Notre Dame beat writer once again disrespects Vols with his AP Top 25 ballot
The Tennessee Vols fell to No. 5 in the updated AP Top 25 poll after their 27-13 loss to the Georgia Bulldogs in Athens this past weekend. Tennessee was previously tied at No. 2 with Ohio State. Falling to No. 5 is pretty much what most fans were expecting after the Vols' loss to Georgia. […]
The Tennessee Vols fell to No. 5 in the updated AP Top 25 poll after their 27-13 loss to the Georgia Bulldogs in Athens this past weekend.
Tennessee was previously tied at No. 2 with Ohio State.
Falling to No. 5 is pretty much what most fans were expecting after the Vols' loss to Georgia. It feels like a fair ranking.
However, not everyone agreed that Tennessee should be ranked at No. 5.
Notre Dame beat writer Mike Berardino of the South Bend Tribune has consistently ranked Tennessee below Alabama this season despite the Vols' win over the Crimson Tide.
So it shouldn't be a surprise that Berardino has Tennessee at No. 7 this week, one spot below Alabama.
No other writer had the Vols lower than No. 6. And only a few writers had Tennessee at No. 6. The majority had UT at No. 5 with a few writers putting the Vols at No. 4.
Berardino probably shouldn't have a vote at this point. He's either looking for attention or he has an anti-Tennessee bias. I'm not sure which it is (though I lean toward him looking for attention…which he's getting). But either way, his ballot is coming off as amateurish.
Tennessee has one loss. They beat Alabama. And they beat LSU on the road.
Alabama, meanwhile, lost to LSU on the road (giving them two losses).
There is no big secret here — anyone who keeps up with college football can clearly see that Tennessee should be ranked above Alabama. That's not even really up for debate — it's just common sense.
I don't know Berardino, but I assume he has a deep knowledge of college football considering his current job and his past jobs. That's why I can't understand why he continues to disrespect the Volunteers in this manner.
If Tennessee wins the national championship in January, I honestly think Berardino would put the Vols at No. 2 or No. 3 on his ballot.
That might sound silly to you, but it's not any sillier than Berardino putting a two-loss Alabama team above a one-loss Tennessee team that beat the Crimson Tide already.
Featured image via Brianna Paciorka/News Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK
