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Tennessee football falls after not playing in Week 5 SEC Power Rankings

By Caleb Calhoun

Tennessee quarterback Hendon Hooker (5) congratulates Tennessee wide receiver Bru McCoy (15) on his touchdown during the first half of a game between the Tennessee Vols and Florida Gators, in Neyland Stadium, Saturday, Sept. 24, 2022.Utvsflorida0924 02243
Tennessee quarterback Hendon Hooker (5) congratulates Tennessee wide receiver Bru McCoy (15) on his touchdown during the first half of a game between the Tennessee Vols and Florida Gators, in Neyland Stadium, Saturday, Sept. 24, 2022.Utvsflorida0924 02243 /
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Oct 1, 2022; Oxford, Mississippi, USA; Mississippi Rebels quarterback Jaxson Dart (2) passes the ball during the third quarter against the Kentucky Wildcats at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Petre Thomas-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 1, 2022; Oxford, Mississippi, USA; Mississippi Rebels quarterback Jaxson Dart (2) passes the ball during the third quarter against the Kentucky Wildcats at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Petre Thomas-USA TODAY Sports /

841. . 5-0 (1-0). Previous: . Rebels . 2. team

Defeated Kentucky Wildcats 22-19

A quality power five win isn’t the only reason Ole Miss moved ahead of Tennessee football in our SEC Power Rankings. Their quality wins in general are just better than the Vols’ are. Ole Miss beat Kentucky, who beat Florida, one of the Vols’ quality wins. Then they blew out Georgia Tech, who beat Pitt, the other UT quality win.

As a result, despite how ugly they looked this past weekend and how they had no business winning that game, Lane Kiffin’s team has a resume that exceeds UT’s. When you combine that with the fact that they beat a top 10 team, there’s no way we couldn’t move them up.

Yes, Ole Miss looked ugly the week before, but SEC play has been good for elite teams looking ugly on a consistent basis this year. Kiffin’s offense can be inconsistent at times, so you have to give the defense and special teams credit for stepping up and making plays when needed.

Lucky for them, they have a chance to move into the top five with their schedule soon enough, as they visit Vanderbilt this week, which should be a blowout win, and then host Auburn. Visits to LSU and Texas A&M look winnable now too, so they could be 9-0 when they face Bama, but those two games will be season-defining.

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