KNOXVILLE, TN - OCTOBER 11: Detailed view of the checkered endzone at Neyland Stadium during a game between the Tennessee Volunteers and the Chattanooga Mocs on October 11, 2014 in Knoxville, Tennessee. Tennessee won the game 45-10. (Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images)
ESPN named the 1940 Tennessee football Volunteers a top team with no national championship.
It’s no secret that Tennessee football has had some loaded teams in the past fail to win a national championship. In the Phillip Fulmer era alone, the 1993, 1995, 1997, 1999 and 2001 teams all could have come close.