‘That’s some pretty clear SEC bias’ – Tennessee Vols get called out for being ranked No. 14 in the AP Top 25 poll
The Tennessee Vols are ranked No. 14 in the AP Top 25 poll this week following their 56-34 win over the Kentucky Wildcats.
The Tennessee Vols are ranked No. 14 in this week’s AP Top 25 poll.
Tennessee climbed three spots in the rankings following its 56-34 win over the Kentucky Wildcats in Lexington this past weekend.
The Vols are 6-2 through eight games this season. Tennessee is set to take on the Oklahoma Sooners this weekend in Knoxville. Oklahoma is ranked No. 18 in this week’s AP Top 25 poll.
Tennessee Vols get called out for being ranked No. 14 in the AP Top 25 poll
Not everyone thinks the Vols should be ranked at No. 14.
ESPN’s Greg McElroy, for example, has the Vols at No. 21 in his top-25 rankings this week.
Additionally, CBS Sports’ Tom Fornelli questioned on the Cover 3 Podcast why Tennessee is ranked at No. 14 this week.
“So Tennessee is No. 14, and then there’s not another two-loss team until Oklahoma at No. 18,” said Fornelli. “So why is Tennessee’s 6-2 so much better than everybody else’s 6-2 or 5-2 when the teams that Tennessee has beaten are Syracuse, Eastern Tennessee, UAB, Mississippi State, Arkansas, and Kentucky?
“Yeah, I don’t get this one,” chimed in co-host Bud Elliott. “I would lump Missouri in there [with Tennessee], Tom. Missouri’s beaten a Kansas team that’s nothing special and a South Carolina team that’s not going to make a bowl. That’s some pretty clear SEC bias that’s showing up in the polls.”
I’ll be honest — I’m finding it harder and harder to care about rankings. The AP Top 25 serves no purpose these days — except to provide fodder for time-wasting arguments that solve absolutely nothing. That’s not to mention that there’s no result between any two teams in the top 25 that would surprise me.
I mean, if No. 25 Memphis and No. 1 Ohio State played this week, I’d expect the Buckeyes to win. But if the Tigers won, I wouldn’t be surprised. And if that’s the state of college football, then I’m not sure how anyone can rank these teams accurately.
Fornelli and Elliott make fair arguments. I can completely see where they’re coming from, and I respect it. Though they get caught up in results a little too much, maybe that’s just my inner coach/competitor talking — it’s all about the process!
But at the end of the day, Tennessee is ranked No. 14. That’s not changing until next week’s poll at the earliest. So even if some folks agree with Fornelli and Elliott, what’s been accomplished?
Ultimately, Tennessee will get a chance to show whether it deserves to be highly ranked or not over the final four games of the season. If the Vols win out against Oklahoma, New Mexico State, Florida, and Vanderbilt, finishing at 10-2 with their only losses coming to Georgia and Alabama, they’ll prove they’re worthy of being a top-10 team.
But until then, I just don’t see the point in getting worked up about what the AP Top 25 poll looks like in the final week of October.
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