two winnable games, meaning they’ll play wildly different in each of them. That’s how they operate.

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