Tennessee Volunteers

All for Tennessee Official Week 5 SEC Power Rankings: Did Vols Move Up Again?

Published Jun. 30, 2017 6:28 p.m. ET

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Oct 1, 2016; Athens, GA, USA; Tennessee Volunteers quarterback Joshua Dobbs (11) reacts after scoring a touchdown against the Georgia Bulldogs during the second quarter at Sanford Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports

See if the Volunteers moved up in the All for Tennessee official SEC Power Rankings following Week Five of the 2016 college football season.

How great is college football? The first weekend in October always brings us the most excitement, and this year was no different. It once again threw a wrench in our SEC Power Rankings, even if there was only one game featuring two ranked teams.

However, that game between the Vols and Georgia Bulldogs may have been the game of the year after it ended on two Hail Mary passes.

And it did mix up our power rankings just a little bit.

In light of our first College Football Playoff Watch that we released Sunday, we have one important note to point out as we get set to bring you our official Week 5 SEC Power Rankings.

Our criteria for both are different. Our College Football Playoff Watch is simply based on a team’s record, schedule strength, and head to head.

The SEC Power Rankings are based on who is playing the best football at that particular moment. Body of work is much less of a factor.

However, both rankings are looking pretty favorable towards the Vols right now. This past week’s set of games has now left only five teams in the conference still in the Top 25. However, there’s a great chance that three more will get in after games they played this weekend.

And with four of those Top 25 teams playing each other, expect another shake-up Saturday.

Here are our official SEC Power Rankings following Week Five.

Oct 1, 2016; Baton Rouge, LA, USA; Missouri Tigers quarterback Drew Lock (3) throws against the LSU Tigers during the second half of a game at Tiger Stadium. LSU defeated Missouri 42-7. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports

Missouri Tigers

2-3 (0-2)

Last week: Lost to the LSU Tigers 42-7Last rank: 10th

So the Missouri Tigers won us over early for three reasons: The West Virginia Mountaineers don’t look like a bad loss, the dominated the two teams they were supposed to win, and they went toe-to-toe with the Georgia Bulldogs.

All of those still give us valid reasons to believe they could reach a bowl game this year.

But after a blowout loss to the LSU Tigers less than a week after they fired Les Miles, we have no choice but to put them at the bottom of our SEC Power Rankings. This team’s record is as bad as anybody else’s in the conference.

Meanwhile, one of their two wins are against a terrible FCS team, even by FCS standards. The other one is against the Eastern Michigan Eagles.

So Barry Odom’s first team has done nothing to earn a higher ranking yet. The good news is Drew Lock still has talent on offense and could make just enough plays for this team. The bad news is they have a bye week before traveling to the Florida Gators.

But after that, they have a chance to get some wins with games against Kentucky, Middle Tennessee, South Carolina, and Vanderbilt. That stretch of winnable games will define this team’s season.

Oct 1, 2016; Nashville, TN, USA; Vanderbilt Commodores quarterback Wade Freebeck (12) waits for the ball during the second half against the Florida Gators at Vanderbilt Stadium. Florida won 13-6. Mandatory Credit: Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports

Vanderbilt Commodores

2-3 (0-2)

Last week: Lost to the Florida Gators 13-6Last rank: 14th

Make no mistake, just because we moved the Missouri Tigers to the bottom of our SEC Power Rankings doesn’t mean we have any love to give the Vanderbilt Commodores and Derek Mason just yet.

Going toe-to-toe with the Florida Gators, even with a backup quarterback, is something to be proud of for the time being. However, it also shows how bad these guys are. In Nashville, Florida did everything possible to hand the game to the Commodores.

And they refused to take it.

This team’s defense continues to show up big. But Kyle Shurmur is once again showing himself to be a terrible quarterback against even halfway decent teams. Vanderbilt’s offense is the same old story under Mason: absolutely atrocious. With Florida’s offense struggling all day behind Austin Appleby as the backup quarterback, that unit failed to get just one touchdown.

So while Missouri is at the bottom, the Commodores are still very close to that spot. Now they have a game at Kentucky to cement whose season is done for good. But then they have to travel to Athens to take on the Bulldogs.

At least they have a winnable game against Tennessee State after that. Still, 4-8 is probably the best they’re going to do once again.

