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Tennessee football in top half of SEC Power Rankings for Week 1 of 2022

By Caleb Calhoun

Volunteers gather and sing the alma mater after the Tennessee vs Ball State football game in Neyland Stadium, Knoxville, Tenn. on Thursday, Sept. 1, 2022.Utvsballstate 2461
Volunteers gather and sing the alma mater after the Tennessee vs Ball State football game in Neyland Stadium, Knoxville, Tenn. on Thursday, Sept. 1, 2022.Utvsballstate 2461 /
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Sep 3, 2022; Oxford, Mississippi, USA; Mississippi Rebels running back Zach Evans (6) tries to keep his balance during the first quarter against the Troy Trojans at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Petre Thomas-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 3, 2022; Oxford, Mississippi, USA; Mississippi Rebels running back Zach Evans (6) tries to keep his balance during the first quarter against the Troy Trojans at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Petre Thomas-USA TODAY Sports /

11. team. 841. . 1-0. . Rebels

Defeated Troy Trojans 28-10

Was Lane Kiffin so busy trolling Tennessee football that he forgot to make sure his team would have a clean performance in its opener? The Troy Trojans aren’t a bad program, but the Ole Miss Rebels should have played a much better game against them than they did. By any metric, this was an ugly win in the post-Matt Corral era.

The only reason Ole Miss isn’t lower in our SEC Power Rankings is because they are the first team we are naming who beat an FBS program this past weekend. Sure, Vanderbilt beat Hawaii in Week 0, but the issues with Hawaii effectively make the program an FCS team this year.

To be fair, Ole Miss’ defense looked good, as they were up 28-3 heading into the fourth quarter, and their offense moved the ball. They just had three turnovers. Simply put, there are lots of things Kiffin and co. need to clean up before getting ready for their SEC schedule.

Luckily for them, they get a few more cupcakes before facing any real foe. This week, they face the Central Arkansas Bears. A trip to the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets next week is supposed to be a test, but it really isn’t, and then they host the Tulsa Golden Hurricane. As a result, this team should easily be 4-0 when it hosts the Kentucky Wildcats Oct. 1.

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