Where ESPN predicts that Tennessee Vols will land in College Football Playoff rankings after wild Saturday of upsets
The penultimate Saturday of the 2024 college football regular season went about as well as it possibly could have for the Tennessee Vols. For starters, Tennessee took care of business against UTEP, defeating the Miners 56-0 in Neyland Stadium on Saturday afternoon. And then the Vols got plenty of help in the playoff race. Ohio […]
The penultimate Saturday of the 2024 college football regular season went about as well as it possibly could have for the Tennessee Vols.
For starters, Tennessee took care of business against UTEP, defeating the Miners 56-0 in Neyland Stadium on Saturday afternoon.
And then the Vols got plenty of help in the playoff race.
Ohio State took down Indiana, Florida upset Ole Miss, Alabama surprisingly lost to Florida, and the weirdness of Jordan Hare Stadium provided an excellent nightcap for SEC fans via Auburn's four overtime win against Texas A&M.
Tennessee should jump Ole Miss, Alabama, and Indiana when the new rankings are released on Tuesday night.
And that's exactly what ESPN has happening.
The latest playoff projections from ESPN have Tennessee at No. 8, just behind Georgia and just ahead of SMU, Boise State, and Indiana. ESPN has Alabama at No. 12, which means the Crimson Tide wouldn't be included in the 12-team playoff (because of automatic qualifiers).
From ESPN: The Vols got some help on Saturday. With Ole Miss and Indiana both losing, Tennessee should move up by default — not because it hammered UTEP 56-0. The head-to-head loss to Georgia will keep the Vols behind the Bulldogs.
(Because of Kentucky's loss to Texas on Saturday, the Vols don't appear to have a path to the SEC Championship game. Georgia has clinched a spot and the winner of Texas vs Texas A&M next week should punch their ticket for Atlanta.)
Tennessee is in a good spot with just one week remaining in the regular season. But the Vols are still in a situation where they have to win next weekend against Vanderbilt to get into the tournament.
The Commodores are a much more formidable opponent than they have been in past seasons under Clark Lea. But Tennessee has the far more talented team. And playing on the road in Nashville isn't exactly a daunting task for the Vols. Still, Tennessee will need to approach the game against Vanderbilt like it's a national championship game. The Vols absolutely can't afford a lapse in the Music City next Saturday.
