Editor’s note: The Athletic 134 is a weekly ranking of all FBS college football teams.
Much of the talk going into Tennessee’s trip to Oklahoma was about Volunteers coach Josh Heupel’s return to his alma mater. Heupel was right when, through teary eyes, he told his players that Saturday’s 25-15 win against the Sooners was about them and their future. Right now, Tennessee’s future looks like an SEC contender.
After a road win that wasn’t as close as the final score, Tennessee moves up to No. 3 in this week’s edition of The Athletic 134.
Through four games, the Vols have shown they can win in different ways, and that should bode well in SEC play. Saturday’s win was an ugly one, and that’s not a bad thing. The Tennessee team that finished No. 6 in the College Football Playoff rankings two years ago could put up 40 or 50 points on almost everyone, but it ranked 31st in yards per rush on offense and 48th in yards per play allowed on defense. This Tennessee team can run the ball and play better defense.
Yes, Oklahoma’s offense has struggled, but Tennessee played a game in which it knew it could hold on to a lead, run the ball and play defense to run out the clock, and that’s what happened. The Vols passed the ball 21 times and ran it 49 times (excluding sacks) while missing two offensive tackles. The Sooners averaged 1.1 yards per carry and turned it over three times.
Tennessee is playing complete ball right now, and after one of the best wins of the weekend, the Vols move up in the rankings.
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We’ve reached the point where most teams are one-third of the way through their season. Head-to-head results aren’t weighted as heavily for teams that aren’t on the same tier, but some lopsided results this weekend resulted in some final few big jumps.
Here is the Week 5 edition of The Athletic 134.
1-10
| Rank | Team | Record | Prev |
|---|---|---|---|
|
1 |
4-0 |
1 |
|
|
2 |
3-0 |
2 |
|
|
3 |
4-0 |
5 |
|
|
4 |
3-0 |
3 |
|
|
5 |
4-0 |
4 |
|
|
6 |
4-0 |
6 |
|
|
7 |
3-0 |
7 |
|
|
8 |
3-0 |
8 |
|
|
9 |
4-0 |
11 |
|
|
10 |
3-0 |
10 |
Other than Tennessee’s rise, the only notable change here is that Missouri moves out of the top 10, and Utah moves up to No. 9 after a strong win against Oklahoma State. The Utes could be a force to be reckoned with in the Big 12.
Georgia’s upcoming match against Alabama will certainly impact the rankings next week. Ohio State, previously a top contender, has slipped to No. 4 due to their schedule. This puts them behind teams that have faced tougher opponents. Games against Iowa and Oregon will be critical for the Buckeyes to climb back up.
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11-25
I can’t tell whether Missouri is underperforming or coasting against weaker opponents. Beating Vanderbilt in overtime and playing closely with Boston College are not indicative of a top-10 team. Michigan, on the other hand, has rebounded to No. 11 after defeating USC. BYU also leaps to No. 16 following a convincing win over Kansas State.
Illinois, Louisville, and Indiana have also seen upward movement in the rankings after notable victories. Washington State enters the top 25 after a successful start to their season.
