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Tennessee football unchanged after bye in Week 9 SEC Power Rankings

By Caleb Calhoun

Tennessee defensive backs Jaylen McCollough (22) Trevon Flowers (1), and and Theo Jackson (26) celebrate Flwoers fumble recovery during the NCAA college football game between Tennessee and Ole Miss in Knoxville, Tenn. on Saturday, October 16, 2021.Utvom1016
Tennessee defensive backs Jaylen McCollough (22) Trevon Flowers (1), and and Theo Jackson (26) celebrate Flwoers fumble recovery during the NCAA college football game between Tennessee and Ole Miss in Knoxville, Tenn. on Saturday, October 16, 2021.Utvom1016 /
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Tennessee defensive back De’Shawn Rucker (28) celebrates a blocked punt during a football game between the Tennessee Volunteers and the Alabama Crimson Tide at Bryant-Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa, Ala., on Saturday, Oct. 23, 2021.Kns Tennessee Alabama Football Bp
Tennessee defensive back De’Shawn Rucker (28) celebrates a blocked punt during a football game between the Tennessee Volunteers and the Alabama Crimson Tide at Bryant-Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa, Ala., on Saturday, Oct. 23, 2021.Kns Tennessee Alabama Football Bp /

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Last week: Did not play

By not playing, Tennessee football didn’t move at all in our SEC Power Rankings. The Vols are clearly in a tier above Missouri and South Carolina, as they blew out both teams. However, since those two teams are in the next-to-worst tier, only above one other team, Rocky Top is still near the bottom of these rankings for now.

Josh Heupel still deserves credit for doing a good job with a limited number of scholarship players. On the other hand, he’s got to do a better job of making sure his team can stay competitive for four quarters. There’s no way he should have allowed the Alabama Crimson Tide to beat his kids 52-24 when it was a one-score game in the fourth quarter.

This was a much-needed bye for Tennessee football, as they were seriously banged up by the end of that Alabama game. Now, they get to enter their final stretch with six wins almost certain and the goal of somehow finding seven or eight wins.

That goal hinges on this week. UT travels to Lexington, Ky. to take on a reeling Kentucky program. The Vols then have a sure loss against Georgia, but they’ll close things out against the South Alabama Jaguars and Vanderbilt, both at home. That’s where the six wins should come from. Saturday determines if they get seven with a shot at eight should they go to a bowl game.

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