Tennessee football moved up seven spots in the Week 3 edition of the AP Poll on Sunday afternoon. Josh Heupel’s Volunteers are sitting at No. 15 in the latest edition of the AP rankings ahead of their SEC opener against No. 6 Georgia at 3:30 p.m. on Saturday afternoon in Neyland Stadium.
The Vols began the season at No. 24 and moved up to No. 22 after defeating Syracuse. With a 2-0 start and a win over ETSU on Saturday, Tennessee is now sitting as a Top 15 team at No. 15 heading into next weekend.
Tennessee is the sixth highest-ranked team from the SEC in the Week 3 AP rankings. The Vols sit behind No. 3 LSU, No. 6 Georgia, No. 7 Texas, No. 11 South Carolina, and No. 13 Oklahoma.
Tennessee jumped over multiple SEC foes and now lands ahead of No. 16 Texas A&M, No. 17 Ole Miss, No. 19 Alabama, No. 24 Auburn, and No. 25 Missouri.
1️⃣5️⃣ in both the AP and coaches poll#GBO 🍊 pic.twitter.com/NqBDfVXEN7
— Tennessee Football (@Vol_Football) September 7, 2025
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Tennessee’s spot in the AP Poll is the same as where it landed in Sunday’s USA Today Coaches Poll. The Vols are ranked at No. 15 in both polls.
All eyes will be on Rocky Top this weekend for the SEC battle between border rivals Tennessee and Georgia from Neyland Stadium. ESPN’s College GameDay will be set up at Ayers Hall to kick off the festivities in the morning, while Tennessee will also implement its Checker Neyland environment to enhance the gameday atmosphere.
While Syracuse is a Power 4 foe, this will be the first true test of the season for both the Volunteers and the Bulldogs. Tennessee is coming off wins against Syracuse and East Tennessee State to open the season, while Georgia has two wins against Marshall and Austin Peay to begin the season. Tennessee is looking for its first win over Georgia in the Josh Heupel era this Saturday in Knoxville.
The Volunteers are currently a point underdog heading into the game on Saturday.
Here’s a look at Tennessee’s ranking history this season:
| AP Poll | Coaches Ranking | |
| Week 1 | No. 24 | No. 18 |
| Week 2 | No. 22 | No. 17 |
| Week 3 | No. 15 | No. 15 |
