Tennessee football enters the top 15 in the latest college football rankings

The Tennessee Volunteers are ranked in the top 15 in USA Today’s latest top 25 college football rankings.

As May comes to a close, there are only a few months left on the calendar until the 2024 college football season begins. There are some new changes to the college football landscape this season: conference realignment, the 12-team playoff format and the SEC's elimination of divisions. Tennessee is looking to improve on its 9-4 season in 2023, and the preseason rankings show that will be the case.

USA Today has released its latest post-spring college football rankings and the Volunteers are ranked No. 13. While it would be ideal to start in the top 15, the ultimate goal is to work your way into the top 12 and finish there stay to secure a spot in this season's playoffs. It's also worth noting that six other SEC programs ranked ahead of the Volunteer programs – Georgia, Texas, LSU, Alabama, Ole Miss and Oklahoma, in that order.

Tennessee will play three of these teams during the regular season, with Georgia and Oklahoma playing on the road and Alabama playing at home. Regardless of what the rankings say, these three games will be crucial in Tennessee securing a playoff spot by the end of the year.

The national media has consistently rated the SEC highly this offseason, meaning that competition for a playoff spot this season could be difficult with so many teams remaining in the mix. But 13th place in the rankings isn't a bad place if you're one of the volunteers.

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