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Tennessee football reaches top half of Week 12 SEC Power Rankings with South Alabama win

By Caleb Calhoun

Tennessee linebackers warming up for the NCAA football game between the Tennessee Volunteers and South Alabama Jaguars in Knoxville, Tenn. on Saturday, November 20, 2021.Utvsal1120
Tennessee linebackers warming up for the NCAA football game between the Tennessee Volunteers and South Alabama Jaguars in Knoxville, Tenn. on Saturday, November 20, 2021.Utvsal1120 /
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Nov 20, 2021; Oxford, Mississippi, USA; Vanderbilt Commodores quarterback Mike Wright (5) makes a pass against the Mississippi Rebels during the fourth quarter at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Bush-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 20, 2021; Oxford, Mississippi, USA; Vanderbilt Commodores quarterback Mike Wright (5) makes a pass against the Mississippi Rebels during the fourth quarter at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Bush-USA TODAY Sports /

Wild things that come with SEC ball in November finally took place this past weekend. Three teams clinched bowl berths, including Tennessee football, and two of them did it with upset wins. Meanwhile, a head coach was fired, the second casualty of the coaching carousel in the league this year. Finally, the SEC Championship game is set.

As we get set to head into our final week of SEC ball, all of these things are connected to our SEC Power Rankings for this week. Things are a lot more clear-cut than they have been in the past, and the teams don’t have to necessarily be separated by tiers.

There is a clear cut No. 1, No. 2 and No. 3, and there is a clear-cut No .14 and No. 13. Lots of the rest of the league is interchangeable, and you can make a case for many different teams, but with 11 programs bowl eligible and two potential playoff programs, this league is loaded. See where Tennessee football falls in our SEC Power Rankings following Week 12 of 2021.

2-9 (0-7). Previous: . Commodores . 14. team. 887.

Last week: Lost to Ole Miss Rebels 31-17

Well, Clark Lea’s team at least put up a fight against one of the top teams in the league. They could’ve looked a lot worse against the Ole Miss Rebels, but they only lost by two scores. Given how bad we know this team to be, that’s overachieving to a certain degree. It doesn’t change anything here, though.

Vandy is clearly still the worst team in the league and belongs at the bottom of our SEC Power Rankings. None of this is Lea’s fault given what he inherited, but the program is still a disaster right now, so we have to keep it down here at No. 14.

They have one more chance at the desired Power Five/SEC win on the year, and it’s this weekend against their most hated foe, Tennessee football. Winning this game would be a great signature victory in Lea’s first season and would honestly do wonders for the morale of the program heading into the future. The ability to pull it off, though, is a different story.

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