Tennessee Football Falls In Final AP Poll Of 2024-25 Season
Ohio State returned to the college football mountaintop on Monday night, defeating Notre Dame 34-23 for its seventh ever National Championship and its third championship of the 21st century.
With the 2024-25 season officially in the rearview, the Associated Press released its final top 25 rankings of the season on Tuesday morning. Tennessee football came in at No. 9 in the final AP Poll of the season, down two-spots from where they ranked in the pre playoffs AP Poll.
Both Arizona State and Boise State ranked behind Tennessee entering the playoffs with the Vols falling behind both in the final poll.
The Sun Devils jumped up to No. 7 in the rankings. Arizona State, who received an automatic bye in the playoffs by winning the Big 12, lost to Texas in double overtime in the Peach Bowl (quarterfinals). Arizona State jumped Tennessee without winning a playoff game.
That was also the case for No. 8 Boise State. The Broncos earned a first round bye after winning the Mountain West and lost their first College Football Playoff game against Penn State, 31-14, in the Fiesta Bowl.
Tennessee is one of seven SEC teams in the final AP Poll of the season, coming in behind No. 4 Texas and No. 6 Georgia but ahead of No. 11 Ole Miss, No. 17 Alabama, No. 19 South Carolina and No. 22 Missouri.
It was a shaky bowl season for the SEC as the conference posted just an 8-7 postseason record. Georgia lost int he quarterfinals of the College Football Playoffs while Tennessee lost in the first round and Texas lost in the semifinals. South Carolina lost in the Citrus Bowl against Illinois and Alabama lost to Michigan in the ReliaQuest Bowl.
Tennessee made the College Football Playoffs for the first time ever in 2024, posting a 10-2 (6-2 SEC) regular season record before losing to eventual National Champion Ohio State in the first round of the playoffs. The Vols dropped road games at Arkansas, Georgia and Ohio State during the 2024 season while going an unbeaten 7-0 at home.
Josh Heupel’s fourth Tennessee team earned rivalry wins over Alabama and Florida at home, just the second time the Vols had done both in the season season since 2004.
Tennessee’s No. 9 finish in the AP Poll is its highest since finishing sixth in the 2022 season and just its third top 10 finish during the 21st century.
