Tennessee is again rising up the AP and Coaches rankings as the Vols begin their season 2-0 with one Top 25 win.
Previously sitting at No. 14 in the AP poll and No. 12 in the coaches rankings, Tennessee has jumped into the Top 10 of both publications after defeating then-No.24 NC State on Saturday night.
Tennessee now sits at No. 7 in the AP poll and No. 9 in the coaches rankings heading into Week 3 of the college football season. Josh Heupel’s group was the biggest riser among Top 25 teams after Week 2.
The Vols’ seven-spot rise up the rankings comes on the heels of a dominant performance in Charlotte. While Tennessee didn’t play their best game, the Vols still erupted for a 51-10 win over the Wolfpack. Tennessee continued to put on steam throughout the game as the defense made the biggest headlines with a truly shutdown showing. The Wolfpack’s only touchdown of the game came on a pick-six interception from Nico Iamaleava.
Tennessee was also certainly helped by two losses from Top 10 programs. Michigan, previously ranked at No. 10, fell to No. 17 after losing to Texas in Ann Arbor. Notre Dame, meanwhile, fell from No. 5 to No. 18 after a 16-14 loss to Northern Illinois on Saturday afternoon.
In what will soon turn into all-out conference warfare, six of the top seven teams in the country are from the SEC: No. 1 Georgia, No. 2 Texas (up one), No. 3 Ohio State (down one), No. 4 Alabama, No. 5 Ole Miss (up one), No. 6 Missouri (up three), and No. 7 Tennessee (up seven).
All of the SEC’s ranked teams won on Saturday, some more comfortably than others.
No. 15 Oklahoma survived a scare from Houston while No. 4 Alabama needed a 28-point fourth quarter to comfortably put away Alex Golesh’s South Florida Bulls.
After just two games, Tennessee has already shown the AP voters enough to move the Vols up seven spots and into the Top 7. The Vols still have big tests ahead, but passed their first one on Saturday with a supreme effort from the Vols’ defense. All eyes are still on quarterback Nico Iamaleava, but the Vols’ defense could be the season-changing unit for Josh Heupel and his staff.
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Tennessee Football AP/Coaches Rankings
- Week 1: #15/#15 (Result: Defeated Chattanooga 69-3)
- Week 2: #14/#12 (Result: Defeated No. 24 NC State 51-10)
- Week 3: #7/#9 (Game: vs Kent State)
