National media outlet names something out of Tennessee's control as biggest reason why Vols might not win a natty in 2024
The Tennessee Vols' goal entering the 2024 season was to make the College Football Playoff and win a national championship. Step one of that goal was achieved earlier this month when the Vols were one of the 12 teams included in the playoff. For Tennessee to achieve the second part of that goal, the program […]
The Tennessee Vols' goal entering the 2024 season was to make the College Football Playoff and win a national championship.
Step one of that goal was achieved earlier this month when the Vols were one of the 12 teams included in the playoff.
For Tennessee to achieve the second part of that goal, the program will need to win four more games.
Unfortunately for the Vols, they likely have the toughest road to a championship of anyone in the playoff. And that's the biggest reason why 247Sports thinks Tennessee could come up short in its quest for the program's first national championship since the 1998 season.
247Sports recently detailed the reasons why each team in the playoff can and cannot win it all this season.
The Vols' tough draw — they'll play Ohio State in the first round and if they win that game they'll play Oregon in the quarterfinals — is the reason why 247Sports thinks Tennessee might not be the last team standing.
From 247Sports: The Vols' reward for making the playoff? A first-round trip to Columbus and a looming date with No. 1 seed Oregon in the quarterfinals. That is the toughest two-game stretch for any team in this field and one that can easily prevent Tennessee from making a deep run. Its struggles away from Neyland Stadium make it all the more challenging.
Tennessee was ranked No. 7 in the final playoff rankings, but because of automatic byes for top ranked conference champions, the Vols are the No. 9 seed in the tournament. That means they'll play on the road in the first round.
It's a poor reward for a solid season.
But winning a national championship isn't supposed to easy. Regardless of how the bracket looks, Tennessee, along with every other team in the playoff, is going to have to beat some elite teams to win it all.
Sometimes the easy path isn't as easy as it looks. And sometimes the hard path isn't as hard as it looks. On paper, the Vols received the worst draw in the playoff. But games aren't played on paper. And I'm sure Tennessee isn't worried about whether or not they got a bad draw — they're just focused on trying to get a win on the road against Ohio State. Right now, that's the only thing on Rocky Top that matters.
