Tennessee Comes In Outside Of Top-10 In CBS Preseason Rankings

CBS Sports released their preseason Top 25, and the Tennessee Volunteers may stand a bit lower than the fans of the Big Orange expect.

With all of the preseason hype around the Tennessee Volunteers, it is fair to expect that the Vols would be in the preseason top 10. For some rankings, that may be and likely will be the case. However, with CBS Sports, they might be undervaluing what the Vols have set up in shop heading into this season.

CBS released their preseason rankings, and the Vols came in at No. 13 in the nation. This is not a bad place to be, especially considering where Tennessee has been for the last decade. There is an argument for the Vols to be higher, especially after their impressive 2022. This is a team that won 11 games last season and has a QB on the Heisman Watchlist who has an impeccable arm. They got better on the defensive side and have some exciting offensive weapons, both new and returning. Conversely, it is fair to wonder if media outlets are weary of all the talent the Vols lost this offseason. Jalin Hyatt, Cedric Tillman, Hendon Hooker, and others all departed for the NFL, and it will take a lot to replace them, but Tennessee has some d-u-d-e-s in their program ready to step up. 

Tennessee QB Joe Milton III during fall camp in Knoxville, Tennessee, on August 2, 2023. (Photo by Caitie McMekin of the News Sentinel)

Among other teams in the rankings, some of the usual suspects are up top, with Georgia, Michigan, Ohio State, LSU, and Alabama in the top five. The Vols are the fourth-ranked SEC squad behind those three. Other teams above the Volunteers include USC, Penn State, Florida State, and Clemson. Lower in the top-25 are two more SEC teams in Ole Miss and Texas A&M. We are closing in on the Vols season around here. After months of waiting, speculation, and hype, we are finally about to see what Josh Heupel has been building. For Vols fans, there's no shortage of confidence in this being a special year—an add-on to 2022. In less than a month, the Vols will embark on a quest for glory.

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