Tennessee’s trip into the national spotlight ended with a thud, and the latest 247Sports SEC poll reflects it.
The Vols were front and center on Saturday with ESPN’s College GameDay in Knoxville and President Donald Trump in Neyland Stadium for the Checker Neyland game, but they couldn’t turn all that attention into a signature win. Facing No.
1 Texas, Tennessee struggled badly on offense in a 20-17 loss that went down to the final play. The defeat, plus the way the rest of Week 4 shook out, sent Tennessee down two spots to No. 8 in the new conference rankings.
247Sports uses a voting panel made up of beat writers from SEC team sites across its network, and the poll was released after a wild week around the league.
Tennessee’s defense, led by Jim Knowles, did its part against Texas and quarterback Arch Manning. Qua Moss also gave the Vols a lift with a punt-return touchdown.
But even after Texas piled up 11 penalties and Tennessee managed to score late and recover an onside kick, the home team still couldn’t finish the job in the SEC opener. The Longhorns made life miserable for freshman quarterback Faizon Brandon and the Tennessee offensive line, collecting 10 sacks.
At the top of the poll, Georgia moved into first place by a single vote over Texas. The Bulldogs picked up eight first-place votes, while Texas received seven.
Texas has wins over Ohio State and at top-15 Tennessee, but those victories came by a combined four points. Georgia, meanwhile, handled Oklahoma 41-13 in Athens behind a John Mateer gaffe.
Florida was one of the week’s biggest movers after hammering Ole Miss 52-28 in Gainesville. That result pushed the Gators up three spots to No.
- Jon Sumrall got a top-five win in just four games, and Florida piled up 302 rushing yards against the Rebels.
The Gators are 4-0 for the first time since 2019 and back in the national top 10 for the first time since 2021.
Mississippi State also climbed three spots, landing at No. 7 after improving to 4-0. Kamario Taylor led two fourth-quarter touchdown drives, and the defense delivered a late stop to knock off Missouri. Taylor finished with 360 passing yards and three touchdowns, keeping the Bulldogs rolling for a second straight 4-0 start.
Alabama moved up one spot to No. 3, while Kentucky rose two places to No. 10.
On the other end, Texas A&M took one of the biggest hits. The Aggies entered September with College Football Playoff expectations, but a home loss to Kentucky was followed by a lopsided defeat at LSU.
Texas A&M was beaten 35-6 in Baton Rouge, and the Tigers’ 506-197 edge in total yards showed just how one-sided it was. The Aggies dropped four spots to No.
Ole Miss also slipped two places after its loss at Florida. The Rebels and Gators traded punches before a turnover helped Florida seize control and stretch the lead to 17 points.
Ole Miss was without star running back Kewan Lacy and fell to No. 5.
In Other News...
Texas Had To Address A Tennessee Celebration Vols Fans Wont Forget
Texas left Neyland Stadium with a hard-earned 20-17 win over Tennessee, but some of the attention afterward centered on behavior rather than the final score. Head coach Steve Sarkisian met separately with Colin Simmons and Raleek Brown to address celebrations that crossed the line, including the unsportsmanlike conduct penalty Simmons drew after a touchdown. For a road win that already carried plenty of weight, it became clear the postgame conversation had to include discipline as much as execution.
Sarkisian made clear he was not brushing it off, especially with Simmons viewed as a potential first-round NFL draft pick and expected to carry himself accordingly. The message was about professionalism and setting a standard moving forward, the kind of correction that can linger long after the scoreboard is forgotten. Tennessee fans may not have liked the result, but they certainly noticed the celebration, and Texas had to answer for it. [Read more 🡒]
Tennessee Gets A Charged Auburn Test After One Ugly Wake-Up Call
Tennessee gets back on the road Saturday, Oct. 3, and the timing of Auburn could hardly be more instructive. Both teams are 3-1, and for Josh Heupels group, the trip comes with a quick chance to reset after the offense sputtered in the loss to Texas, a game that forced the head coach to talk openly about what needs cleaning up.
Champions Weekend adds another layer to the afternoon in Auburn, with Tennessee honoring past championship teams and individuals while the current roster tries to restore some momentum. The Vols do not have much margin for another clunker this early, and this matchup should say plenty about how quickly Heupels offense can respond to the wake-up call it just got. [Read more 🡒]
Tennessees Arkansas Trip Comes With A Streak Vols Need To End
The SECs latest kickoff release finally put a time on Tennessees next trip to Arkansas, with the Vols set for a 4:15 p.m. start on Oct. 10 on the SEC Network. It adds another familiar layer to a series that has quietly become a recurring part of Tennessees schedule, with the two programs meeting for the third straight season and the Volunteers carrying a 14-7 edge in the all-time matchup.
Arkansas enters the game under first-year coach Ryan Silverfield, who took over after Sam Pittmans departure following the 2025 season, so Tennessee will be seeing a Razorbacks sideline that looks different from recent years. For the Vols, though, the broader challenge is the same one that always comes with this trip: a conference road game against a longtime opponent, and one that Tennessee would like to make feel a little less familiar. [Read more 🡒]