The Tennessee Vols moved up three spots in the latest AP Top 25 poll after their 56-0 win against the Vanderbilt Commodores.

Tennessee is ranked No. 7, one spot behind Alabama, after being ranked No. 10 last week.

I'm sure there's going to be plenty of debate over whether or not the Vols should be ranked above an Alabama team that Tennessee beat earlier this season (Vols and the Crimson Tide are both 10-2 at the conclusion of the regular season).

There are really two debates here:

• Should Tennessee be ranked higher than No. 7?
• Should Alabama be ranked No. 6?

The second of those questions is easier to answer. The Crimson Tide wouldn't be ranked No. 6 if they were any other program with the same resumé. Bama's best win is against Texas. Washington, which is ranked No. 9, has wins over Oregon and Oregon State, both of which are ranked higher than Texas. So yes, there's definitely some Bama bias happening here.

When it comes to Tennessee, I think the debate comes down to resumé versus the current state of the team. Before the Vols' loss to South Carolina, I argued that UT should be ranked above TCU because I felt Tennessee was the better team — despite the Vols' tough loss to Georgia. My argument was that the "best team" should get in the playoff over the better resumé.

That argument has to go both ways. So while I feel like Tennessee has a better resumé than some of other teams around them (like Alabama), I think it has to be acknowledged that the Vols aren't the same team without Hendon Hooker, who was lost for the season after suffering a torn ACL in the loss to South Carolina.

Tennessee barely beat Alabama at home with Hooker. Would the Vols beat the Crimson Tide on a neutral field without Hooker? That's a tough call and I certainly understand why folks would take Bryce Young and Bama in a hypothetical rematch on a neutral field.

I think what we're seeing is that UT's ranking is indicative of how voters view the Vols without Hooker.

And whether you agree or not, I think that's fair. If any team lost their Heisman Trophy-contending quarterback, the favorable view of that team would immediately be diminished.

Now, with that said, I still would've voted Tennessee above Alabama if I were a voter, just because I would have a hard time voting the Vols below a team they beat head to head (plus the Vols have two top 11 wins and Alabama doesn't have any).

But I also understand why voters don't feel the same about Tennessee without Hooker. And I think that's the main reason they're at No. 7 and not higher.

Ultimately, if Tennessee would've taken care of business against South Carolina, none of this would matter.

Featured image via Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports