Here are 7 ways that Tennessee can make the College Football Playoff

Posted by Admin November 18, 2024 Football

After Tennessee fans shook off their disappointment from a loss to Georgia, they realized that a College Football Playoff bid is still within reach.

But the Vols (8-2) will need to beat UTEP (2-8) on Saturday (1 p.m. ET, SEC Network+) and Vanderbilt (6-4) on Nov. 30. And then they’ll need help from other teams.

The updated College Football Playoff rankings will be released on Tuesday (7 p.m. ET, ESPN).

Tennessee will be a bubble team and clustered along with several others for one of the final spots. So UT fans will have a rooting interest in other games.

Here are seven ways the Vols could make it into the 12-team playoff.

Ole Miss loses to Florida

Ole Miss (8-2), Georgia (8-2), Alabama (8-2) and Tennessee have the same record and a head-to-head win against another team in the foursome. So any loss by a team in this group helps the others.

Ole Miss plays Florida (5-5) at The Swamp on Saturday (noon ET, ABC). The Rebels are favored. But the Gators are rejuvenated after beating LSU behind dynamic freshman quarterback DJ Lagway.

UT fans should root for Lane Kiffin to lose. That shouldn’t be hard.

Ohio State blows out Indiana

Indiana (10-0) plays at Ohio State (9-1) on Saturday (noon ET, FOX). Tennessee could benefit from a blowout by either team. But an Ohio State win by a wide margin seems more likely.

Indiana is undefeated, but it has a weak schedule and no Top 25 wins.

If the Hoosiers lose to Ohio State in a blowout, it would feed skepticism about their legitimacy and perhaps push them out of the bracket.

UT fans should root for Ohio State to rout Indiana.

Notre Dame loses to Army or USC

If Notre Dame (9-1) wins out, it will make the field. But considering it already has an ugly loss to Northern Illinois, another defeat likely would bury the Irish.

Notre Dame plays undefeated Army (9-0) on Saturday (7 p.m. ET, NBC) and then Southern Cal (5-5) on Nov. 30.

UT fans should practice patriotism and root for Army to win.

Texas-Texas A&M winner loses SEC title game

Texas (9-1) plays at Texas A&M (8-2) on Nov. 30. If both avoid an upset this week (against Kentucky and Auburn, respectively), the winner of their Lone Star State showdown would advance to the SEC title game.

Suppose Texas A&M beats Texas but loses the SEC title game for its third loss. There would be a good debate between the Aggies and Vols based on résumé.

Suppose Texas beats Texas A&M but loses the SEC title game for its second loss. Texas doesn’t have a Top 25 win, so its résumé may be weaker than Tennessee’s in that scenario.

There’s a solid chance that Alabama advances to the SEC championship game based on a series of tiebreakers. If Alabama wins the SEC title, the Vols would own a victory over the conference champion, strengthening their résumé.

UT fans should root against a Texas school in the SEC title game to create chaos.

Penn State loses to Minnesota or Maryland

Penn State has a strong ranking but a weak schedule. And it lost 20-13 to Ohio State in its only game against a Top 25 opponent.

So another loss would drop Penn State precipitously.

The Nittany Lions play at Minnesota (6-4) on Saturday (3:30 p.m. ET, CBS) and against Maryland (4-6) on Nov. 30.

UT fans should root for Penn State to lose either game.

Alabama, Georgia, Ole Miss lose rivalry games

On Nov. 29, Ole Miss plays Mississippi State (2-8) in the Egg Bowl, and Georgia plays Georgia Tech (6-4) in the “Clean, Old-Fashioned Hate” rivalry game. On Nov. 30, Alabama plays Auburn (4-6) in the Iron Bowl.

If any of the favorites loses its rivalry game, Tennessee would jump ahead of it. However, all three will be playing at home, making those upsets unlikely.

Nevertheless, UT should root for upsets in those rivalry games.

Tennessee is still in the field

Don’t assume that Tennessee will be outside the bracket when it’s released on Tuesday.

Most media projections list the Vols as the first team out, but a few others have them making the field — barely.

That disagreement is a good reminder that these rankings are subjective. Any of these scenarios could put the Vols back in the bracket, but they still might be in it with no assistance needed.

Adam Sparks is the Tennessee football beat reporter. Email adam.sparks@knoxnews.com. X, formerly known as Twitter@AdamSparks. Support strong local journalism by subscribing at knoxnews.com/subscribe.

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