Oct 1, 2016; Columbia, SC, USA; South Carolina Gamecocks quarterback Brandon McIlwain (11) passes against the Texas A&M Aggies at Williams-Brice Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Blake-USA TODAY Sports

South Carolina Gamecocks

2-3 (1-3)

Last week: Lost to the Texas A&M Aggies 24-13Last rank: 13th

Will Muschamp’s team is still near the bottom of this list, as we are only talking about the bottom tier of teams in our SEC Power Rankings. You can mix and match them anyway you like.

However, we have moved the South Carolina Gamecocks up to No. 12 because of how they responded after what had to be a sickening loss to the Kentucky Wildcats. This team went toe-to-toe with one of the top three teams in the conference for four quarters.

The Gamecocks continue to look like a Muschamp-team you’d expect. Their defense contained Trevor Knight and the Texas A&M Aggies’ prolific offense all night. And this time, their offense played defense behind both Perry Orth and Brandon McIlwain. They may have found something with A.J. Turner as well.

Remember that were it not for a late fumble, this team easily could have taken the Aggies into overtime. And they also missed two field goals. But they showed they can move the ball.

So maybe this team is improving.

We’ll find out soon enough with Georgia and Tennessee as two of their next three games. They still have a chance to get to a bowl if they beat UMASS, Missouri at home, and Western Carolina. But then they have to steal a game.

Oct 1, 2016; Tuscaloosa, AL, USA; Kentucky Wildcats head coach Mark Stoops reacts to his teams play during the game against Alabama Crimson Tide at Bryant-Denny Stadium. The Crimson Tide defeated Kentucky 34-6. Mandatory Credit: Marvin Gentry-USA TODAY Sports

Kentucky Wildcats

2-3 (1-2)

Last week: Lost to the Alabama Crimson Tide 34-6Last rank: 12th

After bottoming out just three weeks ago in our SEC Power Rankings, the Kentucky Wildcats are slowly moving up. Okay, that was a bit of a joke. They are still in the bottom tier with the other teams we have mentioned.

But the other teams have been so bad that we had to move the Wildcats up. And with Southern Miss now not looking like a terrible loss, we could move this team up a bit.

After all, there’s really no shame in getting blown out by the Alabama Crimson Tide. That’s sort of what they do to every low-level team.

Still, there is some good news behind that. The once atrocious defense is now just mediocre. Hey, holding Alabama to under 40 points counts for something. At the same time, there’s no shame in being unable to move the ball against the Tide’s elite defense.

Mark Stoops should stick with Stephen Johnson. This game was a loss from the start, but they have a chance to be special down the stretch.

Coming up next, these Wildcats host the Vanderbilt Commodores and Mississippi State Bulldogs. Win both, and you’re all of a sudden 4-3 with a game at Missouri and against Austin Peay down the stretch. So a bowl is not totally out of the picture yet.

Sep 24, 2016; Foxborough, MA, USA; Mississippi State Bulldogs head coach Dan Mullen talks with quarterback Nick Fitzgerald (7) during the fourth quarter against the Massachusetts Minutemen at Gillette Stadium. Mississippi State won 47-35. Credit: Greg M. Cooper-USA TODAY Sports

Mississippi State Bulldogs

2-2 (1-1)

Last week: Did Not PlayLast rank: 11th

Dan Mullen’s Mississippi State Bulldogs definitely needed this bye week to correct lots of things after struggling to put away the UMASS Minutemen two weeks ago with a 47-35 victory.

However, they were able to move up in our SEC Power Rankings during the bye week thanks to the Missouri Tigers collapsing against the LSU Tigers and falling to 2-3. Right now at No. 10, the Bulldogs have a lot of work to do to get out of that bottom tier.

But with Nick Fitzgerald at quarterback, it’s possible. He’s no Dak Prescott, but this guy is clearly showing that the Bulldogs do have a future with him. And this year is his chance to get the program on the right track.

Given that they are rebuilding in the SEC West this year, that awful loss to South Alabama to open the season could cost them severely.

But coming up, they have a big game against the Auburn Tigers in Starkville. Then they travel to the BYU Cougars. Then they have the Kentucky Wildcats on the road. These next three weeks alone will determine if they have any shot at a bowl. After all, following that they have a sure win against Samford and sure losses their final four games.

So the Bulldogs need to start winning fast.

Oct 1, 2016; Nashville, TN, USA; Florida Gators players celebrate after a win against the Vanderbilt Commodores at Vanderbilt Stadium. Florida won 13-6. Mandatory Credit: Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports

Florida Gators

4-1 (2-1)

Last week: Defeated the Vanderbilt Commodores 13-6Last rank: 6th

At first, there seemed to be no shame in losing to the Tennessee Vols on the road. But after blowing a 21-0 lead and seeing the streak collapse before their eyes, Jim McElwain’s team completely rolled over against the Vanderbilt Commodores.

