A very impressive road win against Oklahoma moves Tennessee ahead of Alabama and into the top four of this week’s USA TODAY Sports NCAA Re-Rank 1-134.
The No. 4 Volunteers have looked like the most balanced team in the country through four games. The offense ranks fourth nationally in yards per game and second in scoring, while the defense leads the Bowl Subdivision in yards allowed per game.
Combined with the win in the Sooners’ SEC debut, there’s enough evidence to say Tennessee deserves to step ahead of Alabama and into the re-rank’s elite top four.
That might change in a week: No. 5 Alabama meets No. 1 Georgia this coming Saturday in maybe the marquee game of the regular season. Both teams did not play this past weekend, but the Bulldogs were able to stay atop the 1-134 despite two more blowout wins by No. 2 Texas and No. 3 Ohio State.
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Also on the move are No. 18 Michigan and No. 21 Southern California. The Wolverines are up 11 spots after scoring a late touchdown to beat the Trojans 27-24. USC played much better in the second half, which has to be seen as a positive takeaway. But the loss dumps the Trojans nine spots.
One new face in this week’s top 25 is No. 25 Brigham Young. Down 6-0 late in the first half against Kansas State, the Cougars put up 31 points in about seven minutes of game time bridging the second and third quarters. The loss drops the Wildcats from No. 9 to No. 20.