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Tennessee football: Five ways 2022 SEC preseason poll grossly disrespects Vols

By Caleb Calhoun

Smokey runs the end zone after a touchdown during the Tennessee Volunteers' game against Alabama in Neyland Stadium on Saturday, October 20, 2018.Kns Utvsbamafootball Bp Jpg
Smokey runs the end zone after a touchdown during the Tennessee Volunteers' game against Alabama in Neyland Stadium on Saturday, October 20, 2018.Kns Utvsbamafootball Bp Jpg /
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Jul 21, 2022; Atlanta, GA, USA; The Tennessee Volunteers head coach Josh Heupel talks to the media on the stage during SEC Media Days at the College Football Hall of Fame. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports
Jul 21, 2022; Atlanta, GA, USA; The Tennessee Volunteers head coach Josh Heupel talks to the media on the stage during SEC Media Days at the College Football Hall of Fame. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports /

2. Vols picked third in SEC East

South Carolina and Vanderbilt receiving more first place votes and receiving SEC Championship votes over Tennessee football was bad enough, but that was a disrespect to almost every other SEC team as well. The Vols are at least picked to finish ahead of both of them in the SEC East.

What’s egregious is the fact that they are projected behind the Kentucky Wildcats this year. Obviously, Georgia deserves its first place projection in the East, but there’s no argument to put UT above UK. The only case is that Kentucky went 10-3 last year and finished in the top 20 while the Vols went 7-6 and finished the year unranked.

However, Rocky Top beat the Wildcats on the road. Also, they return a lot more talent, and they added more talent in the transfer portal. Add in the fact that they get to face Kentucky at home this year, and it’s pretty clear that lots more factors are working in their favor.

Also, what about those records? Kentucky’s non-conference Power Five foe was the Louisville Cardinals, who went 6-7 last year, while the Vols’ was against the Pittsburgh Panthers, who won the ACC. Meanwhile, UK drew the LSU Tigers and Mississippi State Bulldogs from the West. UT drew the top two teams, the Ole Miss Rebels and Alabama Crimson Tide.

If Kentucky played Tennessee football’s schedule, excluding the game they played each other, they would have gone 7-4 in the regular season. The Vols went 6-5 excluding that game. That’s hardly much of a difference, and add in what the Vols did to Kentucky and who they have back, and they should clearly be picked second.

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