Jonathan Crouch

There is not a single credible argument why Tennessee should be ranked behind Alabama on Tuesday. If they are, throw out the ranking. They have the exact same record. Tennessee beat Kentucky (Alabama’s best win) by the exact same margin as Alabama did, and Tennessee didn’t trail deep into the third quarter. If Alabama’s win over MSU is a good win, Tennessee’s win over Auburn (who beat Georgia) is a better win. FSU and Ga Tech are 3-5 and 2-6. In Alabama’s two losses, they played two ranked teams and lost by a total of 19 points (once at home and once on the road). In Tennessee’s two losses, they played two ranked teams and lost by a total of 6 points (once at home and once on the road). Most importantly, the defining data point, by far, when comparing these two teams is the football game played in Neyland Stadium three weeks ago where Tennessee beat Alabama senseless.