Tennessee stayed right where it started in the Coaches Poll after rolling past Furman 56-9 on Saturday in Neyland Stadium. The Vols opened the season at No. 18, and that’s still where they sit heading into a road trip to Georgia Tech. They had climbed past Michigan, only to get jumped by SMU.
That ranking leaves Tennessee with the eighth-highest spot among SEC teams. The Vols are behind No.
2 Georgia, No. 3 Texas, No.
8 LSU, No. 9 Texas A&M, No.
10 Oklahoma, No. 11 Ole Miss and No.
12 Alabama.
Georgia Tech is next, and the Yellow Jackets enter the matchup after a rough 14-13 home loss to Colorado. They are unranked and did not pick up any votes from coaches in the poll.
Even with Tennessee favored by its standing, Josh Heupel isn’t treating this like a soft landing spot. The Vols coach said on The Mike Keith Show that the challenge will be about toughness and handling the line of scrimmage on the road.
“Obviously, lose a heartbreaker at home,” Josh Heupel said on The Mike Keith Show. “They’ve had a couple extra days of preparation, know the purpose that they’re going to have in their preparation to play great football.
First time that we’ve been down there inside of that stadium, I think close to 40 years. I think close to 20 guys that are from the Atlanta area.
It should be a great contest, great atmosphere. We have to win with physicality this week.
We know what we’re getting on the other side of the line of scrimmage.”
Tennessee and Georgia Tech are set for a 7 p.m. ET kickoff in Atlanta at Bobby Dodd Stadium, with ESPN carrying the game. The AP Poll is due out later Tuesday afternoon.
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The race around Gibbs is a good reminder that early commitments can get complicated fast when the nations biggest programs start applying pressure. Tennessee now finds itself in a battle that also includes Notre Dame, Auburn, Ohio State and Alabama, and the Volunteers will have to make a strong impression if they want any real shot at pulling the No. 302 overall prospect in the 2028 class away from his current pledge. [Read more 🡒]