Tennessee’s defensive coordinator Tim Banks spoke to the media on Tuesday about the Alabama game and looking ahead to Saturday’s game vs. UT-Martin.
By Jimmy Hyams
The raging debate in Knoxville is whether Tennessee should be ranked No. 1 in the nation.
The Vols are No. 3 in the AP poll and No. 4 in the coaches’ poll.
Yet, no team in the country has more wins over ranked opponents than Tennessee.
Should that stamp UT as the top-ranked team? Is that the most important barometer in the ratings?
I used to vote in the AP poll and is not easy to discern from week to week where teams should be ranked.
You have to put weight on head-to-head matchups, on results v. ranked teams, on strength of schedule, on key injuries.
Then, there’s the eye test.
Does Ohio State “look’’ like a better team than Georgia or Clemson?
Here’s another factor to consider: In 2005, Tennessee started the season ranked No. 3 in the preseason poll. So if you beat the Vols in week one, you beat a top five team. But if you beat those Vols in week 10, you beat an unranked team.
So one team gets credit for a win over a top five opponent and another team doesn’t.
Doesn’t it make more sense to say you beat a team that is currently ranked rather than a team that was ranked when you played them?
Or, did that No. 20 team you beat fall out of the top 20 only because you beat them. You shouldn’t be penalized for that.
My point is, many factors play into the rankings. There is not a be-all, end-all formula.
Having said that, let’s take a deeper dive into Tennessee.
Using the higher ranking in the polls, Tennessee beat No. 14 Pitt on the road, No. 20 Florida, No. 25 LSU on the road, and No. 1 Alabama.
No team in the country has a resume like that.
But, Pitt, Florida and LSU are no longer ranked.
So how much credit should Tennessee get for beating teams now unranked?
Yet, each of those teams likely would be ranked if they had beaten Tennessee.
Where would I ranked Tennessee this week?
Third.
Tennessee has more quality wins than Ohio State and Georgia, but having watched those two teams play, I think they would beat the Vols head to head.
Why?
Defense.
While Tennessee’s run defense is much improved over last year, the secondary is horrible.
You might want to point out UT’s defense made some key stops against Florida and Alabama. But Florida gained 594 total yards (453 in the air) and Alabama gained 569 yards (455 in the air).
Maybe Tennessee’s top-ranked offense will be good enough to outscore Georgia. Maybe it could outscore Ohio State and Clemson and Michigan.
But I don’t recall a team winning a championship – or being ranked in the top five – that allows 425 yards per game (332 yards passing).
Tennessee might prove to be the exception.
We’ll get a much better idea Nov. 5 in Athens.
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Tennessee defensive tackle Omari Thomas spoke with the media Monday to look back on the big win over Alabama and ahead to the rest of the season.
Tennessee tight end Princeton Fant spoke with the media Monday to look back on the big win over Alabama and ahead to the rest of the season.
Tennessee tight end Princeton Fant spoke with the media Monday to look back on the big win over Alabama and ahead to the rest of the season.
Tennessee head coach Josh Heupel spoke to the media at this weekly game week press conference on Monday ahead of Saturday’s game vs. UT-Martin.
Tennessee head coach Josh Heupel spoke to the media at this weekly game week press conference on Monday ahead of Saturday’s game vs. UT-Martin.
NEW HAVEN, Conn. – After engraving his name in the Tennessee record books and gaining national attention for his five-touchdown contest against No. 3/1 Alabama, junior wide receiver Jalin Hyatt was named the Walter Camp National Offensive Player of the Week, Sunday afternoon by the Walter Camp Football Foundation.
Hyatt has stepped up to be a critical component of UT’s potent offensive attack, that was on full display in front of a national audience in the marquee game slot against the Crimson Tide defense on Saturday afternoon inside of a sold-out Neyland Stadium.
Hyatt had set a Tennessee program record with five receiving touchdowns, while tying the Southeastern Conference record as part of his six-catch, 207-yard performance. He became the first Vol since Cordarrelle Patterson to have over 200 yards receiving in a single game. Patterson, currently on the Atlanta Falcons, tallied 219 yards against Troy back in 2012. He is the second Vol receiver in the Heupel-Era to reach 200 yards as teammate Cedric Tillman posted exactly 200 yards a season ago against Georgia.
Hyatt’s performance also netted him 30 points scored, matching the program record of 30 set by Gene McEver vs. South Carolina n Dec. 7, 1929. Hyatt’s point total stands alone as the modern-era record, surpassing six VFLs who had all gone for 24 points. Hyatt’s 207 receiving yards also ranks as the sixth-most single game receiving yards in program history.
