Tennessee Voted to Finish Outside the Top Five in the SEC

The Tennessee Volunteers have been voted by media members at SEC Media Days to finish outside of the top five.

Jul 16, 2024; Dallas, TX, USA; Tennessee head coach Josh Heupel speaking at Omni Dallas Hotel. Mandatory Credit: Brett Patzke-USA TODAY Sports / Brett Patzke-USA TODAY Sports

The Tennessee Volunteers have been voted by media members at SEC Media Days to finish outside of the top five.

SEC Media Days in Dallas, Texas wrapped up on Thursday and media in attendance cashed in their votes for conference rankings and who they predict to win the conference. The Tennesee Volunteers were voted to finish seventh in the conference and they did not receive a single vote to win the conference. Schools that did receive votes include Georgia, Texas, Alabama, Ole Miss, Vanderbilt, LSU and South Carolina.

Preseason love for the Volunteers has been a little all over the place. The consensus is that people believe quarterback Nico Iamaleava will be great in his first season as the full-time starter, but there are some questions about the rest of the roster. The defense will be led by James Pearce Jr., a candidate to be the first overall pick in the 2025 NFL draft, but there are questions about if the defense will be as good or better than they were a season ago.

Finishing seventh in the conference would mean that Tennessee misses out on making the college football playoff this season as they continue to search for their first playoff berth in program history. If anything, the 2024 season will serve as a 'setting the bar' year for Josh Heupel and his program as the future remains bright in Knoxville.

SEC Preseason Media Poll:

1. Georgia
2. Texas
3. Alabama
4. Ole Miss
5. LSU
6. Missouri
7. Tennessee
8. Oklahoma
9. Texas A&M
10. Auburn
11. Kentucky
12. Florida
13. South Carolina
14. Arkansas
15. Mississippi State
16. Vanderbilt

Other Tennessee News:

• Tony Vitello Turnaround Nothing Short of Brilliant for Tennessee Baseball
• Jaylen Williams Cuts Recruitment to Four Schools
• Tennessee Vols Football Could Make Playoff According to CFB Data Model

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