Tennessee football has earned a top-10 ranking in the USA Today Sports AFCA (American Football Coaches Association) preseason poll.
The Vols came in at No. 10 in the poll that was released on Monday, ranking fourth among SEC teams. It is the highest ranking Tennessee has received in the AFCA Top 25 preseason poll since 2016.
The AFCA poll is the first major preseason poll to be released. The AP Preseason Top 25 Poll will be released one week from today, August 14, at 12 p.m. ET.
The three SEC teams ranked ahead of Tennessee were Georgia (1), Alabama (3), and LSU (5). Georgia received a whopping 61 first-place votes. Only Ohio State (4) and Alabama (1) received first-place votes outside of the Bulldogs.
Only two other SEC teams made AFCA’s top 25, as the Ole Miss Rebels came in at No. 22 and Texas A&M rounded out the poll at No. 25.
Both future SEC schools, Texas and Oklahoma, also made the list. The Longhorns were slotted at No. 12 while the Sooners came in at No. 19.
The Vols are ranked one spot behind Clemson (9), who lost to Tennessee in the Orange Bowl last December, 31-14.
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Tennessee is set to play three teams in AFCA’s Top 25 this season. The Vols will take on No. 25 Texas A&M on October 14 in Neyland Stadium, No. 3 Alabama on October 21 in Tuscaloosa and No. 1 Georgia on November 18 in Knoxville.
Tennessee is entering the 2023 season coming off their best season in over two decades. The Vols were 6-1 against ranked competition last year and began the season 8-0 before losing to Georgia in early November.
Expectations and excitations are high for the Big Orange entering year three of the Josh Heupel era, as the 10th overall ranking in the preseason poll is no surprise. If starting quarterback Joe Milton III can breakout in his final season of eligibility, Tennessee figures to be a College Football Playoff contender for the second year in a row.
The Vols begin their season on Saturday, September 2, against Virginia in Nashville at Nissan Stadium.
