The most recent AP Top 25 poll and College Football Playoff Ranking had the 7-4 Tennessee Volunteers ranked 25th and 21st, respectively, and SiriusXM football analyst and Florida State Seminoles alum Danny Kanell had some choice words for the ranking.
Tennessee being ranked is the most SEC thing ever. They haven?t beaten ANYONE but I guess 4 losses in the SEC = quality. #SECmath
— Danny Kanell (@dannykanell) November 22, 2023
"Tennessee being ranked is the most SEC thing ever. They haven't beaten ANYONE but I guess 4 losses in the SEC = quality. #SECmath," Kanell, formerly of ESPN, said.
If you look at the AP Top 25, some teams that just missed the cut were Utah, NC State, UNLV, and SMU, in that order. Utah received 69 votes compared to Tennessee's 72.
If you look at Tennessee's schedule, they've beaten Virginia, Austin Peay, UTSA, South Carolina, Texas A&M, Kentucky, and UConn. They've lost to Alabama, Georgia, Missouri, and Florida.
As for Utah, they're also 7-4 with wins over key opponents like Florida, UCLA, and USC. They've lost to Arizona, Washington, Oregon, and Oregon State.
They're ahead of NC State, Tulane, Clemson, and Liberty in the College Football Playoff Ranking. Clemson is also 7-4, and NC State is 8-3. You could argue NC State's best wins were over Miami and Clemson.
Users on X had some agreeable responses with the former FSU quarterback.
I?m a Georgia fan and often chuckle at your SEC takes but I tend to agree here. Tennessee?s resume is light. Best win is over 7-4 TAMU team. Then again who would you put over them? I?d probably lean UCLA, Utah, UNC or UNLV here. No one else in power 5 at 7-4 or 8-3 who has much?
— Joey Campbell (@jrok78) November 22, 2023
"I'm a Georgia fan and often chuckle at your SEC takes but I tend to agree here. Tennessee's resume is light. Best win is over 7-4 TAMU team. Then again who would you put over them? I'd probably lean UCLA, Utah, UNC or UNLV here. No one else in power 5 at 7-4 or 8-3 who has much more to offer," one user wrote.
Any of those 4 should be above them, Tennessee lost to a bad Florida team that Utah beat when they were down like 9 starters
— IRV Garcia (deogscum) (@VegaLocoYaYArea) November 22, 2023
"Any of those 4 should be above them, Tennessee lost to a bad Florida team that Utah beat when they were down like 9 starters," another user wrote.
Don?t forget, Oregon hasn?t beaten a team ranked in the top 25 and they?re the highest ranked one loss team. Michigan cancelled their only P5 OOC opponent (again) and they?re ahead of Washington and FSU. We get it, you only hate the SEC.
— Mr. Brandon (@Brandon_SV) November 22, 2023
"Don't forget, Oregon hasn't beaten a team ranked in the top 25 and they're the highest ranked one loss team. Michigan cancelled their only P5 OOC opponent (again) and they're ahead of Washington and FSU. We get it, you only hate the SEC," someone else wrote, disagreeing with Kanell's stance.
That low in the rankings, it's somewhat up in the air. The most significant evidence point could be Utah beating Florida, which Tennessee lost to.
This week, we'll see what happens as the Tennessee Volunteers take on the Vanderbilt Commodores at home in Week 13 of the 2023 college football season.
