Tennessee Vols finish in top 10 of final AP poll

For the second time in the last three years, the Tennessee Vols are a top ten team in the final AP Poll.

Tennessee checked in at #9 in the final AP poll on Tuesday afternoon, the day following Ohio State’s 34-23 win over Notre Dame in the national championship game.

The Vols held serve as far as their seeding versus where they ended up. Tennessee was ranked ninth in the final College Football Playoff ranking, but seeded ninth. Everyone ahead of them in the final poll was also seeded ahead of them in the final playoff bracket. As such, the Vols lost no ground by virtue of their 42-17 first-round playoff loss to Ohio State, which looks far better now after the Buckeyes torched the field on the way to the title. Indiana also held serve at 10, where they were seeded in the final bracket.

The result marked the second time in Heupel’s tenure that the Vols finished in the top 10. Tennessee finished #6 in the 2022 poll after beating Clemson 31-14 in the Orange Bowl. It’s also the first time since 1999-2021 that the Vols finished inside the top 10 at the end of the year. Tennessee finished #9 in 1999 and #4 in 2001.

We’ll find out next year if Heupel can make 2025 be the third time in his fifth season in Knoxville that the Vols finish among the nation’s top ten teams (and hopefully more).