Tennessee football is off to a strong start to the season with the Vols downing Syracuse 45-26 in Atlanta at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. With the AP and Coaches Polls not yet released, some other rankings across the country are starting to be released. This includes ESPN’s FPI , which gives a score to each team in the country.
Tennessee sits at a Power Index of 17.7, the eighth-best mark in the country. This is the fourth-highest ranking of any SEC team. The top spot went to Texas, despite the loss to Ohio State, with Georgia, Ohio State, Ole Miss, Penn State, USC and Oregon behind the Longhorns and ahead of the Vols.
UT went into the season at No. 8, as well, and stayed in the spot with some teams around it moving up and down. Notre Dame and Alabama both dropped behind Tennessee, and USC and Ole Miss moved in front.
More From RTI: ESPN Now Favors Tennessee Against SEC Rival Alabama Despite It Being on the Road
The FPI projects Tennessee to go 9.5-2.7 after the opening win. The Vols have a 1.7% chance to win out in the regular season and a 99.9% chance to win six games and make another bowl game.
Tennessee is given a 9.3% to win the SEC, a 50.4% chance to be one of the 12 teams in the College Football Playoffs, a 9.8% chance to make the national title game and a 4.8% chance to win the title. The chance to win the championship is the eighth-best of any team in the country.
Next, the Vols are going to hold their home-opener against ETSU on Saturday. Kickoff is set for 3:30 p.m. ET and will air on SECN+ and ESPN+.
ESPN analytics give Tennessee a 99.0% chance to win the game. There are currently no betting lines out for the game against the in-state FCS competition. ETSU won its opener against Murray State last week.
Source link
