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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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Oct 16, 2021; Starkville, Mississippi, USA; Mississippi State Bulldogs head coach Mike Leach signals during the first quarter against the Alabama Crimson Tide at Davis Wade Stadium at Scott Field. Mandatory Credit: Matt Bush-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 16, 2021; Starkville, Mississippi, USA; Mississippi State Bulldogs head coach Mike Leach signals during the first quarter against the Alabama Crimson Tide at Davis Wade Stadium at Scott Field. Mandatory Credit: Matt Bush-USA TODAY Sports /

893. . 7-4 (4-3). Previous: . Bulldogs . 6. team

Last week: Defeated Tennessee State Tigers 55-10

Mike Leach’s team got a well-deserved break. They are one of the hottest teams in the nation right now, validating Leach and the sentiment that he would have been a better hire for Tennessee football than Jeremy Pruitt earlier in the year. A dominating win over the Tennessee State Tigers wasn’t really going to change anything.

Mississippi State is in the top half of our SEC Power Rankings, and they are now a top 25 caliber program. That win over the N.C. State Wolfpack looks as impressive as ever, and quite honestly, they could easily be 10-1 right now. One bad call against the Memphis Tigers and Arkansas each cost them, so they should be 9-2. A weird decision late by Leach against LSU cost them that win.

Either way, this team has won four of five since that Alabama loss, and it’s looking better and better offensively each week. It’s becoming a fun team to watch, the way you would expect a Leach-coached team to be fun to watch.

Now, they get one chance to put an exclamation point on this game. MSU closes out the season against Ole Miss in the Egg Bowl, and don’t sleep on their potential to win that game at home. They have put on a show recently, and they could definitely do it one more time for eight wins.

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