Georgia defeated TCU, 65-7, in the College Football Playoff national championship game.
Following the national championship game, the USA TODAY Sports AFCA Coaches Poll was released.
Tennessee finished No. 6, while Alabama is ranked fifth.
Tennessee’s 2022 regular-season schedule featured home games against Ball State (W, 59-10), Akron (W, 63-6), Florida (W, 38-33), Alabama (W, 52-49), UT Martin (W, 65-24), Kentucky (W, 44-6) and Missouri (W, 66-24).
The Vols’ 2022 schedule featured road contests at Pittsburgh (W, 34-27 OT) in the second edition of the Johnny Majors Classic, LSU (W, 40-13), Georgia (L, 27-13), South Carolina (L, 63-38) and Vanderbilt (W, 56-0).
Tennessee defeated Clemson, 31-14, in the Capital One Orange Bowl to conclude its 2022 season on Dec. 30.
Western Kentucky head coach Tyson Helton voted in the USA TODAY Sports AFCA Coaches Poll during the 2022 season. Helton served as Tennessee’s offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach in 2018 before becoming Western Kentucky’s head coach.
Helton’s final ballot is listed below.