College football rankings: Where will Tennessee be ranked to start the 2025 season?

As we truly venture into the heart of the college football offseason, this is when the underlying questions you may have about a certain coach, player or program start to bubble to the surface. With the College Football Playoff being anything and everything in this sport now, are you in or are you out? The Tennessee Volunteers were one of the teams in last season, but will they be making it back?

Now that I have begun to put last year firmly behind me, I am starting to wonder if Tennessee really is a lock to make it back. The Vols took advantage of a softer SEC schedule. Keep in mind that they will play the same eight teams next year, only the venues are flipped. Home is road and road is home and so on. Nico Iamaleava returns at quarterback, but he often did not look the part as the Vols' starter.

So what I want to do today is try to forecast where I think Tennessee will start next season ranked inside the initial AP Top 25 Poll. Remember that the AP Poll is our guiding light until the College Football Playoff Selection Committee meets for the first time shortly after Halloween. Tennessee is undoubtedly going to start next year ranked, absolutely inside the top 15, but how high will they be?

I may be bullish on Tennessee next season, but I remain quite confident that they will be in the top 10.

Where will Tennessee Volunteers start next football season ranked?

For the record, I have Tennessee in the College Football Playoff as the third of four SEC teams to make the field. I have the Volunteers behind Texas and Georgia, in that order, but ahead of South Carolina, who I have as the No. 10 seed. I think that helps paint a beautiful picture of Tennessee likely starting the season ranked firmly inside of the top 10. Frankly, I might have them as high as No. 7...

For the sake of simplicity, here is how I am going to do this. I will break down my playoff contenders into tiers, from locks, to borderline locks, to fringe contenders, if I have to go that far. Since I am quite bullish on Tennessee football next year, I have them as a borderline lock. Right now, the only three teams I have as locks to make the playoff are Ohio State, Penn State and Texas. Who would be No. 4?

I have Tennessee in the next group of teams with the likes of Clemson, Georgia, Notre Dame and Oregon. In most estimations, I would venture to guess everyone will have at least four of those five teams making the playoff, just like everyone will have Ohio State, Penn State and Texas. Beyond Tennessee's cluster, I think we need to look at teams such as Arizona State, Florida and Louisville.

So what I am getting at is Tennessee could be ranked as high as No. 4, but probably no lower than No. 8 in my estimation. The question now is who all is ranked ahead of them to start beyond just Ohio State, Penn State and Texas? I think you have to put Clemson and Georgia ahead of Tennessee, probably Notre Dame and maybe Oregon. I am not as high on the Ducks as I was this past season.

That narrows the focus for where Tennessee should start next season ranked between No. 6 and No. 8. For various reasons, I think the AP voters would put Notre Dame and Oregon ahead of Tennessee in the rankings. Notre Dame played for a national championship and people really love them Ducks for some reason... I would say that I feel quite comfortable having Tennessee starting next year at No. 8.

As long as the Vols make the playoff once again, nobody will even care where they are ranked to start.