Vols in Tier 5: Close But Can't Close | Tennessee Volunteers Football News

Tennessee’s dropped to Tier 5 by ESPN — “Always so close, but no cigar” — for consistently falling short in high-stakes games, despite a potent rushing attack and play-action-heavy offense. They’ve only made the playoffs once, losing it badly, and lost all matchups against ranked foes last season, including a heartbreaker vs. Georgia. Alongside teams like Louisville and Penn State, Tennessee’s stuck in the “almost there” category — now they must prove they can finish strong under pressure to climb out of this tier and silence doubters. Listen in comfort:Get a discount on a Soli Pillow: http://solipillow.com/discount/dnn. Advertise on DNN:[email protected] This is an automated, high-level news summary based on public reporting.Report issues to [email protected]. View sources & latest updates:https://sources.thednn.ai/e230a55389ff65d8