They were flat all day behind Austin Appleby and nearly lost the game as a result. It’s clear that Florida was having a hangover from the week before, but we still have to drop them significantly in our SEC Power Rankings because we base them on how you play.

And they played terrible against maybe the worst team in the SEC. The only saving grace is that the defense returned to form. Then we have to deduct the grace because the defense was facing the worst offense in the SEC.

All of this leads us to say that we have no idea just how good this Florida football team is at this point. But now we are about to find out.

Coming up next is the LSU Tigers at home. That will really determine where they stand. Then, after a home date with the Missouri Tigers, they face the Georgia Bulldogs and Arkansas Razorbacks in back to back weeks following that. So this team could have four losses by Nov. 5. Or they could be right back in the SEC East race.

Oct 1, 2016; Athens, GA, USA; Georgia Bulldogs running back Sony Michel (1) reacts with teammates after scoring a touchdown against the Tennessee Volunteers during the first quarter at Sanford Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports

Georgia Bulldogs

3-2 (1-2)

Last week: Lost to the Tennessee Volunteers 34-31Last rank: 9th

It’s kind of unfair. This team was a Hail Mary away from being about four spots higher on this list. That really just shows you the parity that stretches from here all the way to the top of the SEC.

But the Georgia Bulldogs were lucky to even be ahead of the Tennessee Vols to allow the Hail Mary. On top of that, they were at home. And after barely beating the Missouri Tigers on the road while getting blown out by the Ole Miss Rebels on the road, a solid home performance is not going to be enough to move this team too far up our SEC Power Rankings.

It is enough to get them to No. 8, however. And they have a bright outlook in Kirby Smart’s first year. Jacob Eason is an elite quarterback with an extremely strong arm, and the defense is getting better. They played great without Nick Chubb.

So this team should still feel encouraged overall.

Now, the next step has to be developing depth. But the mental toughness is already there.

Up next, the Dawgs have a chance to get back on track against the South Carolina Gamecocks and the Vanderbilt Commodores. The Kentucky Wildcats and Louisiana Lafayette Ragin’ Cajuns should assure them seven wins. Then they can define Smart’s first year with Florida, Auburn, and Georgia Tech.

Oct 1, 2016; Baton Rouge, LA, USA; LSU Tigers interim head coach Ed Orgeron celebrates following a win in his first game against the Missouri Tigers at Tiger Stadium. LSU defeated Missouri 42-7. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports

LSU Tigers

3-2 (2-1)

Last week: Defeated the Missouri Tigers 42-7Last rank: 8th

Ed Orgeron does have a pretty impressive history of taking over a chaotic situation as interim head coach and turning things around. He did just that against the USC Trojans. Now, the Louisiana native has the best chance for a job interview with the LSU Tigers: by getting to win with his new position.

The Tigers completely regrouped under him and put together a complete offensive performance. Against a decent Missouri Tigers defense, Danny Etling looked competent without Cam Cameron, throwing for 216 yards.

And even without Leonard Fournette, this team had a historic rushing day with 418 yards on the ground and six touchdowns. That’s enough to slightly move them up in our SEC Power Rankings.

Meanwhile, the defense was still the defense. It looks like the Tigers have found their identity, and if Etling can just keep people honest as he did on Saturday, maybe we can finally start to see the LSU team we expected.

They will have the chance to prove that soon enough with another test against the Florida Gators this Saturday. If they can win that, Southern Miss should be a win the following week. All of a sudden, this team could be 5-2 with that brutal stretch to follow against Ole Miss, Alabama, and Arkansas.

They still have the talent, and nobody expects the Auburn Tigers to run the table. So they still control their own destiny in the SEC.

Oct 1, 2016; Little Rock, AR, USA; Arkansas Razorbacks running back Devwah Whaley (21) runs for a touchdown as head coach Bret Bielema looks on in the first quarter against the Alcorn State Braves at War Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Nelson Chenault-USA TODAY Sports

Arkansas Razorbacks

4-1 (0-1)

Last week: Defeated the Alcorn State Braves 52-10Last rank: 5th

The Arkansas Razorbacks needed to recover after the shellacking they took last week against the Texas A&M Aggies. What better way to do that against a lousy FCS team?

