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Tennessee football picked to finish 7th in preseason SEC rankings

By Colton Pickard

Sep 22, 2018; Knoxville, TN, USA; SEC logo on the field at Neyland Stadium before a game between the Tennessee Volunteers and Florida Gators. Mandatory Credit: Bryan Lynn-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 22, 2018; Knoxville, TN, USA; SEC logo on the field at Neyland Stadium before a game between the Tennessee Volunteers and Florida Gators. Mandatory Credit: Bryan Lynn-USA TODAY Sports / Bryan Lynn-USA TODAY Sports
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It's been nearly two decades since Tennessee football has won the SEC or appeared in the SEC Championship Game. Preseason voters don't expect that to change for the Vols in 2024 based on the preseason SEC rankings. 

It will be more difficult for the Vols to break the streak in the new-look SEC. Big 12 powerhouses Texas and Oklahoma have joined the SEC and will look to make their mark in the conference in their first year as members. 
The SEC also won't have traditional East/West divisions and will go divisionless for 2024 and 2025. This means the best two teams in the SEC will play in the SEC Championship Game.

With all of the new changes, SEC voters don't believe the Vols will fare too well in the new look SEC. Voters picked the Vols to finish 7th this year behind SEC rivals and newcomers. 

Georgia sits at the top of the SEC, to no one's surprise, while Alabama comes in at No. 3 with first-year head coach Kalen DeBoer. Voters expect the former Washington head coach to fit in nicely in his first season in Tuscaloosa. 

SEC household names Ole Miss and LSU have been picked to finish fourth and fifth in 2024, with Missouri finishing at No. 6 just ahead of Tennessee.

Texas has been picked to finish second in the SEC this year. At the same time, Oklahoma is expected to finish just behind the Vols at No. 8. We will get an early look at Oklahoma when Tennessee heads to Norman to take on the Sooners on September 21. 

Tennessee opens the season on August 31 against Chattanooga in Neyland Stadium. The Vols' SEC schedule includes two of the top-five teams and five of the bottom six teams in the preseason rankings, which could bode well for the Vols' quest to win a championship. 

SEC Preseason Rankings

1. Georgia (165): 3,330 points

2. Texas (27): 3,041

3. Alabama (12): 2,891

4. Ole Miss (4): 2,783

5. LSU (2): 2,322

6. Missouri: 2,240

7. Tennessee: 2,168

8. Oklahoma: 2,022

9. Texas A&M: 1,684

10. Auburn: 1,382

11. Kentucky: 1,371

12. Florida: 1,146

13. South Carolina (1): 923

14. Arkansas: 749

15. Mississippi State: 623

16. Vanderbilt (2): 293

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