KNOXVILLE, Tenn. -- Tennessee is ranked at No. 9 in the preseason Associated Press Top 25 poll, it was announced Sunday in a release by the school’s sports information department.
The Vols were also ranked at No. 10 in the Preseason Amway Coaches Poll on Aug. 4. No. 9/10 Tennessee has its highest preseason ranking since being No. 3 in both polls entering the 2005 season.
Tennessee is ranked in the preseason AP poll for the second-straight year and the 40th time ever. The Vols were in the top 10 of the AP poll on Oct. 29, 2006, when the Vols, led by Erik Ainge and Jerod Mayo, were 7-1 and No. 8 entering Week 10.
Tennessee, which was picked to win the SEC Eastern Division by the media at last month's 2016 SEC media days, is coming off of an impressive 9-4 season in 2015, which it capped with a 45-6 win over Northwestern in the Outback Bowl.
The Vols closed the year with a six-game winning streak and posted their first back-to-back bowl wins since winning the 1996 and 1997 Florida Citrus Bowls. Tennessee produced the second-best team rushing total in program history with 2,908 yards. The Vols return 19 starters with nine on offense and eight on defense.
Tennessee opens the 2016 season on Thursday, Sept. 1, at home against Appalachian State. Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m. ET on the SEC Network. The Vols’ second game is slated for Sept. 10 against Virginia Tech at Bristol Motorspeedway, a non-conference showdown expected to draw a college-record 155,000 fans to the mammoth Bristol facility.
Preseason AP Top 25
1. Alabama, 14-1, 1469 (33)
2. Clemson, 14-1, 1443 (16)
3. Oklahoma, 11-2, 1352 (4)
4. Florida State, 10-3, 1325 (5)
5. LSU, 9-3, 1269 (1)
6. Ohio State, 12-1, 1224 (1)
7. Michigan, 10-3, 1147 (1)
8. Stanford, 12-2, 1029
9. Tennessee, 9-4, 1021
10. Notre Dame, 10-3, 1006
11. Ole Miss, 10-3, 718
12. Michigan State, 12-2, 710
13. TCU, 11-2, 707
14. Washington, 7-6, 651
15. Houston, 13-1, 644
16. UCLA, 8-5, 496
17. Iowa, 12-2, 484
18. Georgia, 10-3, 448
19. Louisville, 8-5, 447
20. USC, 8-6, 344
21. Oklahoma State, 10-3, 316
22. North Carolina, 11-3, 283
23. Baylor, 10-3, 280
24. Oregon, 9-4, 218
25. Florida, 10-4, 180