When the first College Football Playoff rankings were released, countless people in Knoxville, and across the country for that matter, were livid with Alabama eight spots ahead of Tennessee. Bama No. 5, and the Vols No. 13? Silly. CFP Committee chair Hunter Yurachek was quick to explain that the Vols' lack of quality wins was the main reason why.
That part of the equation has now been thrown out the window, as Tennessee took down No. 6 Kentucky (per the CFP), and this one wasn't even close. Tennessee ended up recording a 34-6 win, simply humbling Will Stein in Week 10.
While, yes, Alabama took care of No. 14 LSU, we can't forget about what happened when the Crimson Tide and Vols went to battle at Neyland Stadium. Another domination was posted, with the Vols taking care of business, 26-10. Because of that, there's no reason the Vols should be behind Alabama come Tuesday night.
Tennessee should jump Alabama in the Top 10 of the new CFP rankings
Here's how we're seeing things ahead of the second CFP rankings getting dropped on Tuesday. In our opinion, Tennessee should be No. 7/8, while Alabama should be No. 8/9. Here's, why:
• Tennessee took down Alabama 26-10 when the two SEC powerhouses faced off
• Alabama beat Kentucky by 28 points this season
• Tennessee beat Kentucky by 28 points this season
• Once again, the Vols own the head-to-head here over the Tide and Kalen DeBoer
still thinking about this crowd pop ⚡#GBO 🍊 pic.twitter.com/qRnzENVD1B
— Tennessee Football (@Vol_Football) November 8, 2026
Nothing else needs to be said here. Both teams are 7-2, with some head-turning wins on the schedule. Is Yurachek going to argue that Bama's win over LSU this past Saturday is going to be what makes the difference between the two rivals? That better not be the case.
Straight up, this was a must-win game for Tennessee, with Josh Heupel's standouts stepping up in a major way. With a loss, any hope of the College Football Playoff would have been wiped away. Instead of that being the worry right now, all the focus is on Texas A&M, with the Vols now looking to keep climbing in the rankings, while also looking to improve to 8-2 at this point next week.
With the Aggies being in a downward spiral, the Vols will be in a great position to keep on winning. However, any SEC road contest is going to be tough - it doesn't matter how much the opposition may be struggling. This will be something Heupel preaches to his guys consistently.
But, should a win against Texas A&M get recorded, the Vols will then be wins over LSU and Vandy away from locking in a trip to the CFP. Should the Vols finish the regular season at 10-2, there will be absolutely no reason for Tennessee to be ranked behind the Crimson Tide.
That adjustment needs to come in once the new rankings are released on Tuesday night. If it doesn't, Yurachek is going to have some serious explaining to do, as plenty of us are going to be pretty dang ticked off.
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