Tennessee football put together one of its best performances in a long time against Georgia, despite losing 44-41 in the end. Joey Aguilar and the Vols proved they can compete with one of the best teams in the country and could be College Football Playoff contenders again this year.
While the loss to Georgia was not the outcome Tennessee was hoping for, the Vols are hanging around in the AP Poll.
Tennessee will be No. 15 in the AP Poll for the second week in a row. The 2-1 Vols hold their spot at No. 15 after their near win over the Bulldogs.
staying in the top 15 in both the AP and coaches poll#GBO 🍊 pic.twitter.com/tl2mZkMYEA
— Tennessee Football (@Vol_Football) September 14, 2025
Georgia, however, moved up one spot to No. 5 in the poll. Ohio State still holds the top spot in the country, while LSU is the highest-ranked SEC team at No. 4, followed by Georgia at No. 5, Texas at No. 8, Texas A&M at No. 10, Oklahoma at No. 11, Ole Miss at No. 13, and Alabama at No. 14.
BREAKING: College Football AP Poll🚨https://t.co/VpfSabgEZN pic.twitter.com/ZVWRGKTOFR
— On3 (@On3sports) September 14, 2025
The Vols likely stayed the same because the offense looked as good as ever on Saturday, finishing with 496 total yards and 41 points against one of the best defensive teams in the country.
Defensively, Tennessee allowed 502 yards and struggled throughout the day, but made some big stops in key situations.
The Vols were without their top two defensive backs, and it showed. If the defense can get healthy and play at full strength down the stretch of the long season, Tennessee could be dangerous.
Tennessee will have a big bounce-back week with UAB coming to town. It will be Tennessee's final opportunity to clean things up before it dives into its full SEC schedule.