The final AP Top 25 poll is in and Josh Heupel’s Tennessee Volunteers finished off the season with the No. 17 ranking in the nation. Tennessee rose eight spots in the rankings after a shutout win over Iowa in the Citrus Bowl and was the biggest mover among all of the teams in the top 25.
The Vols began the season with the preseason No. 12 ranking and spent one week in the Top 10 with the No. 9 ranking in the second week of the season. Tennessee most frequently spent time in the 20s of the poll this season.
That isn’t the only final poll of the year, though.
ESPN writer and analyst Bill Connelly released his final SP+ rankings on Wednesday morning which has Tennessee landing a spot just behind the National Champion runner-up.
Connelly’s SP+ system has Tennessee at No. 14 in the final rankings and sixth in the conference behind SEC foes No. 2 Georgia, No. 7 Alabama, No. 10 Missouri, No. 11 LSU, and No. 12 Ole Miss. Additionally, Tennessee’s offense ranked No. 18 in the system, the defense ranked No. 22 in the system, and the special teams unit ranked No. 52 in the system.
Tennessee is surrounded by the National Champion runner-up Washington Huskies at No. 13 and the Kansas State Wildcats at No. 15 in the rankings. Conference foe Texas A&M is right behind Kansas State at No. 16.
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Tennessee’s spot in the SP+ rankings is three spots higher than it is in the AP poll, but the systems categorize the teams very differently.
The SP+ poll is different. The rankings from ESPN aren’t used in TV productions and aren’t as known about as the standard AP and Coaches Poll rankings. What Connelly’s system does is provide fans with an in-depth look at their team in relation to the tempo- and opponent-adjusted statistics they put up throughout the season.
“SP+ is intended to be predictive and forward-facing,” Connelly wrote in the article. “It is not a résumé ranking that gives credit for big wins or particularly brave scheduling — no good predictive system is. It is simply a measure of the most sustainable and predictable aspects of football. If you’re lucky or unimpressive in a win, your rating will probably fall. If you’re strong and unlucky in a loss, it will probably rise.
Excitement on the road to the 2024 season is going to be massive for Tennessee football. The Vols boast two game-changing players on both sides of the ball with quarterback Nico Iamaleava and defensive lineman James Pearce Jr. and are looking to do some damage in the revitalized Southeastern Conference next season. The Vols have new matchups in Oklahoma, Arkansas, and Mississippi State coming up in the new-look SEC schedule.
For a full look at Bill Connelly’s SP+ rankings, check out the link here.
