Week 3 AP Polls: Why Did Tennessee Football Drop in the Polls?

Sep 9, 2023; Knoxville, Tennessee, USA; Tennessee Volunteers offensive lineman John Campbell Jr. (74) celebrates with quarterback Joe Milton III (7) after Milton’s touchdown against the Austin Peay Governors during the first half at Neyland Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Randy Sartin-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 9, 2023; Knoxville, Tennessee, USA; Tennessee Volunteers offensive lineman John Campbell Jr. (74) celebrates with quarterback Joe Milton III (7) after Milton’s touchdown against the Austin Peay Governors during the first half at Neyland Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Randy Sartin-USA TODAY Sports

The Week 3 AP Polls were released Sunday afternoon, and there is a bunch to unravel as Tennessee Football drops out of the top 10.

The Vols had some trouble last weekend against a horrible Austin Peay team, and in the eyes of the Polls, Tennessee Football’s win wasn’t convincing enough.

Joe Milton did face some challenges at the start of the game, no doubt about it. However, it’s important to remember that writing off the entire season and doubting him completely is just plain wrong. On the defensive side, senior LB Aaron Beasley was an absolute force last weekend, making big plays all over the field. As for Coach Heupel, he did give us a sneak peek into his playbook, but let’s keep in mind that Tennessee football has faced two opponents that are considered to be of lower caliber. It’s understandable that Heupel wouldn’t want to reveal his entire mastermind of a playbook to the whole country just yet....more

Tennessee Football’s Spot in the Week 3 AP Polls

The Vols fell 2 spots in the Polls after the win against Austin Peay, but it was fully expected because it wasn’t the best performance on the offensive side of the ball. This was the fewest points scored by Tennessee in a home win under coach Josh Heupel.

The Vols came out slow, and Milton was having trouble connecting with the receivers all throughout the first quarter. However, Milton and the offense turned things around after a slow start and were able to start putting some things together in the second half of the game. There’s a reason that the Vols schedule these easy teams early in the season, and it’s to get the early season jitters out before the real games start.

Luckily for the Volunteers, this performance wasn’t against Florida, whom they play next weekend. Tennessee Football travels to Gainesville to take on the Gators next weekend, and the Vols will almost certainly get bounced back up into the top 10 if they can pull off the road victory against their rivals.

More in-depth information will be coming out soon, diving into Florida week, so be sure to check back here for more!

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