Tennessee is one of three teams that received first-place votes in the latest AP Top 25 Poll. The voters that deemed the Vols the top team in the nation have a common theme amongst them. Almost half have seen the Vols play up close or know of UT head coach Josh Heupel.
The Vols received 15 first-place votes in the AP Poll that was released after Tennessee beat Alabama 52-49. Of those 15 votes, four were from reporters that covered teams that Tennessee has played this season. It’s also worth noting that three voters that placed the Vols atop their ballot cover Oklahoma.
Heupel played quarterback at Oklahoma and coached for the Sooners before being fired in 2015. Oklahoma’s beat reporters certainly think fondly of Heupel from afar. The Sooners are 4-3 under first year coach Brent Venables.
