Where’s the love for Tennessee after the Vols smashed No. 23 North Carolina State 51-10? Weren’t the Wolfpack supposed to be a quality opponent? The Vols made them look like mincemeat.
So, explain how Tennessee lags behind at No. 9 in the US LBM coaches poll and is ranked No. 7 by the AP?
On this edition of “The Volunteer State,” hosts Blake Toppmeyer of the USA TODAY Network and the News Sentinel’s Adam Sparks and John Adams unpack what might be contributing to Tennessee’s ranking and whether it even matters.
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The crew also revises their record projections for Tennessee.
Forget 9-3. How about 10-2 or 11-1?
Why isn’t Tennessee football ranked in top five?
If rankings were based in performance and who teams played and beat, the Vols would have a case for top-five status. But, voters can base their rankings on whatever they want.
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ADAMS: How does Tennessee football’s Nico Iamaleava compare to other SEC QB Heisman candidates
Many voters, particularly in the coaches’ poll, decline to lower a team in their rankings if the team won the previous Saturday, however ugly that win might have been. Consider Alabama, which held steady at No. 4 despite struggling throughout most of its victory against South Florida.
Also, a lot of voters don’t penalize teams for playing cupcakes in the first few weeks of the season. No. 5 Ole Miss crushed two overwhelmed opponents, Furman and Middle Tennessee, and voters are unwilling to take it out on the Rebels for not yet playing a ranked team.
Ballots in the coaches’ poll are not released to the public, but the AP does release its voters’ ballots. The Vols were ranked as high as No. 4 by two voters: David Jablonski (Dayton Daily News) and Matt Brown (Sports on Earth). On the low end, Brett McMurphy (Action Network) ranked the Vols 13th.
Sparks thinks a No. 6 or No. 7 ranking is appropriate for Tennessee. He’d consider slotting the Vols ahead of Alabama.
Like Sparks, Adams doesn’t have an AP ballot this year. If he did, he’d rank Tennessee within his top five.
Adjusting record predictions for Tennessee Vols
Sparks and Toppmeyer, in the preseason, projected Tennessee would go 9-3. So impressed, they were, by Tennessee’s defense against NC State that they’re upping their projection. Sparks recalibrated to 10-2, maybe even 11-1, while Toppmeyer leans toward 10-2. He’s penciled Tennessee into his latest playoff projection.
Don’t accuse Adams of being a bandwagoner. He carried the torch for the Vols throughout the preseason. While Sparks and Toppmeyer were skeptics, Adams always had Tennessee in the playoff. Now, he’s considering upping the ante to 11-1.
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Blake Toppmeyer is the USA TODAY Network’s national college football columnist and a published author. John Adams is the News Sentinel’s senior columnist and a two-time published author. Adam Sparks covers the Vols with award-winning coverage for the News Sentinel. You can subscribe to read all their coverage, or check out the SEC Unfiltered newsletter, delivered straight to your inbox.
This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: No respect: Why Tennessee football still snubbed in Top 25 rankings
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Publish date : 2024-09-11 19:09:00
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