Tennessee head coach Josh Heupel speaks after the 71-0 win over Kent State
Tennessee football rose one spot to No. 6 in Sunday afternoon’s Associated Press Top 25 update following its 71-0 victory over Kent State on Saturday night at Neyland Stadium. The Vols moved up two spots to No. 7 in Sunday afternoon’s US LBM Coaches Poll.
The Vols now turn their attention to Oklahoma, where they open SEC play Saturday night at 7:30 p.m. Eastern time, televised on ABC. The Sooners remained ranked No. 13 in the Coaches Poll and No. 15 in the AP Top 25 entering Sunday.
ESPN announced Saturday that College GameDay will take place Saturday in Norman when the Sooners make their debut as an SEC team against Josh Heupel and Tennessee.
Heupel returns to Oklahoma for the first time since 2014. Bob Stoops fired him as offensive coordinator and quarterback coach. As a transfer quarterback, he led the Sooners to the 2000 national championship, earned All-American honors and finished second for the Heisman Trophy.
Oklahoma took a 21-0 lead at home against Tulsa on Saturday afternoon, but the Green Wave closed to 24-19 early in the fourth quarter before the Sooners pulled away 34-19. Oklahoma beat Houston 16-12 at home last week and opened the season with a 51-3 win over Temple on Aug. 30.
Tennessee’s 71-0 victory over Kent State followed a 51-10 win over North Carolina State last week in Charlotte and a 69-3 victory over Chattanooga on Aug. 31.
Tennessee vs. Oklahoma: How to watch
Kick-off time: Saturday, 7:30 p.m. Eastern Time
TV: ABC
Streaming: ESPN-App
Radio: WNML-FM 99.1 in Knoxville. Vol Network’s radio show can be heard on local affiliate stations throughout the state of Tennessee.
Where: Oklahoma Memorial Stadium (80,126)
The Tennessee-Oklahoma series
Tennessee and Oklahoma have only played each other four times since 1939, but twice in the last eleven years.
The Sooners overcame a 17-0 deficit to win 31-24 in overtime at Neyland Stadium in September 2015, with quarterback Baker Mayfield leading the comeback. Tennessee had been at Oklahoma the season before, losing 34-10 in Norman in the second year under the former head coach. Butch Jones.
The first two meetings took place in the Orange Bowl. Oklahoma won 26-24 in Miami on New Year’s Day 1968 and Tennessee won 17-0 on January 2, 1939. The 1939 Orange Bowl victory capped a perfect 11-0 season for the Vols, who were named national champions by several media outlets.
Tennessee allowed just 16 points in 11 games and beat seven of its last eight opponents this season. The Vols did not allow a point in the 1939 regular season and beat 15 straight opponents dating back to the 1938 season before losing 14-0 to USC in the Rose Bowl on New Year’s Day 1940.