Bret Bielema’s team went back to his style of play with over 100 yards from two running backs in Raleigh Williams III and Devwah Whaley, 353 yards on the ground overall, and key plays from Austin Allen as a highly efficient quarterback.

Oh, and they played tough defense. This team is back to 4-1, still in the Top 25, and still has a lot to play for. So Razorback Nation is not in panic mode just yet. Bielema’s program may not be where Bobby Petrino had the Hogs, but it’s still in great shape.

Now, we get to really test the Razorbacks coming up. They already have a great win over the TCU Horned Frogs.

Over the next three weeks they play the Alabama Crimson Tide, the Ole Miss Rebels, the Auburn Tigers, the Florida Gators, and the LSU Tigers. Their brutal stretch run begins to show if they are legitimate or just another run of the mill SEC West team.

We did drop them in this week’s SEC Power Rankings simply because of the weakness of their opponent. And this next team deserves to move up.

Oct 1, 2016; Auburn, AL, USA; Auburn Tigers head coach Gus Malzahn greets quarterback Sean White (13) after the Tigers scored a touchdown against the the UL-Monroe Warhawks during the second quarter at Jordan Hare Stadium. Mandatory Credit: John Reed-USA TODAY Sports

Auburn Tigers

3-2 (1-1)

Last week: Defeated the Louisiana Monroe Warhawks 58-7Last rank: 7th

The LSU Tigers’ blowout win over the Missouri Tigers combined with Gus Malzahn’s team absolutely dominating the Louisiana Monroe Warhawks was enough for us to make a slight switch in our SEC Power Rankings and move the Auburn Tigers up to No. 5.

We already knew they’d move ahead of the Florida Gators, but at 3-2, their only losses right now are to two undefeated teams, the Clemson Tigers and the Texas A&M Aggies. So they don’t really have anything to be ashamed of.

With an extremely tough defense, it looks like Malzahn may have found something with his schematic switch. A dominant running game behind Kerryon Johnson combined with efficient quarterback play from Sean White is the way to go. That’s how the Arkansas Razorbacks and LSU Tigers could be winning as well.

White was 14 of 17 for 239 yards and two touchdowns, so that formula worked like magic Saturday.

Now, with the program revived, it’s time to see how far they can take this. Because next up is the Mississippi State Bulldogs on the road after a bye week. Then they have the Arkansas Razorbacks and Ole Miss Rebels. And Georgia and Alabama are down the line as well. So we will find out really where this team stands in just three weeks.

Oct 1, 2016; Oxford, MS, USA; Mississippi Rebels quarterback Chad Kelly (10) makes a pass during the second half of the game against the Memphis Tigers at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium. Mississippi won 48-28. Mandatory Credit: Matt Bush-USA TODAY Sports

Ole Miss Rebels

3-2 (1-1)

Last week: Defeated the Memphis Tigers 48-28Last rank: 4th

The Ole Miss Rebels did nothing to drop in our SEC Power Rankings this past week, and they may have earned a rise were it not for the fact that the other three teams are undefeated.

The only thing that hurt Hugh Freeze’s team is the fact that losing to the Florida State Seminoles looks worse than it once did after their loss to the North Carolina Tar Heels. Using circular logic, Georgia beat North Carolina, North Carolina beat Florida State, Florida State beat Ole Miss, but Ole Miss blew out Georgia.

That blowout still counts. And the Memphis Tigers are a very dangerous Group of Five team capable of beating anybody. So that win to get to 3-2 also counts for something. Chad Kelly is playing great football right now, and the defense is making plays.

Despite that Alabama loss, the men from Oxford still have a lot of football to play for. If the bottom doesn’t fall out due this investigation, they can salvage the season.

Up next are the Arkansas Razorbacks, LSU Tigers, and Auburn Tigers. So now we really get to see if this team is a powerhouse or if it will fade like it did in year’s past.

One piece of good news is that Georgia’s tough game on Saturday makes the Rebels look better as well.

Oct 1, 2016; Columbia, SC, USA; Texas A&M Aggies players celebrate following their win over the South Carolina Gamecocks at Williams-Brice Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Blake-USA TODAY Sports

Texas A&M Aggies

5-0 (3-0)

Last week: Defeated the South Carolina Gamecocks 24-13Last rank: 2nd

The Texas A&M Aggies and Kevin Sumlin have nothing to worry about if they keep playing football at the level they have been playing it at and keep winning. After all, Trevor Knight remains an elite quarterback, and the John Chavis hire at defensive coordinator continues to look better and better everyday.

