Tennessee football cements its spot atop SEC Power Rankings after Week 7

Oct 15, 2022; Knoxville, Tennessee, USA; Tennessee Volunteers running back Jaylen Wright (20) runs the ball against the Alabama Crimson Tide during the first quarter at Neyland Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Randy Sartin-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 15, 2022; Knoxville, Tennessee, USA; Tennessee Volunteers running back Jaylen Wright (20) runs the ball against the Alabama Crimson Tide during the first quarter at Neyland Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Randy Sartin-USA TODAY Sports
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Oct 15, 2022; Knoxville, Tennessee, USA; Alabama Crimson Tide quarterback Bryce Young (9) looks to pass the ball against the Tennessee Volunteers during the first quarter at Neyland Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Randy Sartin-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 15, 2022; Knoxville, Tennessee, USA; Alabama Crimson Tide quarterback Bryce Young (9) looks to pass the ball against the Tennessee Volunteers during the first quarter at Neyland Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Randy Sartin-USA TODAY Sports

Lost to Tennessee Volunteers 52-49

Weeks of playing with fire finally caught up with Alabama. Okay, so they didn’t have Bryce Young against Texas A&M. Honestly, that shows how weak they are without him. In Saturday’s loss to Tennessee football, Young’s elite performance, showing why he won the Heisman, is the only reason the Vols didn’t blow them out.

However, Nick Saban’s team has real issues. They needed an injury to Texas’ Quinn Ewers and a couple of bad calls to beat the Longhorns by one. Then they needed a goal-line stand to beat Texas A&M. Now, they just lost to the Vols on the road, their first loss to UT in 16 years.

This team is in trouble. The secondary is awful, and penalties are killing them. However, in spite of all those things, they have just one loss, and they still control their own destiny for an SEC Championship and even a national championship. Simply put, it’s not over yet.

There is little room for error, though, and not a lot of time to fix everything. They have to welcome Mississippi State to town this week, and then after a bye, they visit LSU and Ole Miss. As a result, UT, was just the start of a brutal run. They won’t be out of the woods until Nov. 12, so watch out. Things could get worse.