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Tennessee football moves up two spots in AP Poll coming out of bye week

ByColton Pickard|
Oklahoma running back Tory Blaylock (6) is warmped by Tennessee linebacker Edwin Spillman (13), Tennessee linebacker Arion Carter (7) and Tennessee defensive lineman Daevin Hobbs (5) during a NCAA football game between the Tennessee Volunteers and Oklahoma Sooners at Neyland Stadium in Knoxville, Tenn., on November 1, 2025.
Oklahoma running back Tory Blaylock (6) is warmped by Tennessee linebacker Edwin Spillman (13), Tennessee linebacker Arion Carter (7) and Tennessee defensive lineman Daevin Hobbs (5) during a NCAA football game between the Tennessee Volunteers and Oklahoma Sooners at Neyland Stadium in Knoxville, Tenn., on November 1, 2025. | Angelina Alcantar/News Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Tennessee football dropped to No. 23 in the AP Poll after losing to Oklahoma a week ago, but the Vols have moved back up the rankings after a relatively quiet bye week on Rocky Top. 

The Vols will be ranked No. 21 for Week 12, moving up two spots ahead of their matchup against New Mexico State.

There are eight SEC teams ranked in the top 25, with Tennessee being the eighth and final SEC team ranked this week. Other teams ranked throughout the conference are No. 3 Texas A&M, No. 4 Oklahoma, No. 5 Georgia, No. 6 Ole Miss, No. 10 Texas, No. 11 Oklahoma, and No. 13 Vanderbilt. 

Other notable teams in the top 25 are No. 1 Ohio State, No. 2 Indiana, No. 7 Oregon, No. 8 Texas Tech, and No. 9 Notre Dame. No. 25 South Florida, No. 24 James Madison, and No. 23 Pittsburgh all jump into the top 25 after being unranked last week. 

Tennessee's in-state rival, Vanderbilt, is the only ranked team remaining on the Vols' schedule, setting up a ranked matchup to end the regular season with the Commodores battling for a College Football Playoff spot. 

If Vanderbilt wins out, including a ranked win over Tennessee, they would virtually lock in a spot in the 12-team CFP. A Tennessee upset win in the last week of the season, however, would likely move the Vols to 9-3 and eliminate Vandy from Playoff contention. 

While Tennessee's CFP hopes are likely gone, they still have a lot to play for with the Vandy game on the horizon and an opportunity to compete in a good bowl game.

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