Topping top-ranked teams has been tougher for football Vols

Tennessee Athletics photo / Linebacker Kelly Ziegler (49) and defensive tackle Mark Hovanic (59) wrap up Auburn running back Bo Jackson during Tennessee's 38-20 win over top-ranked Auburn in 1985.
Tennessee Athletics photo / Linebacker Kelly Ziegler (49) and defensive tackle Mark Hovanic (59) wrap up Auburn running back Bo Jackson during Tennessee's 38-20 win over top-ranked Auburn in 1985.

Tennessee last defeated a No. 1 football team on Sept. 28, 1985.

It's only been hours since the Volunteers last defeated a No. 1 basketball team.

Taking down a top-ranked program through the years has occurred with more frequency for the Vols on the hardwood, as Wednesday night's 68-59 downing of Alabama inside Thompson-Boling Arena marked Tennessee's sixth triumph over a No. 1 team. The Vols are 6-14 all-time in hoops against top-ranked programs, having previously defeated Kentucky in March 1966, South Carolina in December 1969, Memphis in February 2008, Kansas in January 2010 and Gonzaga in December 2018.

The wins over Memphis and Gonzaga resulted in the Vols ascending to No. 1 for the only seasons (2007-08 and 2018-19) in school history.

It's been a tougher task in football, with Tennessee just 2-16 against top-ranked teams since the inception of the Associated Press poll in 1936. Both of the wins occurred in Neyland Stadium, as the 1959 Vols upset LSU 14-13 and the 1985 Vols whipped Auburn 38-20.

Tennessee's 1959 team was 5-1-1 and No. 9 in the country after defeating LSU but lost its last three games to Ole Miss, Kentucky and Vanderbilt by a combined 71-7. The 1985 Vols used the triumph over Auburn as a springboard to that season's Southeastern Conference title, the program's first since 1969, and a 35-7 humbling of Miami in the Sugar Bowl that resulted in a No. 4 final ranking.

The Vols have lost to a No. 1 team in six of the last seven autumns, falling to Alabama from 2016-19 and to Georgia the past two seasons.

Contact David Paschall at dpaschall@timesfreepress.com.

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