Tennessee Vols given a huge slap in the face that Alabama also deserved to get
The Tennessee Volunteers defeated the Florida Gators in overtime 23-17 on Saturday night at Neyland Stadium. That used to mean something very big in the college football world. Something worth being very proud of and excited about. Apparently, that's not the case anymore, at least if you ask the AP poll voters. The Vols were […]
The Tennessee Volunteers defeated the Florida Gators in overtime 23-17 on Saturday night at Neyland Stadium. That used to mean something very big in the college football world. Something worth being very proud of and excited about.
Apparently, that's not the case anymore, at least if you ask the AP poll voters.
The Vols were dropped three spots in the AP poll on Sunday, falling from #8 to #11. Iowa State, LSU, and Clemson all jumped the Vols.
It's ridiculous to fathom how winning over an archrival merits a jump that would be equivalent to a loss. I mean, some teams have lost this year and not dropped that much. Clearly the voters weren't impressed enough with the Vols' performance as a 14.5-point favorite.
But if they weren't, they absolutely shouldn't have been with Alabama's either. The Crimson Tide – a 21-point favorite – beat 3-3 South Carolina by 2 points. They needed to field a lollipop arm punt pass on the final play after allowing South Carolina to recover an onside kick. Of course, that came on the heels of losing 40-35 to Vanderbilt just a week prior.
However, Alabama saw themselves hold steady at #7 despite the second straight week of looking absolutely mediocre. Yes, they defeated Georgia (who knows how good they are), but that win was accounted for when they dropped the Tide to #7 after the Vandy loss.
And the Georgia game apparently didn't have much bearing on the voters' decision to award Clemson for defeating yet another Charmin-soft opponent. The Tigers were blown off the field by the Bulldogs 34-3 to start the year.
It's simply name recognition and reputation. Anyone else loses to Vandy, they're freefalling in the standings like Hans Gruber from the Nakatomi Plaza in Die Hard. But it's Bama. It's a name that carries weight, apparently even with Nick Saban gone. And Tennessee's doesn't. And that's been proven for the second straight week.
We'll see if the Vols can jump the Crimson Tide after Saturday, when the two clash in Knoxville. At least, I'm assuming a win might move the Vols over them. But maybe I shouldn't be assuming anything at this point.
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