National media makes big statement about the Tennessee Vols on Sunday

The Tennessee Vols got the attention of the pen and mic club across the country on Saturday night, it seems.

The Vols made a big jump on Sunday afternoon in the newest AP poll, moving up from #14 last week to #7 this week after obliterating the NC State Wolfpack 51-10 in primetime at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, North Carolina.

That's a pretty big jump to make under the circumstances.  Normally, you might see a team make such a big jump when a slew of teams above them lose.  However, the only teams that dropped below them with a loss were Notre Dame, who fell 16-14 at home to Northern Illinois on Saturday, and Michigan, who fell 31-12 to Texas.

Tennessee moved up and over Penn State, Oregon, Miami, USC, and Utah, all of whom won on Saturday.  Clearly the Vols' win over a ranked NC State team in such emphatic fashion rang true with the voters on Saturday after moving up just one spot after a 69-3 win over Chattanooga the week before.

The Vols managed to move up as well in the coaches poll, although not quite as much.  Tennessee improved from 12th to 9th on Sunday.

The Vols will get what should be a layup on Saturday against Kent State.  Then, the real work will begin when the Vols open up their SEC slate against Oklahoma on the road, which will provide Tennessee with another big opportunity to impress the voters across the country.

Related: Josh Heupel talks about an important first that Nico Iamaleava handled in Tennessee Vols' romp over NC State