However, this is a football team that struggled against one of the worst teams in the SEC over the weekend. So since they didn’t play their best football, we had to drop them one spot in our SEC Power Rankings.

The Aggies’ prolific offense looked mortal for a while. And although Chavis is a great coordinator, the defense gave up too many long drives to one of the worst offenses in college football in Will Muschamp’s South Carolina Gamecocks.

That can’t continue to happen if they are to continue this streak. We have already said that Texas A&M’s fast start this year is more legitimate than their starts in previous years. That’s due to Knight.

But he’s got to play better, and he’s got to play better immediately.

Because over the next three weeks, the three undefeated teams left in the SEC will face each other, and that starts with Texas A&M facing the Tennessee Vols this week, having a bye, and then facing the Alabama Crimson Tide. After Oct. 22, they’ll either be a title contender, playing catch-up, or out of it.

Oct 1, 2016; Athens, GA, USA; Tennessee Volunteers wide receiver Jauan Jennings (15) is carried off the field by team mates after catching the game winning touchdown pass against the Georgia Bulldogs on the last play on the game during the fourth quarter at Sanford Stadium. Tennessee defeated Georgia 34-31. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports

Tennessee Volunteers

5-0 (2-0)

Last week: Defeated the Georgia Bulldogs 34-31Last rank: 3rd

Is this Tennessee football team a team of destiny? That is the question everybody has been asking. And on paper, people might get a little mad about the Vols moving up to No. 2 in the SEC Power Rankings after Butch Jones’s team needed a Hail Mary to beat a Georgia Bulldogs team that looked awful the three weeks prior.

But it goes deeper than that. The Vols played awful and spotted the Dawgs a 17-0 first-half lead. They allowed a Hail Mary of their own to even need one at the end of the game.

And Georgia still has a quality win against the North Carolina Tar Heels and was playing its hated SEC East rival in Athens. Meanwhile, the Vols were trying to avoid a hangover after a huge win against the Florida Gators.

All of this means that they would naturally struggle to put away this team.

But they got the win. And now the Vols have three quality wins when you add in the Virginia Tech Hokies. So they have played a tougher schedule than people give them credit for. And they have senior leadership behind Joshua Dobbs at quarterback with weapons everywhere, from Jauan Jennings to Josh Malone to Jalen Hurd to Alvin Kamara to Derek Barnett.

So yeah, they deserve to jump the Texas A&M Aggies in this week’s SEC Power Rankings after the Aggies’ poor play against the South Carolina Gamecocks. This week will be the teller for both teams, though, as they face each other. Then the Vols have to face the Tide the next week. But at 5-0 and 2-0 in the SEC, they are in great shape to head to Atlanta.

Just splitting the next two will put them in the playoff hunt with the easy back-end of their schedule. So these next two weeks determine the season for Tennessee football.

Oct 1, 2016; Tuscaloosa, AL, USA; Alabama Crimson Tide quarterback Jalen Hurts (2) hands the ball off to running back Joshua Jacobs (25) against the Kentucky Wildcats at Bryant-Denny Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Marvin Gentry-USA TODAY Sports

Alabama Crimson Tide

5-0 (2-0)

Last week: Defeated the Kentucky Wildcats 34-6Last rank: 1st

They are winning boring, they are beating up on cupcakes, and they are remaining No. 1 in the country. The Alabama Crimson Tide are also No. 1 in our SEC Power Rankings.

Nick Saban’s squad continues to develop behind Jalen Hurts at quarterback, and Lane Kiffin continues to boost his star power. Meanwhile, the Tide are so loaded at offensive line that they can just plug in running backs, which they have done with Joshua Jacobs over the past two games.

And the defense is, well, an Alabama football defense. Because of their weak schedule, we have already mentioned in our College Football Playoff rankings why the Tide should be out of the Top Four right now.

But if we’re judging on who the best teams are, they have to be No. 1 in the country and No. 1 in the SEC Power Rankings until somebody knocks them off. The Ole Miss Rebels are beginning to look like a better win, and they are right where they need to be.

Now comes the real schedule for the Tide. Over the next three weeks, they have to face the Arkansas Razorbacks and Tennessee Vols on the road before hosting the Texas A&M Aggies. Then they have to face the LSU Tigers on the road.

That’s a brutal stretch run that will define this team and its football season. If they get through it, they are right on their way to another national championship.

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