Vols Start Season Inside Top 25 of AP Poll for 3rd Straight Year

For the third consecutive year, the Tennessee Volunteers will begin the season as a top 25 team.

The preseason AP Poll was released on Monday, and the Vols snuck just inside the top 25, coming in at the No. 25 spot. Tennessee came in at No. 9 in the preseason AP Poll last season and were ranked No. 25 in the preseason poll to start the 2015 season.

This marks the first time since 1990-2008 that the Vols have been ranked to start a season for three or more consecutive years in the AP Poll.

Tennessee is the fifth-highest ranked SEC team in the preseason AP Poll. Alabama comes in at No. 1 with easily the most first place votes (52). The other SEC teams in the top 25 are Auburn (12), Georgia (15), and Florida (17). Kentucky and Texas A&M were the only other SEC schools to receive votes, getting three votes apiece.

Here’s a complete list of the AP Poll’s preseason top 25 (first place votes are in parenthesis):

1. Alabama (52)
2. Ohio State (3)
3. Florida State (4)
4. USC (2)
5. Clemson
6. Penn State
7. Oklahoma
8. Washington
9. Wisconsin
10. Oklahoma State
11. Michigan
12. Auburn
13. LSU
14. Stanford
15. Georgia
16. Louisville
17. Florida
18. Miami
19. South Florida
20. Kansas State
21. Virginia Tech
22. West Virginia
23. Texas
24. Washington State
25. Tennessee