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Tennessee football flirting with top of SEC Power Rankings for Week 2 of 2022

By Caleb Calhoun

Tennessee defensive back Dee Williams (3) celebrates with an assistant during a game between the Tennessee Volunteers and Pittsburgh Panthers in Acrisure Stadium in Pittsburgh, Saturday, Sept. 10, 2022.Tennpitt0910 03036
Tennessee defensive back Dee Williams (3) celebrates with an assistant during a game between the Tennessee Volunteers and Pittsburgh Panthers in Acrisure Stadium in Pittsburgh, Saturday, Sept. 10, 2022.Tennpitt0910 03036 /
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A wild weekend of college football upended the SEC, and that was obviously to the benefit of Tennessee football. With their win on the road over a ranked team, the Vols were able to move firmly into the upper-echelon of the conference for now. In fact, they are in the top tier and have a legitimate case to sit atop the league.

As we get set to break down our SEC Power Rankings for this week, there is a clear set of tiers. The top tier involves all the undefeated teams who have a win over at least one Power Five team. Road and neutral site wins are an advantage, as is margin of victory.

Recency bias is now a thing too, with the season two weeks in. One team is already in serious trouble, but another may not have tanked too much after a loss. Where does Tennessee football fit into all of this? Let’s break that down here in our power rankings for the league following the second week of the season.

Sep 10, 2022; College Station, Texas, USA; Appalachian State Mountaineers running back Ahmani Marshall (3) is tackled for a loss against the Texas A&M Aggies in the fourth quarter at Kyle Field. Appalachian State Mountaineers won 17 to 14. Mandatory Credit: Thomas Shea-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 10, 2022; College Station, Texas, USA; Appalachian State Mountaineers running back Ahmani Marshall (3) is tackled for a loss against the Texas A&M Aggies in the fourth quarter at Kyle Field. Appalachian State Mountaineers won 17 to 14. Mandatory Credit: Thomas Shea-USA TODAY Sports /

Aggies . 14. team. 873. . 1-1. Previous:

Lost to Appalachian State Mountaineers 17-14

We’ve said for years that these SEC Power Rankings are based on what teams have done specifically this year to the point the rankings come out. Last year is irrelevant, and what we project is irrelevant. The fact of the matter is the Texas A&M Aggies are the only team in the league to lose to a non-Power Five foe.

In addition to that glaring issue, they are also one of just two teams on the list yet to beat an FBS foe. Taking those two things into account, they obviously belong near the bottom of this list. It’s ironic because Jimbo Fisher was hired the same year Tennessee football hired Jeremy Pruitt.

Those two guys are Nick Saban disciples who won a national championship with the Florida State Seminoles, with Fisher as head coach and Pruitt as defensive coordinator, in 2013. Pruitt obviously flame out with the Vols, but now, Fisher’s seat is red-hot. With the Miami Hurricanes and Arkansas Razorbacks up next, this could get ugly.

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