Tennessee finished sixth in both the Associated Press and USA Today coaches polls following its 11-2 football season that ended with a 31-14 Orange Bowl victory over Clemson on Dec. 30.
Both polls were released Tuesday, and USA Today on Wednesday revealed how each of the 65 coaches voted.
Pittsburgh’s Pat Narduzzi was the only coach to rank Tennessee fourth, placing the Volunteers behind Georgia, Ohio State and Alabama, while North Carolina State’s Dave Doeren and Nevada’s Ken Wilson tabbed the Vols eighth. Tennessee defeated Narduzzi’s Panthers 34-27 in overtime on Sept. 10.
Ten other coaches ranked Tennessee seventh, with that contingent including Butch Jones of Arkansas State and Greg Schiano of Rutgers, which left 52 of the 65 pegging the Vols either fifth or sixth.
Jones was Tennessee’s coach from 2013-17, compiling consecutive 9-4 seasons in 2015-16 before the 2017 team became the first in school history to lose eight games and go winless in Southeastern Conference play. Schiano was Ohio State’s offensive coordinator in 2017 and was then-Tennessee athletic director John Currie’s pick to succeed Jones, but that selection resulted in instant backlash that eliminated Schiano from consideration and helped lead to Currie’s firing.
Doeren was also briefly linked to Currie’s tumultuous 2017 search.
Georgia coach Kirby Smart, whose Bulldogs won a second consecutive national championship with Monday night’s 65-7 blistering of TCU, ranked Tennessee fifth behind the four College Football Playoff participants: Georgia, TCU, Michigan and Ohio State.
Alabama’s Nick Saban tabbed the Vols sixth and had Georgia at No. 1 and his Crimson Tide, who lost to the Vols 52-49 on Oct. 15, at No. 2.
Contact David Paschall at timesfreepress.com.