Tennessee falls in polls after loss to Georgia

It was an interesting one in Athens this weekend — until it wasn’t. Tennessee took a lead into the halftime break against the No. 3 Georgia Bulldogs, overcoming several early mistakes to hold an advantage. That advantage was quickly erased by Kirby Smart’s suffocating defense, which clamped down on the Volunteers in the third quarter.

Three turnovers later, an upset bid turned into a blowout. Georgia walked away from Tennessee in the second half, beating the Vols by a score of 44-21.

Sunday’s college football polls didn’t punish Tennessee all that much for the loss. The AP Poll moved Tennessee from 14 to 18, while the coaches poll dropped them from 12 to 17.

Georgia held steady at No. 3 in both polls, while Clemson and Alabama remain as the top two teams in the nation.

Florida took a tumble after Texas A&M pulled the upset, while the Aggies made a big jump. North Carolina entered the top five of the AP Poll, creating a new player in the ACC.

AP Poll

1. Clemson
2. Alabama
3. Georgia
4. Notre Dame
5. North Carolina
6. Ohio State
7. Oklahoma State
8. Cincinnati
9. Penn State
10. Florida
11. Texas A&M
12. Oregon
13. Miami
14. BYU
15. Auburn
16. Wisconsin
17. SMU
18. Tennessee
19. Michigan
20. Iowa State
21. Louisiana-Lafayette
22. Kansas State
23. Virginia Tech
24. Minnesota
25. USC

Coaches Poll

1. Clemson
2. Alabama
3. Georgia
4. Notre Dame
5. Ohio State
6. North Carolina
7. Oklahoma State
8. Penn State
9. Florida
10. Cincinnati
11. Texas A&M
12. Miami
13. BYU
14. Auburn
15. Wisconsin
16. Oregon
17. Tennessee
18. SMU
19. Michigan
20. Iowa State
21. Louisiana-Lafayette
22. Kansas State
23. Virginia Tech
24. USC
25. Minnesota