They open the season three spots outside of the 2019-2020 AP Poll. But after a 31-6 season in which they spent nearly a month at No. 1 and made the Sweet Sixteen, Tennessee basketball did manage to crack the top 25 in the 2019-2020 preseason Coaches Poll.
The Vols came in right at No. 25, one spot behind the LSU Tigers, two spots behind the Auburn Tigers and three spots behind the Purdue Boilermakers. Just behind them at No. 26 are the VCU Rams. Those rankings are interesting because UT will certainly play LSU once and Auburn twice this year, and they will either play VCU or Purdue in late November.