Tennessee Football joins Butch Jones on an unenviable list
The Tennessee Vols joined Butch Jones on a list this week that no program/coach ever wants to find themselves on. On Wednesday, ESPN college football writer Ryan McGee, who is a Tennessee graduate, revealed his famous "Bottom 10" list for Week 3 of the 2023 college football season. The Bottom 10 is essentially a week-by-week […]
The Tennessee Vols joined Butch Jones on a list this week that no program/coach ever wants to find themselves on.
On Wednesday, ESPN college football writer Ryan McGee, who is a Tennessee graduate, revealed his famous "Bottom 10" list for Week 3 of the 2023 college football season.
The Bottom 10 is essentially a week-by-week "ranking" of college football teams that aren't having much fun.
At No. 1 on the list this week is Arkansas State, which is coached by Butch Jones. The Red Wolves earned their first win of the season this past weekend — a 31-7 win against Stony Brook — after dropping their first two games of the season by a combined score of 114-3 (losses to Oklahoma and Memphis).
From ESPN: The Red Wolves earned their first win of the season, and they did it against Stony Brook. According to the magically and mysteriously accurate ESPN FPI formula, it was the last time they will be favored to win a game this season, averaging a 25.3% chance per game from here on out. Also, according to the magically and mysteriously accurate ESPN FPI formula, there is a 100% chance that Butch Jones will giggle when he sees who is in this week's Coveted Fifth Spot.
As soon as I read that last sentence from McGee, I knew exactly which team I'd find in the No. 5 spot.
Alabama Tennessee.
McGee put his alma mater, which he lovingly referred to as "Good ol' Rocky Slop", right there in the No. 5 spot, much to the (assumed) delight of Butch Jones.
"The last time Tennessee won in The Swamp was Sept. 20, 2003. The No. 1 film at the box office that week was 'Underworld'. Fittingly, a horror action movie," wrote McGee, who apparently wanted me to remind me that it's been 20 years since I was 18 years old (thanks Ryan).
Anyway, Tennessee needs to find its way off this list quickly. It's not like anyone is questioning Josh Heupel right now (not anyone reasonable and logical at least), but you can't spend too much time in the Bottom 10 if you're trying to be a championship caliber program. A trip to the Bottom 10 after a rough week is acceptable every now and then, but you don't want to be a fixture there.
The last thing Tennessee needs is to be rubbing elbows with Butch on the regular. If the Vols stay in the Bottom 10 too long we might hear Heupel start saying words like "resiliency", "byproduct", and "brick by brick".
That's enough to send a shiver up your spine if you're a Tennessee fan.
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Featured image via Kim Klement Neitzel-USA TODAY Sports
