The Tennessee football program is entering territory that hasn’t often been seen since the Vols’ championship era in the mid to late 90s.
According to Fox Sports Knoxville on Instagram, Tennessee has been ranked in 36 straight coaches polls after being placed at No. 4 in the country following the bye week on Monday. The Vols’ 36 straight weeks in the coaches poll have all been done under head coach Josh Heupel with the first ranking dating back to Sept. 11, 2022.
Tennessee first broke through the Coaches Top 25 under Josh Heupel two weeks into the 2022 season at No. 16 after a road win over Pittsburgh. The Vols kept their spot in the Top 25 for the whole 2022 season and finished at No. 6 in the post-bowl games coaches poll.
While the 2023 season will be remembered as a bit of a step back in between the impressive 2022 season and the red-hot start to the 2024 season, Tennessee was ranked in the coaches poll throughout the entirety of it. The Vols were ranked in the back half for the whole season but still kept a spot in the coaches poll throughout.
Tennessee was never in danger of missing out on the coaches poll to start the 2024 season. With quarterback Nico Iamaleava coming off of a 35-0 debut shutout win over Iowa in the Citrus Bowl and some nice additions from the transfer portal, the coaches had Tennessee at No. 15 to start the season.
The Vols have moved all the way up to No. 4 after just four games in five weeks.
More from RTI: Tennessee Football At Program Record Pace Through Four Weeks
The Coaches Poll has a long history that began in 1950 but the edition of the “Top 25” that is known today originated prior to the 1990 football and basketball seasons.
Tennessee entered the Coaches Poll at 7-4 on Nov. 28, 1994, and held a spot in the poll until falling out in the Oct. 9, 2000, edition. During that span of time, Tennessee won two SEC championships (1997, 1998), two division championships (1997, 1998), and one National Championship (1998).
Tennessee has only had one substantial coaches poll streak between then and now with it coming in the early to mid-2000s. The Vols were ranked in every coaches poll from Aug. 1, 2003, to Oct. 30, 2005, winning two SEC East titles in that stretch. The 2024 Tennessee team will beat that streak by the end of the season if they remain in the poll.
How the Coaches Poll Works
According to USA Today: “The US LBM Coaches Poll is conducted weekly throughout the regular season using a panel of head coaches at Football Bowl Subdivision schools. The panel is chosen by random draw, conference by conference plus independents, from a pool of coaches who have indicated to the American Football Coaches Association their willingness to participate. Each coach submits a Top 25 with a first-place vote worth 25 points, second place 24, and so on down to one point for 25th.”
