Tennessee will enter the season in the Top 25 in both major polls, with the 2015 preseason AP Poll putting UT at the exact same spot as the Coaches Poll – No. 25.
This is the first time the Vols will be ranked in the AP Poll heading into the year since the 2008 season, which was also the case for the Coaches Poll released earlier this month. Tennessee hasn’t been ranked at any point during the year since the 2012 season.
Ohio State made history at the top of the poll, becoming the first unanimous No. 1 preseason selection in the history of the preseason poll, which dates back to 1950. The Buckeyes received all 61 first-place votes, with TCU, Alabama, Baylor and Michigan State rounding out the top five.
The SEC tied its own record of eight teams in the poll, which was originally set in 2011 and occurred last preseason as well. Alabama (3), Auburn (6), Georgia (9), LSU (14), Ole Miss (17), Arkansas (18), Missouri (24) and Tennessee (25) are the SEC representatives in 2015. Three other SEC teams – Mississippi State, Texas A&M and Florida – received votes. MSU and Texas A&M qualified for the 26th and 27th, respectively, in the poll with the votes they received, Florida came in 37th. South Carolina, Kentucky and Vanderbilt were the only three SEC teams to receive no votes.
The Vols will face five preseason Top 25 teams in 2015 – Alabama, Georgia, Arkansas, Oklahoma and Missouri.
Full poll:
1. Ohio State
2. TCU
3. Alabama
4. Baylor
5. Michigan State
6. Auburn
7. Oregon
8. USC
9. Georgia
10. Florida State
11. Notre Dame
12. Clemson
13. UCLA
14. LSU
15. Arizona State
16. Georgia Tech
17. Ole Miss
18. Arkansas
19. Oklahoma
20. Wisconsin
21. Stanford
22. Arizona
23. Boise State
24. Missouri
25. Tennessee
