It’s easy for younger SEC football fans to forget that Tennessee was once an annual national championship contender and one of the consistently great teams in the conference.

The Vols haven’t finished a season ranked in the top 10 of the final Associated Press Top 25 since 2001 – when this year’s incoming freshmen were four or five years old. Also, Tennessee hasn’t won the SEC East since 2007 and hasn’t captured the league crown since 1998.

Nevertheless, the Volunteers have a rich program history for which most SEC teams would gladly trade. Tennessee claims six national championships and 16 conference titles. The Volunteers represented the East in the SEC Championship three times and won twice. Tennessee also ranks fourth in college football history in bowl game appearances (51) and fifth in bowl wins (27).

Of those many championship squads, five rise to the top as the very best in school history.

Honorable Mention

1995: 11-1 (7-1), No. 3 Final Ranking

The 1995 Tennessee Vols finished 11-1 and were ranked No. 3 in the final AP Top 25 following a 20-14 victory over Ohio State in the Citrus Bowl. Sophomore Peyton Manning threw for 2,954 yards and 22 touchdowns with just 4 interceptions and Jay Graham racked up 1,438 rushing yards (which was then a school record) and 12 TDs. The only thing standing between the Vols and a potential national title was a 62-37 loss to No. 4 Florida on Sept. 16.

1989: 11-1 (6-1), SEC Co-Champions, No. 5 Final Ranking

Arguably head coach Johnny Majors’ greatest team, the Vols began the 1989 season unranked but shot up through the national polls thanks to early-season upsets over No. 6 UCLA and No. 4 Auburn. The only blemish for Tennessee was a 47-30 loss to No. 10 Alabama in Birmingham.

1985: 9-1-2 (5-1), No. 4 Final Ranking

Unranked to begin the season, the ’85 Vols tied No. 10 UCLA 26-26 in the opener, and then upset No. 1 Auburn 38-20 in Week 2. Led by a top-5 defense that allowed an average of 11.7 points per game, Tennessee lost to No. 7 Florida 17-10 and tied Georgia Tech 6-6, but won six straight to close out the season, which included shutouts against Rutgers, Kentucky and Vanderbilt. The Vols capped the season off with an incredible 35-7 domination of No. 2 Miami in the Sugar Bowl.

1967 – 9-2 (6-0), SEC Champions, National Champions

One of the more controversial national championships Tennessee claims, the 1967 Vols ran off nine straight victories following a season-opening 20-16 loss on the road to UCLA, including a perfect 6-0 record in SEC play. However, Tennessee lost 26-24 to No. 5 Oklahoma in the Orange Bowl, and finished the season ranked No. 2 behind USC in in the major polls.

1956 – 10-1 (6-0), SEC Champions, No. 2 Final Ranking

Before he was a great head coach for the Vols, Johnny Majors was a two-time SEC Player of the Year. In 1956, Majors led the team in rushing and passing, and led the SEC with 1,101 total yards and 12 touchdowns to earn consensus All-American honors. He finished a close second to Notre Dame’s Paul Hornung in the voting for the Heisman Trophy. Majors led Tennessee to an undefeated regular season and a No. 2 ranking in the final AP poll before losing 13-7 to Baylor in the Sugar Bowl.

1940 – 10-1 (5-0), SEC Champions, National Champions

On Oct. 19, 1940, No. 5 Tennessee beat Alabama 27-12. It marked the 26th of what would eventually be 33 consecutive regular season victories. But, it snapped a streak of 17 straight shutouts in the regular season – which still stands as an NCAA record. The Vols recorded eight shutouts in 1940, and finished the regular season 10-0 overall and 5-0 in SEC play, but lost 19-13 to Boston College in the Sugar Bowl.

1914 – 9-0, SIAA Champions

The 1914 Tennessee Volunteers were the first team in program history to win nine games, finish a season undefeated and untied, and to win a league championship. The Vols recorded four shutouts and scored 55 or more points four times.

5. 1950: 11-1 (4-1), SEC Champions, National Champions

If not for a 7-0 loss to Mississippi State in Week 2, the 1950 Tennessee football team could make a strong case as the best in school history. Tennessee won 10 straight games after the upset, including five shutouts, and capped off the season with a 20-14 victory over No. 3 Texas in the Cotton Bowl.

Oklahoma was voted national champions by most of the major polls, including the Associated Press, and 9-0 Princeton and Bear Bryant’s 11-1 Kentucky squad have also earned some recognition as 1950 national champs. However, the Vols beat the No. 3 Wildcats 7-0 late in the season, and were the only team ranked in the top 5 of the final AP poll to win their bowl game, which earned Tennessee a share of the title from other voters. The strong finish also set the stage for an even greater team the following year.

