Atrás
The Tennessee Volunteers were on a bye, meaning they didn't play a game this week, which also meant that they would have the chance to sit back and watch all of the chaos unfold.
Such chaos that resulted in many different ranked teams falling short in their matchups.
Here is a full breakdown of how this could change the Vols' ranking, along with which teams actually lost on Saturday.
There were seven top-25 teams who fell short in their matchup, but not every matchup that was lost was a bad defeat. Some seemed more significant than others, as there were some key top-25 battles that featured two top-25 teams, which means that a ranked program was always going to lose, but there were also some key upsets in Week 9.
The highest-ranked team that was defeated was the Ohio State Buckeyes. The No. 2 Buckeyes played against the USC Trojans, an unranked team that has plenty of talent on both sides of the ball. This was a game that the Buckeyes couldn't take lightly, and they were defeated by two scores.
Another team that was defeated was the No. 17 Florida Gators, who are already ranked behind the Tennessee Volunteers in the poll, so this won't do them any good. The Gators were defeated by three scores against the Georgia Bulldogs, who were a very popular pick. This was a huge game that everyone wanted to watch due to the rivalry, but it could have been much uglier; the Bulldogs struggled offensively in the second half.
Arizona was the next team to lose, as they were also behind the Vols in their poll. This was a massive game between two ranked teams, as they played against the Texas Tech Red Raiders, in a game that was a one-score contest near the end, but the Wildcats were defeated.
SMU, who is also ranked behind the Vols have fell short in their game, as they were defeated by the Syracuse Orange after the Orange drove down the field, and scored with seconds left on the game clock. This was a massive win for Syracuse, and a big loss for SMU, especially if they have hopes of making the college football playoffs.
The Oregon Ducks picked up one of their much-needed wins, as they defeated the ranked Northwestern Wildcats in a game that many believed they would. They haven't had a great season, as they were even viewed as a national championship favorite, but recently has had some bad luck, mixed with some bad play. The Wildcats were ranked below the Vols, so this doesn't help them a ton.
Oklahoma State was defeated as well, as they are the No. 24 team in the country, but they fell short. In fact, this loss will likely move them out of the top 25, and rightfully so. This is a close defeat against the Iowa State Cyclones, and a game that they needed to win, but they would eventually lose in a shootout.
Finally, the final ranked team is No. 25 Wisconsin, who ultimately fell short by 30 points against one of their rivals. The Iowa Hawkeyes bested Wisconsin, as they held the Badgers scoreless. This is likely to result in an immediate drop out of the top-25.
With only one team losing ahead of the Vols, it seems reasonable that they will likely stay put in the rankings, as the team that lost ahead of them was ranked in the top-three, and was undefeated prior to this matchup. The Vols have two losses, so it is nearly 100% unlikely that the Vols will jump the Buckeyes. As for the teams behind them losing, this means that there likely won't be any massive jumps that lead to the Vols falling back in the rankings, which leads me to believe that the likely option will be for the Tennessee football program to remain ranked where they are, as they take on the Kentucky Wildcats next.
It is also worth noting that the College Football Playoff poll releases on Tuesday, and that will be the main poll to pay attention to, as that will be the determining factor in whether the Vols make the playoffs or not.
Send your questions, comments, and hot takes to our email tennesseeonsi@gmail.com for the chance to be featured in an article!
Follow Our Social Media Accounts
Sign up for our newsletter to have articles sent straight to your email daily HERE.