College football media robs Tennessee Vols of a special accomplishment
College football media robbed the Tennessee Vols of a special accomplishment this season and UT fans have every right to be angry. Shortly after Georgia thrashed TCU in the national championship game on Monday night, the final AP Top 25 of the year was revealed. Tennessee, for reasons that are unexplainable, finished No. 6 in […]
College football media robbed the Tennessee Vols of a special accomplishment this season and UT fans have every right to be angry.
Shortly after Georgia thrashed TCU in the national championship game on Monday night, the final AP Top 25 of the year was revealed.
Tennessee, for reasons that are unexplainable, finished No. 6 in the final rankings, one spot behind Alabama, a team the Vols beat in 2022.
Ohio State finished at No. 4, behind Michigan at No. 3, TCU at No. 2, and Georgia at No. 1.
There's never been a bigger piece of evidence that there's a "Bama Bias" than these rankings.
Tennessee beat No. 5 Alabama, No. 13 Clemson, No. 16 LSU, and No. 23 Pittsburgh this season. Two of those wins came on the road.
Alabama, meanwhile, beat No. 14 Kansas State, No. 20 Mississippi State, and No. 25 Texas (on the road).
There's absolutely no justification for Alabama to be ranked above Tennessee. If Alabama was any other program, they'd be ranked below the Vols.
I mean, Washington went 11-2 and beat No. 15 Oregon, No. 17 Oregon State, and No. 25 Texas. They even have a strong argument to be ranked above Alabama (the Huskies have better wins).
Because of this obvious Bama Bias, the Vols missed out on their first top-five ranking to end the season since 2001. It's a shame that Tennessee doesn't get this recognition after a tremendous 11-2 season that included a win over Alabama.
The Vols are always going to have to work a little harder than programs like Alabama to receive respect — even when Tennessee clearly has a better season than the Crimson Tide.
Featured image via Caitie McMekin/News Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK
