Tennessee
Ranking 134 college football teams after Week 4: Tennessee to the top 3; BYU, Navy soar
Editor’s note: The Athletic 134 is a weekly ranking of all FBS college football teams.
Much of the talk going into Tennessee’s trip to Oklahoma was about Volunteers coach Josh Heupel’s return to his alma mater, Heupel was right when, through teary eyes, he told his players that Saturday’s 25-15 win against the Sooners was about them and their future. Right now, Tennessee’s future looks like an SEC contender.
After a road win that wasn’t as close as the final score, Tennessee moves up to No. 3 in this week’s edition of The Athletic 134.
Through four games, the Vols have shown they can win in different ways, and that should bode well in SEC play. Saturday’s win was an ugly one, and that’s not a bad thing. Two years ago, the Tennessee team that finished No. 6 in the College Football Playoff rankings could put up 40 or 50 points on almost everyone, but it ranked 31st in yards per rush on offense and 48th in yards per play allowed on defense. This Tennessee team can run the ball and play better defense.
Yes, Oklahoma’s offense has struggled, but Tennessee played a game in which it knew it could hold on to a lead, run the ball and play defense to run out the clock, and that’s what happened. The Vols passed the ball 21 times and ran it 49 times (excluding sacks) while missing two offensive tackles. The Sooners averaged 1.1 yards per carry and turned it over three times.
Tennessee is playing complete ball right now, and after one of the best wins of the weekend, the Vols move up in the rankings.
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We’ve reached the point where most teams are one-third of the way through their season. Head-to-head results aren’t weighted as heavily for teams that aren’t on the same tier (goodbye, Northern Illinois), but some lopsided results this weekend resulted in some final few big jumps.
Here is the Week 5 edition of The Athletic 134.
1-10
| Rank | Team | Record | Prev |
|---|---|---|---|
|
1 |
4-0 |
1 |
|
|
2 |
3-0 |
2 |
|
|
3 |
4-0 |
5 |
|
|
4 |
3-0 |
3 |
|
|
5 |
4-0 |
4 |
|
|
6 |
4-0 |
6 |
|
|
7 |
3-0 |
7 |
|
|
8 |
3-0 |
8 |
|
|
9 |
4-0 |
11 |
|
|
10 |
3-0 |
10 |
Other than Tennessee’s rise, the only change here is that Missouri moves out of the top 10 and Utah moves up to No. 9 after the Utes’ 22-19 win at Oklahoma State that was 22-3 at one point in the fourth quarter. I don’t think the ceiling of this Utah team is high without quarterback Cam Rising, but the defense is as nasty as it’s ever been, and the Utes are the Big 12 favorite.
Georgia’s trip to Alabama this Saturday will shake up next week’s rankings.
To acknowledge Ohio State, my preseason No. 1 has now dropped down to No. 4 simply because of the schedule. The three teams above the Buckeyes have played much better opponents. Games against Iowa and Oregon to open October will be Ohio State’s first chance to start climbing back up.
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AP Top 25 takeaways: Who’s No. 1? Tennessee can’t be dismissed in SEC-heavy debate
11-25
I can’t tell whether Missouri is not as good as we expected or just playing with its food too much. Beating Vanderbilt in overtime after playing Boston College unexpectedly close were not performances indicative of a top-10 team. The Tigers are testing my patience and will continue to drop with play like that, even though their schedule is very favorable for an SEC team.
Michigan jumps back up to No. 11 after a comeback win to beat USC at home. Like Utah, I don’t think the Wolverines’ ceiling is high — the offense went nowhere once USC adjusted — but they are also better in the trenches than almost everyone they’ll play. BYU makes a big jump up to No. 16 after a 38-9 beatdown of Kansas State, a previous top-15 team. The final margin wasn’t indicative of the box score numbers in K-State’s favor, but BYU’s defense looks solid, and its earlier win at SMU looks better after Saturday’s results.
Illinois climbs up to No. 18 after a win at Nebraska. The Illini are grabbing takeaways and playing efficiently on offense. This team plays really hard and could be another Bret Bielema overachieving classic. Louisville finally played someone of note, moving up to No. 23 after a 31-19 win against Georgia Tech. Indiana also moves into the top 25 at No. 24 not because the Hoosiers demolished Charlotte but because they’ve demolished everyone so far. The next game against Maryland will tell us whether this is for real.
