Where the Tennessee Vols fall in Pro Football Focus' preseason top 25 rankings
The Tennessee Vols are hoping to pick up in 2023 where they left off in 2022. Tennessee won 11 games in 2022 for the first time since the 2001 season. The Vols also beat Alabama and Florida in the same for the first time since 2004 (and it was UT's first win against Alabama since […]
The Tennessee Vols are hoping to pick up in 2023 where they left off in 2022.
Tennessee won 11 games in 2022 for the first time since the 2001 season. The Vols also beat Alabama and Florida in the same for the first time since 2004 (and it was UT's first win against Alabama since 2006…the pre-Nick Saban era in Tuscaloosa).
The Vols won 11 games on the strength of their offense, which led the nation in scoring at 46.1 points per game. Tennessee finished the season as the No. 6 team in the nation.
Entering the 2023 season, the Vols are facing plenty of questions. Was the 2022 season an anomaly? Can Tennessee continue to score points at a record-setting pace? Will Joe Milton be a suitable replacement for quarterback Hendon Hooker?
For now, most national media outlets are giving the Vols the benefit of the doubt. They don't think Tennessee is going to be a top five preseason team, but most seem to have the Vols as a top 10 team.
That includes Pro Football Focus, which recently released their preseason top 25.
PFF has the Vols as the No. 9 team in the nation in their preseason top 25.
Here's their full top 25:
1. Georgia
2. Alabama
3. Ohio State
4. Michigan
5. Texas
6. Clemson
7. Penn State
8. LSU
9. Tennessee
10. USC
11. Notre Dame
12. Oregon
13. Oklahoma
14. Florida State
15. Utah
16. TCU
17. Kansas State
18. Arkansas
19. Kentucky
20. Florida
21. Washington
22. South Carolina
23. Mississippi State
24. Minnesota
25. Pittsburgh
This is a more than fair ranking for Tennessee. There's room for the Vols to quickly climb the rankings if they get off to another quick start. But Tennessee isn't ranked so highly that it puts unfair expectations on the program entering Josh Heupel's third season as UT's head coach.
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Featured image via Caitie McMekin/News Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK
