After the 51-10 bludgeoning of former top-25 team NC State, Tennessee shot up seven spots in the AP Poll that was released Sunday afternoon.
The Vols certainly earned a bump, but I’m not sure a leap into the top 10 was necessarily expected. UT got some help with losses from Notre Dame, which was ranked fifth last week then absolutely nosedived in the rankings after a 16-14 loss to Northern Illinois, and from a previously-ranked No. 10 Michigan squad that got thoroughly handled by Texas.
Not to say the Vols didn’t earn the ranking, as hanging up 50 points and holding the 24th-ranked team in the country just 10 — without an offensive touchdown — will certainly turn some heads.