Tennessee rattled off its third straight win by defeating Kentucky 28-18 on Saturday night in Knoxville, TN.
The Vols overcame a slow start with special teams mishaps in the first half to rattle off three touchdowns in the second half to secure the SEC rivalry victory.
Tennessee, ranked No. 7 in both polls when it beat Kentucky, moved up in the Coaches Poll while remaining put in the AP Poll.
The Vols moved up one spot to No. 6 in the Coaches Polls on Sunday while staying at No. 7 in the AP Rankings.
Tennessee had previously been ranked at No. 7 for two straight weeks in the AP rankings following the win over Alabama and the Vols’ second open date last week. Week 11 will make three straight weeks at the seventh spot for the Vols.
Josh Heupel’s squad will stay in Knoxville next week to wrap up a massive four-game, five-week home stretch from their campus confines of Neyland Stadium. The Vols host Mississippi State, the SEC’s last-place team with zero conference wins, next Saturday night under the lights at 7:00 p.m. ET on ESPN.
Tennessee’s win keeps the Vols squarely in the College Football Playoffs conversation and the SEC Championship game conversation – but the Vols have to continue handling business on the field to keep their postseason goals ahead of them. No one had any doubt that Tennessee’s Week 12 game against Georgia was going to be vital for both team’s playoff chances, but now the regular-season finale against Vanderbilt (6-3, 3-2 SEC) holds more weight than anyone could have predicted. Tennessee hosts UTEP in between the road contests at Georgia and Vanderbilt and losses to both would be devastating.
It’s about continuing to collect wins for Josh Heupel’s squad with just four games left in the regular season.
Tennessee is the third highest-ranked SEC team in Sunday’s AP rankings behind No. 2 Georgia and No. 5 Texas.
More from RTI: Tennessee Football Opens As Massive Favorites Against Mississippi State
Here’s a look at Tennessee’s history in the AP Poll rankings this season:
Tennessee Football AP/Coaches Rankings – 2024
- Week 1: #15/#15 (Result: Defeated Chattanooga 69-3)
- Week 2: #14/#12 (Result: Defeated #24/#23 NC State 51-10)
- Week 3: #7/#9 (Result: Defeated Kent State 71-0)
- Week 4: #6/#7 (Result: Defeated #15/#13 Oklahoma 25-15)
- Week 5: #5/#6 (Result: BYE)
- Week 6: #4/#4 (Result: Loss to Arkansas 19-14)
- Week 7: #8/#9 (Result: Defeated Florida 23-17 OT)
- Week 8: #11/#10 (Result: Defeated No. 7 Alabama 24-17)
- Week 9: #7/#8 (Result: BYE)
- Week 10: #7/#7 (Result: Defeated Kentucky 28-18)
- Week 11: #7/#6 (Next Up: vs Mississippi State)
No. 7 Tennessee (7-1, 4-1 SEC) will host Mississippi State (2-7, 0-5 SEC) on Saturday night in Neyland Stadium at 7:00 p.m. ET. Stay tuned to Rocky Top Insider for live, on-site coverage of the game in Knoxville next Saturday night.
