National media outlet predicts where Tennessee Vols will finish in division-less SEC in 2024

The 2024 season will be the first year that the SEC hasn't had divisions since 1991.

With Texas and Oklahoma officially joining the SEC in 2024, the newly expanded 16-team conference will operate without divisions this fall. As a result, the SEC Championship game in December will simply feature the two SEC teams with the best records.

(In 1991, the last SEC season before 2024 without divisions, there was no SEC Championship game. The first SEC Championship game took place in 1992 when the league expanded to 12 teams and had an East and West division.)

Where are the Tennessee Vols predicted to finish in the SEC in 2024?

Earlier this summer, Athlon Sports revealed their predicted order of finish in the SEC in 2024. And they don't think the Tennessee Vols will be one of the two teams playing in the SEC Championship game this upcoming season.

Instead, Athlon Sports has the Vols finishing No. 7 in the SEC this fall.

Here's their entire predicted order of finish:

1. Georgia Bulldogs
2. Texas Longhorns
3. Ole Miss Rebels
4. Alabama Crimson Tide
5. Missouri Tigers
6. LSU Tigers
7. Tennessee Vols
8. Oklahoma Sooners
9. Texas A&M Aggies
10. Auburn Tigers
11. Florida Gators
12. Kentucky Wildcats
13. South Carolina Gamecocks
14. Arkansas Razorbacks
15. Mississippi State Bulldogs
16. Vanderbilt Commodores

This is where it seems like most of the national media has predicted Tennessee to finish in the SEC in 2024. The Vols, though, have their sights set much higher than finishing No. 7 in the SEC. Tennessee should have plenty of motivation to prove the doubters wrong in year four of the Josh Heupel era.

Related: Former Vols QB details wild season that includes Peyton Manning, Morgan Wallen, and running from autograph seekers with Hendon Hooker