Most remarkably, Hyatt averaged 34.5 yards per reception. As a receiver known for big-play potential, that certainly shined through against the Tide as his touchdown receptions went for 36-, 11-, 60-, 78- and 13-yards, in that order. His longest-career reception, the 78-yard catch-and-run, came on the Vols’ first drive of the fourth quarter and marked a shift in momentum the Big Orange would carry throughout the period to emerge victorious against Alabama for the first time in 15 years, 52-49.
Hyatt and the Volunteers will be back at Neyland Stadium next weekend when they host UT Martin for Homecoming at noon ET on SEC Network. Tickets for the matchup with the Skyhawks are available in limited quantities at AllVols.com. In addition, season tickets for the 2023 campaign are on sale now at AllVols.com.
-UT Athletics
BIRMINGHAM, Alabama (October 16, 2022) – The Southeastern Conference announced today that the University of Tennessee will be fined for a violation of the league’s access to competition area policy due to fans entering the field following its football game against the University of Alabama on October 15.
Tennessee will incur a fine of $100,000 for a second offense under the league’s access to competition area policy. Tennessee was last fined for a violation following a basketball game against Florida in 2006.
Fines levied against schools for violation of the access to competition area policy are deposited into the SEC Post-Graduate Scholarship Fund.
The policy states that “access to competition areas shall be limited to participating student-athletes, coaches, officials, support personnel and properly-credentialed individuals at all times. For the safety of participants and spectators alike, at no time before, during or after a contest shall spectators be permitted to enter the competition area. It is the responsibility of each member institution to implement procedures to ensure compliance with this policy.”
Financial penalties are imposed for violations in all sports sponsored by the Conference. Institutional penalties range from $50,000 for a first offense to fines of up to $100,000 for a second offense and up to $250,000 for a third and subsequent offenses. The policy was originally adopted by a vote of Conference members in 2004 and financial penalties were increased by action taken by the membership during the 2015 SEC Spring Meetings.
-SEC
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – Following a historic 52-49 victory over No. 3/1 Alabama, the Tennessee Volunteers climbed once again in both the Associated Press Top 25 and the USA TODAY AFCA Coaches Poll, rising to No. 3 in the AP and No. 4 in the coaches.
Tennessee (6-0, 3-0 SEC) coupled 15 first-place votes with its No 3-ranking in the AP, representing the first time since Sept. 12, 1999, that the Vols earned such votes. Tennessee’s No. 3 ranking is its highest in the AP since opening the 2005 season in the same spot.
The Vols are the only team in America with four victories over AP Top 25 teams at the time of the meeting. They are the first team in college football history to start a season 6-0, beat four AP Top 25 opponents ranked at the time of the meeting and score at least 30 points in the first six games of a single season.
Tennessee returns to Neyland Stadium next Saturday for Homecoming against UT Martin at noon ET on SEC Network. Tickets for the contest are available in limited quantities at AllVols.com. In addition, season tickets for the 2023 campaign are on sale now at AllVols.com.
The full AP Top 25, along with the AFCA Coaches Poll, can be found below.
Vols in the Polls
Preseason: RV AP, RV Coaches
Sept. 6: 24 AP, RV Coaches
Sept. 11: 15 AP, 16 Coaches
Sept. 18: 11 AP, 12 Coaches
Sept. 25: 8 AP, 9 Coaches
Oct. 2: 8 AP, 8 Coaches
Oct. 9: 6 AP, 8 Coaches
Oct. 16: 3 AP, 4 Coaches
Associated Press Top 25
1. Georgia (31)
2. Ohio State (17)
3. Tennessee (15)
4. Michigan
5. Clemson
6. Alabama
7. Ole Miss
8. TCU
9. UCLA
10. Oregon
11. Oklahoma State
12. Southern Cal
13. Wake Forest
14. Syracuse
15. Utah
16. Penn State
17. Kansas State
18. Illinois
19. Kentucky
20. Texas
21. Cincinnati
22. North Carolina
23. NC State
24. Mississippi State
25. Tulane
Others receiving votes: Purdue, LSU, UCF, South Carolina, Kansas, Oregon State, James Madison, Maryland, South Alabama, Liberty, Minnesota, Florida State, Arkansas
USA TODAY AFCA Coaches Poll
1. Georgia (43)
2. Ohio State (17)
3. Michigan (1)
4. Tennessee (2)
5. Clemson
6. Alabama
7. Ole Miss
8. TCU
9. Oregon
10. UCLA
11. Oklahoma State
12. Southern Cal
13. Wake Forest
14. Syracuse
15. Utah
16. Penn State
17. Kansas State
18. Kentucky
19. Cincinnati
20. Illinois
21. Texas
22. North Carolina
23. NC State
24. Mississippi State
25. Tulane
Others receiving votes: LSU, UCF, Kansas, South Carolina, Purdue, Maryland, Liberty, Washington, Baylor, Coastal Carolina, Pitt, South Alabama, Arkansas, UTSA
-UT Athletics