4. 1951: 10-1, SEC Co-Champions, National Champions

One of only two teams in Tennessee football history to be crowned national champions by the Associated Press, the Vols began the 1951 season ranked No. 1 in the AP poll. The team endured a roller coaster that saw it drop out of the top spot twice before eventually claiming the national title with a 10-0 regular season. Of course, the AP crown (which was awarded prior to bowl games) was premature as the Vols fell 28-13 to No. 3 Maryland in the Sugar Bowl.

Still, the ’51 campaign was one of the best in Tennessee history. The Vols opened with back-to-back shutouts over Mississippi State and No. 16 Duke, and also beat Alabama in Birmingham, scored 60-plus points twice, beat Ole Miss 46-21, and shut out No. 9 Kentucky 28-0. Tennessee averaged 35.1 points per game, which ranked fourth in the country.

The ’51 squad, which featured Heisman Trophy runner-up Hank Lauricella and the legendary Doug Atkins, was the second to last for Robert Neyland as head coach, and marked his fourth national championship.

3. 1939: 10-1, SEC Co-Champions

The last major college football team to go through the entire regular season undefeated, untied and without allowing a single point, the 1939 Tennessee Volunteers spent the majority of the season ranked No. 1 in the AP poll. But Tennessee fell out of the top spot during the final week of the regular season, which led to Texas A&M claiming the national championship.

Led by All-Americans George Cafego and Ed Molinski, Tennessee played a tough schedule that included games against No. 8 Alabama and No. 18 LSU. Unfortunately, the Vols didn’t play Georgia Tech, Tulane or Mississippi State, which combined for a 24-5-1 overall record, including a 14-2 mark in SEC play. Because the Yellow Jackets and Green Wave also finished the regular season undefeated in conference play, there was a three-way tie for the league crown.

Understandably disappointed that they weren’t voted national champions despite a perfect regular season, the Vols were invited to the Rose Bowl to play USC. In only the second bowl game ever for the Volunteers, the Trojans shut Tennessee out 14-0.

2. 1998: 13-0, SEC Champions, National Champions

Peyton Manning was unquestionably the greatest quarterback in Tennessee history, but Manning failed to lead the Vols to a national championship during his four years in Knoxville. However, while Manning was struggling through his rookie season with the Indianapolis Colts, Tee Martin led Tennessee to its first national title since 1967 and its first undefeated season since 1938.

Manning left Tennessee as the all-time leading passer in SEC history and led the Vols to three straight seasons of 10 wins or more. Tennessee faced two early challenges: A Week 1 road trip to nationally-ranked Syracuse and a home opener against a Florida program Tennessee hadn’t beaten in five years.

Martin had attempted just 16 passes in his first two seasons on campus. He helped lead the Vols to dramatic victories early in the season – a 34-33 last-second win over the No. 17 Orangemen and a 20-17 overtime victory against the No. 2 Gators.

Tennessee also beat No. 7 Georgia in Athens, and after steadily rising to the No. 1 spot in the pols, survived a 28-24 thriller against No. 10 Arkansas at Neyland Stadium. In the SEC Championship Game, the Vols beat No. 23 Mississippi State, which earned them a date with Florida State in the Fiesta Bowl – the site of the first BCS national championship game.

Tennessee beat the Seminoles 23-16 thanks in large part to Peerless Price’s 199 receiving yards on just four receptions (including a 79-yard TD), and Dwayne Goodrich’s pick-six. The win gave head coach Phil Fulmer his only national championship with the Vols.

Martin, Price and Cedrick Wilson were the team’s catalysts in the passing game. The Vols also had plenty of talented running backs to choose from, including Travis Henry (970 rushing yards, 7 TD), Travis Stephens (477 rushing yards, 4 TD), Jamal Lewis (497 rushing yards, 1 TD), and Shawn Bryson (200 rushing yards, 4 TD, 167 receiving yards, 1 TD).

1. 1938: 11-0, SEC Champions, National Champions

General Robert Neyland had many great seasons as the head coach of the Tennessee Volunteers, including five undefeated seasons from 1927-32, but the 1938 squad may have been his best. Only the second unbeaten and untied team in school history, the ’38 Vols were one of the most dominant teams in the country and have a special place in history as one of the greatest college football teams of all-time.

Led by All-Americans Bob Suffridge and Bowden Wyatt, and running back George Cafego, who finished No. 7 in the voting for the Heisman Trophy, Tennessee scored 26.6 points per game — which ranked No. 3 in the nation — and allowed an average of just 1.5 points per contest, second best in the country. Only Sewanee (3), Clemson (7) and LSU (6) scored against the Vols.

A 17-0 victory over No. 5 Oklahoma in the Orange Bowl was Tennessee’s first bowl win in its first postseason appearance, and secured the first national championship in program history.