Tennessee football’s top 10 years following unranked seasons
Record: 9-1-2 (5-1). 1984: 7-4-1 (3-3). 839. Scouting Report. player. Pick Analysis. 1985: Johnny Majors. 4
SEC Championship; No. 4 AP and Coaches; W Sugar Bowl
Just like 1965, Tennessee football’s 1985 season signified a return to prominence. Two years before that 1987 bounce back, Johnny Majors had the best arrival any coach could ask for. It was years in the making. Majors had been hired in 1977 and had two losing seasons and a .500 season in his first four years.
From 1981 to 1984, things had gotten better, but he still never had a top 25 finish. In 1984, though, Tony Robinson emerged at quarterback, and after a 7-4-1 campaign, their was a good bit of optimism surrounding the Vols entering the 1985 season. Their start solidified that.
UT tied No. 10 ranked UCLA 26-26 to open things up, and that was only because UCLA scored two touchdowns and two two-point conversions in the fourth quarter to make for the luckiest tie ever. A week later, they beat No. 1 Auburn, who had eventual Heisman Trophy winner Bo Jackson. Then they beat the Wake Forest Demon Deacons 31-29.
A 17-10 loss at Florida was their only set back, and the next week, they beat No. 15 Alabama 16-14. However, that Alabama win came at a cost, as Robinson was lost for the season, and with Daryl Dickey not yet ready, they tied a bad Georgia Tech team the next week.
Dickey then found his footing, though, and the Vols won out to capture their first SEC title in 16 years. They went to the Sugar Bowl to face No. 2 Miami, who would’ve won the national title with a win. Since Dickey hadn’t beaten anybody ranked, everybody bet against Tennessee football. Well, the Vols dominated 35-7, capping a magical year.