KNOXVILLE - Tennessee jumped two spots in The Associated Press Top 25 poll released Sunday, moving up to No. 23 after its 42-7 win against Indiana State on Saturday.
Florida dropped two spots but stayed in the poll at No. 24 after its home game against Northern Colorado was canceled due to Hurricane Irma.
Something is going to give soon.
Either Tennessee (2-0) or Florida (0-1) figure to be booted from the rankings by this time next week, unless the hurricane's aftermath forces the Volunteers' scheduled 3:30 p.m. Saturday game at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium in Gainesville to be postponed.
Tennessee athletic director John Currie and Florida athletic director Scott Stricklin both indicated over the weekend they planned to wait to see Irma's impact before making a decision on the possibility of a venue or time change.
The Southeastern Conference opener for both is already shaping up to have an important feel, weather factors aside. It's just the second time since 2006 and '07 the teams will be ranked when they meet in consecutive seasons.
Tennessee put life back in the rivalry last year by breaking the Gators' 11-game winning streak in the series with a 38-28 win in Knoxville. This year, the Gators will try to recover from a season-opening loss to Michigan as the Vols try to start 3-0 for two years in a row for the first time since 2003 and '04.
"It's Florida week now," Tennessee junior defensive tackle Khalil McKenzie said after Saturday's victory. "It's a different mindset. It's the real season now. It's time to get going. It's time for our SEC rivals."
Both teams are trying to establish their identities for the 2017 season. The Gators were missing several players due to suspension in their loss to Michigan. Tennessee, meanwhile, started with back-to-back games against a pair of offenses coach Butch Jones described as "exotic."
"They have been completely different," Jones said Saturday, five days after the Vols beat Georgia Tech in double overtime. "We are still ongoing in terms of trying to find out where we stand as a football team. From a fundamental standpoint, we can gauge more than we can from an overall standpoint."
Tennessee has unanswered questions, but the Vols did learn more about their young group of receivers Saturday. With veteran players Jauan Jennings and Josh Smith out with injuries, sophomores Brandon Johnson and Marquez Callaway continued to emerge as big-play threats with their performances.
Callaway's 37-yard touchdown and Johnson's 19-yarder, both from junior starter Quinten Dormady, were highlights. Freshman receiver Jordan Murphy also made his debut.
Though Smith and fellow receivers Tyler Byrd and Latrell Williams, also out Saturday, are expected to return soon, Jones found the game helpful for young players at the position.
"It's going to be great to be able to go back and teach all of these young guys that gained valuable repetitions, whether it was offense, defense or special teams," Jones said. "We're going to need some individuals to step up from a depth standpoint, particularly on special teams."
Contact David Cobb at dcobb@timesfreepress.com.