Tennessee’s place in the first College Football Playoff rankings came in just outside the cut line Tuesday night, with the Vols checking in at No. 13 in the opening Top 25.
That leaves Tennessee on the outside of the 12-team bracket for now, even after a stretch that had the Vols trending upward. Their win over Alabama on Oct. 17 put them in position to push into the playoff conversation, but the loss at South Carolina the next week knocked the resume back.
“I expected them to be a little bit higher,” Rece Davis said on the reveal show.
At 6-2 overall and 3-2 in the SEC, Tennessee is the sixth-highest ranked team from the conference in the first release. The teams ahead of the Vols from the SEC are No.
2 Georgia, No. 5 Alabama, No.
6 Kentucky, No. 7 Texas, and No.
10 Ole Miss. Tennessee is ranked ahead of No.
14 LSU, No. 18 Missouri, No.
21 South Carolina, and No. 24 Florida.
The rankings are only the starting point. This is the first of five Tuesday night reveals leading up to Dec. 1, with the final 12-team bracket set to be announced on Sunday, Dec. 6.
Tennessee still has a clear path to make a move. The Vols have four games left, beginning with a home matchup against No.
6 Kentucky this weekend. After that, Tennessee goes to Texas A&M, hosts No.
14 LSU, and finishes at Vanderbilt. If the Vols can run the table and finish 10-2 with three ranked wins, they would put themselves in strong shape for Selection Sunday.
ESPN’s Football Power Index gives Tennessee a 66.8% chance to beat Kentucky, a 50.5% chance to beat Texas A&M, a 33.4% chance to beat LSU, and an 85.6% chance to beat Vanderbilt.
No. 13 Tennessee will host No.
6 Kentucky at 6:15 p.m. ET on Saturday afternoon at Neyland Stadium.
In Other News...
Tennessee Still Has One Big QB Decision Hanging Over Kentucky
George MacIntyre has handled Tennessees offense for the last three games after Faizon Brandon went down with an injury, and the Volunteers have kept their quarterback situation in a holding pattern ever since. Josh Heupel still has not officially named a starter for the upcoming game against Kentucky, even though reports suggest MacIntyre is the likely choice to keep the job.
The decision matters because Tennessee has already seen both sides of the position this season. MacIntyre has been steady enough to keep the offense moving, while Brandons earlier work showed a sharper scoring touch before the injury stopped his run. With Kentucky next on the schedule, the Vols are still waiting on the final word at the most important spot on the field. [Read more 🡒]
Tennessee Defense Faces A Dangerous Temptation Against Kentucky
The bye week gave Tennessees defense a chance to catch its breath, and Anthony Poindexter believes it also gave the unit a little more time to settle into its own skin. The Vols co-defensive coordinator and secondary coach pointed to rest, communication and a better grasp of the system as the kind of quiet gains that can matter when the games tighten up in the SEC.
Kentucky offers a different kind of test, though, with an offense that can change formations and tempos fast enough to bait a defense into overreaching. Poindexters message was clear: stay disciplined, dont chase forced turnovers, and trust the structure Tennessee has been building. Against a team that can create confusion simply by varying the picture, the temptation to do too much can be just as dangerous as any big play. [Read more 🡒]
Tennessee Gets Its First Real Test Of A Very Different Team
The first real look at Tennessees revamped basketball roster arrives Nov. 3, when the Volunteers open the season against Wofford at Food City Center in Knoxville. It will be the first chance to see how a group that added new pieces like Juke Harris and Terrence Hill Jr. fits together after last seasons Elite Eight run, with the opener set for the SEC Network and streaming on the ESPN App.
For Tennessee, the intrigue is less about the opponent than about the shape of this new team. The Volunteers have earned the right to start the year with expectations, but openers often reveal more than any practice report can, especially when there are fresh faces trying to settle in and carry over the standard set by a deep postseason run. [Read more 🡒]