The bye week quite literally could not have gone much better for Tennessee football. Not only did Josh Heupel and his players get some needed rest, but several teams in front of the Vols in the rankings totally blew it.
Nico Iamaleava just did Tennessee a huge favor with upset win over Penn State
Because of some stunning upsets, Tennessee has gone from the No. 15 team in the country to No. 12 in the latest AP Top 25. Moving up three spots despite not even playing? That's exactly what happened for Heupel and Co. So, who should the Vols thanks for the rise in the rankings? There's three guys in particular we've got our focus on:
3. UCLA quarterback Nico Iamaleava
It's not often that we're going to give Nico Iamaleava props after his controversial exit from the Tennessee team, but goodness did he deliver on Saturday. UCLA pulled off one of the biggest upsets of the season, taking down then No. 7 Penn State. That win for the Bruins completely knocked the Nittany Lions out of the Top 25 and Nico finished with five total touchdowns.
2. Penn State head coach James Franklin
You want to talk about upsetting your fanbase? James Franklin has done that and more. After losing to Oregon, Penn State followed that up with the UCLA game. Franklin blamed injuries, travel and more for the stunning result. He said he didn't have his guys ready to go before kickoff, which is comical. We might look back and thank Franklin for helping the Vols get back to the College Football Playoff for the second consecutive season.
1. Florida head coach Billy Napier
We hate giving the Gators some credit, but hey, Florida took care of business and took down No. 9 Texas, which also finds itself currently unranked. It felt like Billy Napier was coaching for his job, as people have been calling for him to get fired for quite some time. While Tennessee fans would have loved seeing him get canned, they'll gladly take the loss for Texas since it helped out UT so much. Appreciate the help there, Billy - now go ahead and get back to your losing ways.