Tennessee’s win over Alabama paid off in the latest US LBM Coaches Poll, but not enough to push the Vols back into the top 10.
After Week 7 of the 2026 college football season, Tennessee landed at No. 11 in the new rankings released Sunday. The Vols moved up from No. 14 after beating No. 7 Alabama, 26-10, in the Third Saturday in October at Neyland Stadium.
The shakeup at the top was driven by a wild weekend across the SEC. Auburn stunned No.
1 Georgia, 27-24, at Sanford Stadium in Athens, Georgia, while No. 10 Ole Miss handled No.
13 Missouri, 31-3, at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium in Oxford, Mississippi.
Miami (FL) stayed on top of the poll at 6-0, followed by Ohio State, BYU, Georgia and Texas Tech in the top five. Indiana checked in at No.
6, Ole Miss moved up to No. 7, Notre Dame sat at No.
8, Utah climbed to No. 9 and UCLA rounded out the top 10.
Tennessee is just behind UCLA and ahead of Kentucky, which moved to No. 12.
Alabama dropped to No. 13 after the loss in Knoxville. Iowa came in at No.
14, USC at No. 15 and Houston at No. 16.
The rest of the top 25 included LSU at No. 17, Texas at No.
18, Wake Forest at No. 19, SMU at No. 20 and Missouri at No.
- Boise State was No. 22, while Northwestern, Florida and Oregon filled out the final three spots.
Two teams fell out of the rankings altogether: No. 19 Mississippi State and No. 20 Oklahoma State.
In the “Others receiving votes” category, Arizona led the way with 141 points. Oklahoma State followed with 87, then James Madison with 80.
Auburn picked up 55 votes, Mississippi State 32, and Nebraska 19. Oregon State, New Mexico, UTSA, Michigan, North Dakota State, Wisconsin, Duke, North Carolina, Pittsburgh, Air Force and North Texas also received votes.
In Other News...
Tennessees Win Over Alabama Revealed A Few Vols Fans Need To Notice
Tennessees 26-10 home win over Alabama did more than just change the mood around Knoxville for a night. It also offered a useful snapshot of which Vols are starting to push their way into bigger roles, according to Pro Football Focus, which tracked snap counts and player grades from the game and turned up a few names worth filing away for later in the season.
Freshman wideout TK Keys drew the highest grade despite limited work, while DeSean Bishop handled the heaviest load on offense and finished with two second-half touchdowns. George MacIntyre also graded well in his turn at quarterback, and on the other side of the ball Jeremiah Telander stood out with a strong grade in limited snaps, with Edwin Spillman and Dejuan Lane adding impact plays as Lane came away with both an interception and a fumble recovery. [Read more 🡒]
Tennessee's Celebration Just Added Another Twist To This Alabama Rivalry
Tennessees win over Alabama brought the kind of celebration that Knoxville has been waiting for, but the aftermath came with a costly reminder from the Southeastern Conference. The league fined the university $500,000 after fans stormed the field following the victory, citing a violation of its access to competition area policy designed to keep spectators out of danger zones and protect participants.
The money will be sent to Alabama, though Tennessee could still see the penalty reduced if it can show it tried to prevent the field rush or that there was only minimal interaction on the turf. The SECs policy does allow exceptions, but only when approved procedures are in place and communicated ahead of time, which leaves this latest twist as part celebration, part administrative headache in a rivalry that never seems to run out of fuel. [Read more 🡒]
Mike Matthews Gave Tennessee Fans One Alabama Moment To Debate
Mike Matthews spent the afternoon doing more than just catching passes in Tennessees win over Alabama. He led the Vols with seven receptions for 85 yards, but one of the more memorable moments came on a block that wiped out a 34-yard DeSean Bishop run after a personal foul call. Even with the penalty, the sequence still fed into a touchdown drive, adding another layer to a game that already had plenty of physical edge.
On the Alabama side, defensive back Bray Hubbard acknowledged the hit was illegal but said he was fine and not worried about his availability for the next game. For Tennessee fans, the moment is the kind that lingers because it mixed aggression, consequence and a little controversy in a rivalry game the Vols controlled from start to finish in a 26-10 win. [Read more 🡒]