You had a feeling that Tennessee and Josh Heupel were going to get some good news with the new AP Top 25 poll out, but did we expect this? Definitely. Tennessee is now the No. 16 team in the country ahead of its matchup with Georgia Tech in Atlanta, moving past Washington (No. 19) and Michigan (unranked).
The leap over the Wolverines was something we actually saw coming, but over the Huskies? Not quite, but you know what, the AP voters got this one right, as Washington looked downright sluggish in its close win over Washington State in the Apple Cup. For the Vols, they're now just outside of the Top 15, which could be huge for Faizon Brandon's confidence moving forward.
Tennessee ranked No. 16 in the country was 100 percent the right call
No one should be shocked that Michigan is now out of the Top 25. The Wolverines and Kyle Whittingham needed a miracle from above to beat Western Michigan 13-12. For years, though, everyone is going to argue with the fact that an extra second being put on the clock was a joke, and that it should have never happened.
Justice has been served, though, with some karma to boot, as Michigan is outside of the Top 25, and for good reason. As for those pesky little Huskies in Seattle? You can't beat Washington State 24-10, while struggling on offense, and expect people to think you're going to push for a trip to the College Football Playoff.
Quarterback Demond Williams looked nothing like a signal-caller worth around $3-4 million in NIL money. If anything, Lane Kiffin must be thanking the Football Gods that Washington held him to his contract and didn't let LSU sign him anyways. Williams missed easy throws, and the ground game looked rough.
So, with all of that said, yes, Tennessee moving on up to No. 16 is great. Brandon is coming off five touchdowns, while running back DeSean Bishop will be a major focus for the offense coming up against Georgia Tech. For the Vols to move up two spots like this, some pieces needed to fall into place for them, which they did with Washington and Michigan playing terribly.
Could something similar happen in Week 2 as well? That of course would be great to see, but Tennessee and Heupel shouldn't be focused on what might happen outside of their control. If anything, UT needs to keep all of its attention on taking things one game at a time, with the Yellow Jackets up next.
It sounds incredibly cliche to say, but Tennessee simply has to take things one game at a time, especially with a true freshman QB running the offense. Still, it's always exciting for fans to see Tennessee on the rise in the rankings like this, and if all goes to plan, more of the same could be on the way soon enough too. It will give the Vols extra confidence, especially with some SEC showdowns around the corner.
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