Welcome to the top 25, Washington State. The Cougars are 4-0 after stopping a two-point attempt to beat San Jose State in overtime, and their earlier win against Texas Tech looks better this week. They can only reach the CFP as an at-large team this year and next, meaning they’ll have to be ranked around the top 10.
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26-50
If Oklahoma wasn’t “Oklahoma,” the Sooners wouldn’t be ranked in the top 25. They haven’t been good all season outside of their opening blowout of Temple, and they drop to No. 26 here facing major questions on offense with the benching of quarterback Jackson Arnold. Iowa still can’t pass the ball, but its new offense is opening lanes for explosive running back Kaleb Johnson. The Hawkeyes slide up to No. 28 after beating Minnesota. Texas Tech jumps up to No. 35 after beating previously unbeaten Arizona State. It’s possible neither of these teams are as good as their ranking, but for now, they’ll sit here.
SMU’s 66-42 win against TCU sees the Mustangs come up to No. 36; their earlier loss to BYU doesn’t look as bad after what BYU did to Kansas State. Navy makes the biggest jump of the week, from No. 105 to No. 37, after beating Memphis. The 3-0 Midshipmen have scored their most points through three games since 1918 and might end up being one of the better teams in the AAC. Northern Illinois tumbles to No. 38 after blowing an 11-point lead and losing to Buffalo in overtime.
Arkansas’ 24-14 win against Auburn moves the Razorbacks up to No. 41, while Cal’s loss to Florida State sees the Golden Bears drop to No. 42. James Madison had not played well this year, but a stunning 70-50 win at North Carolina vaults the Dukes up to No. 44.
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51-75
North Carolina had been playing well before Saturday, but that JMU loss drops the Tar Heels to No. 55. Virginia Tech tumbles to No. 58 after a late loss to Rutgers. The larger problem is that two losses to Rutgers and Vanderbilt now leave Virginia Tech without many chances for notable wins. NC State also drops to No. 59 after a 59-35 loss to Clemson, the Wolfpack’s second beating of the season at the hands of an AP Top 25 team.
Toledo is another Group of 5 darling that drops, this time after a dramatic loss at Western Kentucky. TCU falls to No. 69 after losing to SMU, while Stanford jumps up to No. 70 after beating Syracuse on a last-second field goal. TCU’s head-to-head win against Stanford explains their relative positioning. Wisconsin dropped to No. 71 without playing, but that’s simply because other teams (like Stanford) got good wins while Wisconsin was idle. Army is 3-0 and looking quite solid thus far. Service academies back on the rise, perhaps? Cincinnati is up to 3-1 and No. 73 after a 34-0 win against Houston, and the Bearcats may be rounding into form. If not for that blown fourth quarter against Pitt…
Kansas is down to No. 74 after another one-score loss, this time to West Virginia, and Florida State is up to No. 75 after beating Cal, becoming the final Power 4 team to get a victory.
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Stewart Mandel’s 12-team Playoff projections after Week 4
76-100
No. 77 San Jose State lost to Washington State, but the Spartans are looking quite good under first-year coach Ken Niumatalolo so far. Virginia leapfrogs Coastal Carolina to No. 79 after beating the Chanticleers. South Florida drops to No. 78 after a 50-15 loss to Miami. The Bulls’ nonconference schedule has been rough.
Bowling Green moves up to No. 86 after a one-score loss to Texas A&M, which came after a one-score loss to Penn State. This feels like a team that could do a lot of damage in the MAC. Same with Buffalo, which is 3-1 and No. 87 after beating Northern Illinois. Sam Houston is 3-1 and up to No. 91 after taking care of business against New Mexico State and could make noise in Conference USA.
South Alabama is the toughest team to rank this week. The Jaguars have losses to Ohio and North Texas but beat Appalachian State 48-14 on the road. They were missing quarterback Gio Lopez against Ohio, so maybe they’ve just figured things out after an 0-2 start? Or maybe App State is in big trouble the rest of the year. This is a South Alabama team we need to see more of to get a better read.
Mississippi State is the lowest-ranked Power 4 team at No. 98, and quarterback Blake Shapen is out for the year after suffering a shoulder injury in the 45-28 loss to Florida. Annnnnd next up on the schedule are Texas and Georgia. I’m so sorry, Bulldogs.
