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Tennessee football is ranked 7th in the SEC preseason standings

It’s been nearly two decades since Tennessee football won the SEC or appeared in the SEC Championship Game. Preseason voters don’t expect that to change for the Vols in 2024 based on the preseason SEC rankings.

It will be tougher for the Vols to break the streak in the new-look SEC. Big 12 powerhouses Texas and Oklahoma have joined the SEC and will look to make their mark on the conference in their first year as members.
The SEC also will not have traditional East/West divisions and will have no divisions in 2024 and 2025. This means the top two teams in the SEC will play in the SEC Championship Game.

With all the new changes, SEC voters don’t believe the Vols will fare well in the new look of the SEC. Voters picked the Vols to finish 7th this year, behind SEC rivals and newcomers.

Georgia is ranked atop the SEC, to no one’s surprise, while Alabama is ranked No. 3 with first-year head coach Kalen DeBoer. Voters expect the former Washington head coach to fit in well in his first season in Tuscaloosa.

SEC household names Ole Miss and LSU are tipped to finish fourth and fifth in 2024, with Missouri finishing No. 6, just ahead of Tennessee.

Texas is tipped to finish second in the SEC this year. Meanwhile, Oklahoma is expected to finish just behind the Vols at No. 8. We’ll get an early look at Oklahoma when Tennessee heads to Norman to take on the Sooners on Sept. 21.

Tennessee opens the season on Aug. 31 against Chattanooga at Neyland Stadium. The Vols’ SEC schedule includes two of the top five teams and five of the bottom six teams in the preseason rankings, which could bode well for the Vols’ quest to win a championship.

SEC Preseason Rankings

1. Georgia (165): 3,330 points

2. Texan (27): 3,041

3.Alabama (12): 2,891

4. Ole Miss (4): 2,783

5. LSU (2): 2,322

6. Missouri: 2,240

7. Tennessee: 2,168

8.Oklahoma: 2,022

9. Texas A&M: 1,684

10. Reddish brown: 1,382

11.Kentucky: 1,371

12. Florida: 1,146

13. South Carolina (1): 923

14.Arkansas: 749

15. State of Mississippi: 623

16. Vanderbilt (2): 293