SEC Network’s preseason SEC power rankings painted a pretty modest picture for Tennessee, and the Vols were slotted anywhere from 8th to 13th by the four analysts.
Benjamin Watson was the most optimistic of the group, putting Tennessee at No. 8. He had the Vols just behind Alabama and just ahead of Florida, making him the high-water mark among the four rankings for Tennessee.
Chris Doering was tougher, landing Tennessee at No. 10.
In his version of the league order, the Vols were sandwiched between Florida and Missouri, with in-state rival Vanderbilt sitting ahead of Tennessee at No. 8.
Dari Nowkah pushed Tennessee down to No. 12, placing the Vols just below Missouri and just above Kentucky. He was also much higher on Florida than Doering, slotting the Gators at No. 5, while dropping Vanderbilt all the way to No. 15.
Alyssa Lang had Tennessee lowest of all, ranking the Vols 13th. In her list, only Auburn, Kentucky and Arkansas were behind Tennessee, and Mississippi State was the only team she placed above the Vols in that range, coming in at No. 12.
It’s worth remembering that these are power rankings, not hard predictions. The term can mean different things, but it usually blends together recent momentum, last season’s record and a general read on where teams stand entering the year.
Tennessee’s quarterback situation is clearly a big reason for the skepticism. That uncertainty makes the Vols tough to pin down, even if the numbers still feel harsh to some eyes.
One thing that stands out: South Carolina, which went 4-8 last season, was ranked above Tennessee in three of the four lists. And across all four rankings, only Kentucky and Arkansas landed below the Vols every time.
Watson’s placement of Tennessee at No. 8 may be the most defensible of the four. The Vols finished 8-5 last season, and it’s hard to argue for putting them ahead of teams like Texas, Oklahoma, Georgia, Ole Miss and Texas A&M, all of whom return their starting quarterbacks, bring back plenty of other key pieces and finished with better records than Tennessee a year ago.
Alabama and LSU are the other teams Watson ranked above the Vols, and while there’s room to make the case for Tennessee in those spots, the argument isn’t exactly overwhelming against a team that brought in the nation’s top transfer portal class and another that won a College Football Playoff game last season.
Watson also gave Tennessee some real credit for what is coming back. The Vols return multiple important starters on both sides of the ball, including a 1,000-yard rusher, two strong receivers with plenty of depth at the position, one of the SEC’s top offensive lines, one of the league’s best linebackers and one of its best sophomore corners, among others.
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Heupels frustration also sits against a larger backdrop that has made these cases harder to ignore. Other players, including Cleveland Browns rookie DaeQuan Wright, have gone back to college football after receiving much larger NFL bonuses, even as legal challenges continue over NCAA eligibility rules. For Tennessee, Carters case is a reminder that the line between amateurism and the modern player marketplace still feels inconsistent, and it is exactly the sort of inconsistency Heupel has kept front and center. [Read more 🡒]