That caught my attention. I recently drove through Tennessee and was shocked to find out they only have 7 million people in the whole long skinny state. We have more than that in at just two metro areas in Texas (Houston and DFW). For talking so much smack, they're a pretty pissant state.
But you are absolutely correct that Tennessee is one of the most populous states in the SEC. According to ChatGPT:
State
Population Estimate (2024)
Source
Texas
31,290,831
U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts
Florida
23,839,600
World Population Review
Georgia
11,180,878
U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts
Tennessee
7,227,750
U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts
Missouri
6,245,466
U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts
South Carolina
5,478,831
U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts
Alabama
5,157,699
U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts
Kentucky
4,588,372
U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts
Louisiana
4,597,740
U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts
Arkansas
3,088,354
U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts
Mississippi
2,943,045
U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts