Where the Tennessee Vols rank in the AP Top 25 programs of all time

247Sports took on the task of unbiasedly ranking the top 25 college football programs of all time this week. The national sports publication used the final AP poll from every season (since 1936) to come up with the AP top 25 of all time. And the Tennessee Vols cracked the top 10, coming in at […]

Zach Ragan — Tennessee Volunteers News Writer
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Tennessee Vols

247Sports took on the task of unbiasedly ranking the top 25 college football programs of all time this week.

The national sports publication used the final AP poll from every season (since 1936) to come up with the AP top 25 of all time.

And the Tennessee Vols cracked the top 10, coming in at No. 10.

The only SEC team ranked ahead of Tennessee is Alabama.

Here's the full top 25:

  1. Oklahoma Sooners
  2. Alabama Crimson Tide
  3. Ohio State Buckeyes
  4. Notre Dame Fighting Irish
  5. Michigan Wolverines
  6. USC Trojans
  7. Nebraska Huskers
  8. Texas Longhorns
  9. Penn State Nittany Lions
  10. Tennessee Vols
  11. LSU Tigers
  12. Georgia Bulldogs
  13. Auburn Tigers
  14. Florida State Seminoles
  15. Florida Gators
  16. Miami Hurricanes
  17. Clemson Tigers
  18. UCLA Bruins
  19. Michigan State Spartans
  20. Arkansas Razorbacks
  21. Texas A&M Aggies
  22. Wisconsin Badgers
  23. Washington Huskies
  24. Ole Miss Rebels
  25. Iowa Hawkeyes

Here's what 247Sports had to say about the Vols:

Since winning a national championship in 1998, Tennessee football has continuously tried working its way back to the top of the SEC, but results have underwhelmed. That season marked Tennessee's last SEC Championship and since Phillip Fulmer's departure in 2008, four different coaches have come and gone without making an impact. The Vols hired Josh Heupel — formerly of UCF — to reverse fortunes at a program that is no longer a staple within the national conversation. We'll see how quickly Heupel can bring Tennessee back to the forefront of the top 25 polls each and every week. After Year 1, the fanbase is encouraged the Vols are heading in the right direction under his tutelage.

The last 15 years have been pretty rough for Tennessee. The program's had five head coaches since moving on from Phillip Fulmer after the 2008 season.

Those 15 tough years have probably cost the Vols around three spots on this list.

These rankings, however, show why the Tennessee brand is so recognizable — UT football has historically been a powerhouse. And that potential is still there.

The Vols' coaching staff might want to show this list to every recruit they come in contact with over the next few months.

Featured image via Rex Perry / The Tennessean via Imagn Content Services/News Sentinel Archive

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