Tennessee Football, Historical Overview by Decade:
1891-1899, 18-13, tied for 55th in wins for the decade.
I-A Wins 1891-1899
1900-1909, 38-38-10, tied for 64th in wins for the decade.
I-A Wins 1900-1909
1910-19, 40-23-7, tied for 65th in wins for the decade.
I-A Wins 1910-1919
1920-29, 68-18-6, tied for 8th in wins for the decade.
I-A Wins 1920-1929
1930-39, 79-17-5, tied for 2nd in wins for the decade.
I-A Wins 1930-1939
1940-49, 67-19-5, 8th in wins for the decade.
I-A Wins 1940-1949
1950-59, 72-31-4, tied for 6th for the decade.
I-A Wins 1950-1959
1960-69, 67-32-6, 19th in wins for the decade.
I-A Wins 1960-1969
1970-79, 75-39-3, tied for 18th in wins for the decade.
I-A Wins 1970-1979
1980-89, 77-37-5, tied for 18th for the decade.
I-A Wins 1980-1989
1990-99, 99-22-2, 4th in wins for the decade.
I-A Wins 1990-1999
2000-09, 83-44, tied for 20th for the decade.
I-A Wins 2000-2009
2010-19, 63-62, tied for 67th for the decade.
I-A Wins 2010-2019
2020-21, 10-13, tied for 72nd for the decade so far.
I-A Wins 2020-2021
So, cliff notes version:
mediocre to bad, 1891 thru 1910's
elite, 1920's thru 1950's
solid/good, 1960's thru 1980's
elite again, 1990's
solid/good, 2000's
mediocre to bad, 2010 to Present.
Bottom line is throughout history we have generally been solid/good or elite, but have found it harder to be elite since the sport integrated and recruiting dynamics shifted in favor of some of the teams we play. Our 3 big rivals, Alabama, Georgia and Florida are all top 10 in wins the last 60 and 50 seasons, which coincide with the post-integration era:
I-A Wins 1962-2021
I-A Wins 1972-2021