With Tennessee likely to be in the top 12 of the College Football Playoff rankings, head coach Josh Heupel wasted no time putting things in perspective for his team. He stressed that these early rankings “don’t matter,” reminding players that what counts is how they control their preparation and performance in the coming weeks.
Heupel highlighted the need for continued improvement, saying that early rankings are quickly forgotten if a team stumbles down the stretch. Drawing from past experience, he reminded the Vols of their No. 1 ranking two years ago, which eventually slipped due to late-season losses. Now, the team understands that staying focused on performance will be key to their ultimate ranking as November winds down.
