Where the Tennessee Vols rank in CBS Sports' rankings of all 130 teams
The Tennessee Vols are 4-4 after the first two months of the season, but that record is a bit deceiving. Tennessee could easily be 6-2 right now heading into their matchup with the Kentucky Wildcats on Saturday night in Lexington. The Vols' narrowly lost to Pittsburgh earlier this season with Joe Milton starting at quarterback. […]
The Tennessee Vols are 4-4 after the first two months of the season, but that record is a bit deceiving.
Tennessee could easily be 6-2 right now heading into their matchup with the Kentucky Wildcats on Saturday night in Lexington.
The Vols' narrowly lost to Pittsburgh earlier this season with Joe Milton starting at quarterback. If Hendon Hooker starts that game, it's reasonable to suggest that UT likely would've won the game.
The Ole Miss loss is another game that Tennessee could've easily won. Milton finished the game after Hooker was injured. On the next to last play of the game, Milton just barely missed throwing the game-winning touchdown. If that pass is caught, it's a win for the Vols. It was literally a loss by inches for UT.
So with that in mind, where does a 4-4 Tennessee squad rank in CBS Sports' ranking of all 130 FBS teams?
The answer is No. 50, one spot ahead of LSU.
This is probably fair. Most of the teams around the Vols in the rankings are also 4-4. And I'm sure several of those teams feel that, like Tennessee, they could easily be 6-2.
If the Vols beat Kentucky this weekend, they should break the top 35.
Tennessee still has a long way to go as a program, but at least they're on an upward trajectory under Josh Heupel.
Featured image via Brianna Paciorka/News Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK/UTAD
