Tennessee football hangs in top ten of AP Poll rankings after disappointing loss

Tennessee football looked like a National Championship contender coming into Week Six. They started the year 4-0, and Nico Iamaleava looked like a potential Heisman contender. However, all of that went away after Tennessee's disappointing Week Six loss. 

It was a barn burner in Fayetteville on Saturday night as the Vols lost 19-14 to the Arkansas Razorbacks. The offense did not show up, and the Vols lost as a result. They weren't the only top-ten team to lose, but they dropped four spots after losing to unranked Arkansas. 

The Vols will need to look themselves in the mirror and make some difficult decisions to return the offense to what it was in 2022 and even parts of 2023. The Vols chose not to stretch the field for most of the night, which helped Arkansas defenders keep the ball in front of them. 

Whether coaches didn't feel confident in Nico's ability to protect the football or believed Arkansas' secondary had a leg up on Vols receivers, the coaching staff played it safe for most of the night, and they lost as a result. 

After Tennessee's disappointing loss, they fell from No. 4 to No. 8, which makes them the fourth-highest-ranked SEC team, one spot behind Alabama and one spot in front of Ole Miss.

SEC newcomer Texas returns to No. 1 in the rankings, while Georgia returns to the top five at No. 4. The top five now includes a majority of Big Ten teams, with Ohio State, Oregon, and Penn State holding down spots two through four. 

ESPN's Football Power Index was a little more generous to the Vols, who only dropped to No. 6 in the updated computer-generated rankings. The Vols sit behind SEC newcomers Texas, Ohio State, Alabama, Georgia, and Ole Miss. 

The loss hurts Tennessee's resume and chances of making the College Football Playoff, with a gauntlet of SEC schedule still ahead of them. The Vols will have to turn to Florida, which is coming to town on Saturday, to get back in the win column during conference play.