Tennessee Falls to No. 16 in AP Poll After Narrow Loss at South Carolina

Tennessee paid a clear price in the national polls for its 27-24 loss at South Carolina on Saturday night. The Volunteers slipped from No. 11 to No. 16 in the AP Poll and from No. 11 to No. 17 in the Coaches Poll after Malik Orsan connected on a 48-yard field goal at the end of the game to give the Gamecocks the win and send their fans onto the field.

The defeat sends Tennessee into its bye week on a disappointing note, especially after coming so close to escaping with a road victory. The margin was thin enough that the drop can feel severe, particularly coming a week after a much stronger result, but poll voters still moved the Vols down five spots in one ranking and six in the other.

Tennessee will have opportunities to recover over its final four games, beginning with the first test after the bye. The Vols host Kentucky at Neyland Stadium on Nov. 7, and Kentucky, ranked No. 8 entering its own bye week, is positioned to arrive as a top-10 opponent.

Elsewhere in the polls, LSU moved back inside the top 15 in both rankings after a 38-17 win at Auburn on Saturday. The Tigers checked in at No. 15 in the AP Poll and No. 13 in the Coaches Poll, adding another highly ranked team to the landscape Tennessee must navigate down the stretch.