It's a strange thing, isn't it? You'd think a team needs to be playing to climb the rankings. But that's exactly what happened with Tennessee! Despite having a weekend off, the Volunteers managed to move up in both major polls. Let's dive into how this happened and what it means for the rest of their season.
Tennessee, taking a breather on their second open date of the 2025 season, enjoyed a Saturday of rest before their final push. They're gearing up for a three-game stretch to close out the season. The Vols, with a record of 6-3 overall and 3-3 in the SEC, are set to return to action with their Homecoming game against New Mexico State. This will be followed by matchups against SEC rivals Florida and Vanderbilt.
The new rankings, released on Sunday, showed Tennessee climbing two spots to No. 21 in the Associated Press Top 25 and two spots to No. 20 in the US LBM Coaches Poll.
But here's where it gets controversial... The initial College Football Playoff (CFP) rankings, which hold more weight at this stage of the season, had Tennessee at No. 25. The big question is whether they'll maintain their streak of being in the CFP top 25, which will be revealed in the new rankings on Tuesday night.
Several top teams stumbled on Saturday, opening the door for teams like Tennessee to advance. These included upsets for No. 7 BYU, No. 20 Iowa, No. 22 Missouri, No. 14 Virginia, No. 15 Louisville, and No. 23 Washington.
Tennessee's Playoff hopes were dashed after their third loss of the season. This gave the team an extra week to regroup. The coaches and players got back to work with three practices before the weekend break, allowing the coaching staff to focus on recruiting. They'll reconvene Sunday night to prepare for New Mexico State.
The focus now shifts to the Aggies from Conference USA, with the Vols needing to avoid looking ahead to those final two games. Even though Florida suffered a significant loss, Tennessee hasn't won in Gainesville since 2003. Meanwhile, in-state rival Vanderbilt is still in Playoff contention after a recent win.
Tennessee has the potential to reach double-digit wins for the third time in four seasons under head coach Josh Heupel.
Heupel emphasized the importance of resilience, stating that the team needs to learn from losses and use them as fuel for the remaining games.
AP Top 25 – Week 12
- 1. Ohio State
- 2. Indiana
- 3. Texas A&M
- 4. Alabama
- 5. Georgia
- 6. Ole Miss
- 7. Oregon
- 8. Texas Tech
- 9. Notre Dame
- 10. Texas
- 11. Oklahoma
- 12. BYU
- 13. Vanderbilt
- 14. Georgia Tech
- 15. Utah
- 16. Miami
- 17. USC
- 18. Michigan
- 19. Louisville
- 20. Virginia
- 21. Tennessee
- 22. Cincinnati
- 23. Pittsburgh
- 24. James Madison
- 25. South Florida
US LBM Coaches Poll – Week 12
- 1. Ohio State
- 2. Indiana
- 3. Texas A&M
- 4. Alabama
- 5. Georgia
- 6. Oregon
- 7. Ole Miss
- 8. Texas Tech
- 9. Notre Dame
- t-10. Texas
- t-10. Oklahoma
- t-12. Georgia Tech
- t-12. BYU
- 14. Vanderbilt
- 15. Utah
- 16. Miami
- 17. Michigan
- 18. USC
- 19. Virginia
- 20. Tennessee
- 21. Louisville
- 22. Cincinnati
- 23. Pittsburgh
- 24. Missouri
- 25. James Madison
What do you think? Does Tennessee's rise in the rankings surprise you? Do you think they have what it takes to finish strong? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
