Tennessee gained some ground in the Coaches’ poll but barely inched up in the AP Poll following the Vols’ anticipated 33-14 win over Mississippi State on Saturday.
The Coaches’ Poll also had some dramatic shifts as Tennessee climbed two positions to the No. 4 ranking and Georgia dropped seven places to No. 10 in the updated Coaches’ Poll. The only other SEC team ahead of the Vols is Texas and No. 9 Alabama and Georgia are the only other SEC schools left in the top ten.
The Vols moved up just one spot to No. 6 in the AP Poll, after being ranked No.7 heading into Tennessee’s matchup with State. Texas advanced two places to No.3. and is now the only SEC school with a higher ranking than Tennessee after Georgia plummeted nine spots to No.11. Alabama continues to climb, rising two places to No. 9. The now No. 10 Ole Miss Rebels upset of then No. 2 Georgia, put the Bulldogs in a free fall to No.11 and put them out of the top 10 for the first time since 2020.
While, in the end, it is up to the College Football Playoff Selection Committee to decide who plays in the inaugural 12-team College Football Playoff, Tennessee seems to be headed in the right direction.
Tennessee could be as high as fifth in the pending College Football Rankings, which will be announced on Tuesday, after Georgia Tech upset No. 4 Miami 28-23. As for the SEC standings, there are now just three teams with one loss in conference play: Tennessee (8-1, 5-1 in the SEC), Texas (8-1, 4-1) and Texas A&M (7-2, 5-1).
No. 11 Alabama beat No. 15 LSU 42-13, which gives both teams two SEC losses, along with Georgia, Ole Miss and Missouri. That means Tennessee controls its own destiny and would make the SEC Championship Game by beating its remaining SEC opponents: Georgia on Saturday and at Vanderbilt on Nov. 30.