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College Football Playoff 2024 projections: Utah back in, USC hangs on in bracket
101-134
Shoutout to No. 108 Troy and No. 125 Temple for their first wins of the season. I thought Temple could be an 0-12 candidate, but the Owls beat Utah State 45-29. Is UConn turning a corner? The Huskies played Duke close last week and whipped FAU 48-14 on Saturday, moving up to No. 113.
FIU, meanwhile, lost to FCS Monmouth at Pitbull Stadium and falls to No. 115. Tulsa beat Louisiana Tech in overtime to move up to No. 118. Wyoming is tumbling fast, now down to No. 130 after a 44-17 loss to North Texas. The Cowboys, a perennial bowl team under Craig Bohl, have three blowout losses to FBS teams and a loss to FBS Idaho in Jay Sawvel’s first season.
Kent State remains at the bottom after getting outgained 718-67 in total yards against Penn State. That is the largest gap I can ever remember seeing, off the top of my head.
The Athletic 134 series is part of a partnership with Allstate. The Athletic maintains full editorial independence. Partners have no control over or input into the reporting or editing process and do not review stories before publication.
(Photo: Brian Bahr / Getty Images)
Tennessee
Tennessee lawmakers react after shooter opens fire during White House Correspondents’ Dinner
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WSMV) – President Donald Trump and other top leaders in the U.S. are unharmed after being evacuated from the White House Correspondents’ Dinner when a shooter opened fire at the hotel the event was being held.
The Associated Press reported that the incident happened outside the ballroom where the dinner was being held. The correspondents’ dinner was scrapped and will be rescheduled.
The FBI said the shooter is in custody.
During a press conference after the incident, President Trump said the suspect was armed with multiple weapons before being stopped.
Trump unharmed after security incident at White House correspondents’ dinner
Trump responds after shooter opened fired at correspondents’ dinner
Some Tennessee lawmakers have shared their reactions to the on social media.
Gov. Bill Lee:
Congressman Andy Ogles, who was at the dinner, posted a video to X saying he and his other colleagues were safe.
Sen. Marsha Blackburn:
Sen. Bill Hagerty:
U.S. Rep. Matt Van Epps:
The AP reported that the FBI Washington field office is investigating the shooting.
Copyright 2025 WSMV. All rights reserved.
At least Jermod McCoy didn’t have to wait long on Saturday, after a difficult fall over the first two days of the NFL Draft.
McCoy, a cornerback from Tennessee who missed all last season due to a knee injury, was the first pick of the fourth round to the Las Vegas Raiders. He was expected to go much sooner. Some thought he could go in the first round on Thursday. There were multiple concerns about his ACL injury and whether he’ll need more surgery, Yahoo Sports’ Charles Robinson reported.
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There will be a bit of a reunion as McCoy joins the Raiders. McCoy’s first college interception was against a quarterback from Cal named Fernando Mendoza. Mendoza moved on to Indiana, won a Heisman Trophy and was the first overall pick of the draft to the Raiders. McCoy and Mendoza get to be teammates in the NFL.
Jermod McCoy, who missed all last season after suffering a torn ACL, slid in the NFL Draft. (Photo by Jacob Kupferman/Getty Images)
(Jacob Kupferman via Getty Images)
If McCoy was healthy coming into this year’s NFL Draft, it seems like a foregone conclusion he would have been a first-round pick. He might have gone in the top 10. But in January of 2025, he tore his right ACL while working out. That forced him to miss the entire 2025 season, but he was still considered a potential first-round pick based on what he had shown already in college.
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But NFL teams were clearly worried about his medical exams. McCoy didn’t get picked in the first round and he slid in the second round too. Cornerbacks Colton Hood, Avieon Terrell, D’Angelo Ponds and Brandon Cisse were taken in the second round with McCoy on the board. That’s when it was obvious teams were scared of the injury. McCoy probably would have gone ahead of all of those cornerbacks, and perhaps even the two first-round cornerbacks Mansoor Delane and Chris Johnson, if he never got hurt.
The third round came and went without McCoy being picked, leading to another night of wondering where he’d go. The Raiders took a chance on him to start the third day of the draft. If his knee holds up, it will be tremendous value.
