Dan Mullen once spurned a conversation with former Tennessee director of athletics John Currie about the Vols’ head coaching vacancy to become the new head coach at the University of Florida.
Five years later, the terminated Mullen is going to bat for Tennessee about the newest College Football Playoff rankings.
The Vols came in the latest rankings at No. 7, one spot behind Nick Saban and the Alabama Crimson Tide. Mullen, who spent four years and Gainesville and never lost to Tennessee, took exception to the rankings on Twitter Tuesday night.
Since Tennessee (10-2, 6-2 SEC) beat Alabama (10-2, 6-2 SEC) head-to-head, the veteran SEC coach believes the Vols should be ranked ahead of the Crimson Tide.
If Alabama and Tennessee are ranked next to each other Tennessee should be ranked higher than Alabama. They won on the field.
— Dan Mullen (@CoachDanMullen) November 30, 2022
While Tennessee being one spot behind Alabama in the rankings isn’t a big deal on the surface, the rankings has a major ripple affect in the New Years Six bowl landscape.
The highest ranked SEC team that doesn’t make the playoffs has a direct tie in to the Sugar Bowl, meaning Alabama being ranked higher than Tennessee puts the Crimson Tide in the Sugar Bowl over the Vols.
Head-to-head results played a major role in other rankings in the penultimate CFP rankings. Florida State ranked ahead of LSU while Oregon State ranked ahead of Oregon. Mullen, once again, took exception.
FSU ahead of LSU head to head. Oregon state ahead of Oregon head to head. Tennessee Alabama 🤷♂️
— Dan Mullen (@CoachDanMullen) November 30, 2022
So what was the committee’s criteria to rank Alabama ahead of Tennessee?
“The outlier would be the Tennessee loss to South Carolina as opposed to two close losses by Alabama,” CFB Playoff Chair Boo Corrigan said of why Alabama is ahead of Tennessee. “I think that was the determining factor there.”
With Tennessee out of the Sugar Bowl, the Vols seemed poised to head to the Orange Bowl. Instead, a Big 10 power play may push Tennessee out of the Orange Bowl and into the Cotton Bowl.
The final CFP rankings and bowl selection comes out Sunday afternoon following Saturday’s conference championship games.
