KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Tennessee football continues to rise up in the AP Top 25 College Football Poll, and the Vols are coming in at No. 8 following their victory against Florida.
UT held off the Gators 38-33 inside Neyland Stadium on Saturday night for its first win over Florida since 2016, and just its second victory against UF in the last 18 meetings.
The Vols jumped into the No. 8 spot for the first time since the 2006 season. Tennessee has not been ranked in the top 10 since 2016.
Tennessee will enjoy its new spot heading into the bye week. The Vols' next opponent will be an SEC road test against LSU, which is currently receiving votes in the AP Top 25 poll.
A few former UT Football players said 2006 seems like a lifetime ago, but the years have flown by. They remember the songs they listened to, the phones they used, and they also remember losing the Florida game by just a point. This weekend's win against Florida is an example of how things change over time.
“But yeah, music was different,” said former Wide Reciever Jayson Swain.
The number-one jam in 2006 was Justin Timberlake's "My Love," featuring T.I and Timberland.
Swain graced the field of Neyland Stadium from 2003 to 2007 and says it is still on his playlist.
"I still rock it today my kids look at me; kind of weird sometimes,” he said.
In 2006, folks were not scrolling through Instagram on smartphones. The top-selling cell phone was a Motorola Razr — a phone that was not a favorite of Swain.
"Pointless phone that just looked good and was easy to lose in between the couch cushions," he said. "I think I had a Nextel."
Also, 2006 was the last time the Vold ranked this high in the college AP poll. Swain said that year, they also lost against the Florida Gators.
"So it's one of the toughest losses I've been a part of," he said.
Now, UT ranks in the top ten and they also beat Florida over the weekend.
“All of that is out the way, and hopefully, everything is going upward now,” said Ovince Saint Preux.
Former IUT defensive linebacker Saint Pruex graduated in 2004. He says while much has changed over the years with technology and music, what he's really proud of is how the Vols progressed over the years and how they beat one of their biggest rivals.
"Actually looking good, especially this last game we played Florida, which is good,” he said.