When Tennessee baseball players arrived at the clubhouse at Lindsey Nelson Stadium early on April 24, they weren’t thinking about the upcoming grind of a doubleheader against No. 15 Alabama.
They weren’t fixated on the 12-8 loss to the Tide in the first game of the series a day earlier. They weren’t stressed about what a series loss could mean for their postseason future.
The Vols were too busy “jamming” to rapper NBA YoungBoy, according to starting pitcher Tegan Kuhns.
That loose mentality translated into a cascading offensive downpour and stringent defensive outing as Tennessee (29-15, 10-11 SEC) cruised to big wins over the Tide (29-29-16, 10-11) on both ends of the doubleheader.
Tennessee run-ruled Alabama in eight innings, 10-0, charged by another exceptional performance from Kuhns. Hours later, the Vols posted their second double-digit scoring performance with an 11-4 win.
Tennessee coach Josh Elander believes his young team is learning from facing adversity.
“We’ve been in that spot because we haven’t won on Friday night,” he said. “We need to be better on Fridays, but we’ve been in these scenarios where your back is against the wall and you’ve got to figure out what you’ve got. You can play tight and tense and try hard, or you can just cut it loose and play baseball.”
Tennessee hosts West Georgia at home on April 28 (6 p.m. ET, SEC Network+) before continuing SEC play at Kentucky from May 1-3.
Here’s what we learned about Tennessee baseball after its Alabama series victory.
Offense responded to Josh Elander’s challenge
After Tennessee’s first two losses in its last series against Ole Miss, Elander challenged the team to reflect on the offensive woes. The Vols scored four runs in the first game, yet barely escaped a shutout with a single run in Game 2.
Tennessee closed the series with a 13-5 win on April 19. The success carried over into the Alabama series with a total of 29 runs. Even in Game 1, the Vols logged eight runs.
“Better swings, nothing crazy,” Elander said about what’s changed with the offense. “It’s not like we’re taking batting practice differently or doing our scouting reports differently … I think our guys, as they continue to see more SEC high level stuff, they just slow down and are able to navigate at-bats a little better or the moment a little bit better when the crowd gets going.
“I think they’re just settling in. That’s what we need down the stretch. I know we’re past the three quarter way in the year. I’ve always felt confident in this offense, I know they’re capable and they need to continue to be consistent.”
Designated hitter Trent Grindlinger certainly settled in against Alabama. The Tide had no answer for the freshman, who had a combined five hits and two home runs in the doubleheader.
Elander called Grindlinger’s performance “rare.” Outfielder Blaine Brown is getting used to it.
“Trent, he works hard,” Brown said. “Nothing he did today surprised me at all. That’s just what I know he can do.”
Brown also had a big performance with two home runs in Game 3.
“We like that Blaine,” Elander said. “We’d like to see some more of him.”
Tegan Kuhns continues to showcase MLB talent
Kuhns claimed he wasn’t upset about the eight inning run-rule cutting off his path to a full game shutout. Regardless of how he felt, Alabama hitters were definitely frustrated trying to score against the sophomore pitcher.
In eight pitched innings, he struck out nine, allowed only three hits and a walk with no earned runs.
“I was just ready to set the tone,” Kuhns said. “I feel like the guys needed it. They needed a better start out of a starter, and I just did that for them.”
Starting pitching is good, for the most part
Left-hander Evan Blanco continued to be a “pro” for the Vols in Game 3. He gave up five hits and three earned runs, but countered with a season-high nine strikeouts.
Blanco wasn’t as close to a flawless performance like Kuhns. However, he provided six solid innings and prevented Tennessee from reaching into its bullpen early.
That’s exactly what happened in Game 1. Starting right-hander Landon Mack was off his game at the beginning, and it lingered through his 2 1/3 innings pitched. After he pelted an Alabama hitter in the helmet with a fastball, Elander took him out.
“On Friday night, you need length from your starter,” Elander said on April 23. “You’ve got to be careful with the bullpen, especially with the weather that we’re looking at coming in. When he hit that guy in the head − I hope that guy’s OK − that was a clear indicator that we needed to get him out of the game.”
Wynton Jackson covers high school sports for Knox News. Email: wynton.jackson@knoxnews.com
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