Tennessee football November 30 rooting guide: how the Vols can get a home playoff game

The Tennessee Vols know exactly where they stand in their pursuit of their first-ever College Football Playoff appearance: in prime position.  At #8 in the rankings and the current 9 seed, win over Vanderbilt on Saturday afternoon would lock up a playoff appearance for the Big Orange.  Clearly, defeating the Commodores is the prime focus […]

Craig Smith — College Football & NFL Trending News Writer
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Nov 26, 2022; Nashville, Tennessee, USA; Tennessee Volunteers head coach Josh Heupel leads his players on to the field before a game against the Vanderbilt Commodores at FirstBank Stadium.
Nov 26, 2022; Nashville, Tennessee, USA; Tennessee Volunteers head coach Josh Heupel leads his players on to the field before a game against the Vanderbilt Commodores at FirstBank Stadium. George Walker IV-Imagn Images

The Tennessee Vols know exactly where they stand in their pursuit of their first-ever College Football Playoff appearance: in prime position.  At #8 in the rankings and the current 9 seed, win over Vanderbilt on Saturday afternoon would lock up a playoff appearance for the Big Orange. 

Clearly, defeating the Commodores is the prime focus for Tennessee, and it won't be easy.  Vandy defeated Alabama in Nashville this year and lost to Texas by just 3 points.  As such, the challenge and importance of just winning won't be lost on the Vols.

However, there's still more at stake across the country for Tennessee over the weekend.  A home game at Neyland Stadium, should the Vols win in Nashville, is on the table for UT if they can get a little bit more help elsewhere.  

As such, beyond clobbering the Commodores, here's what Tennessee fans should be pulling for this weekend. 

  • Notre Dame at USC – This one is easy.  A USC win would knock Notre Dame below the Vols, if not out of the field altogether.  Pull for the Trojans on Saturday.
  • Georgia Tech at Georgia (Friday, November 29) – The Dawgs are above UT, so them losing to Georgia Tech would put UGA in position to miss the playoffs entirely if they lose the SEC championship game.  Very much not likely, but still worth rooting for. 
  • Maryland at Penn State – The Nittany Lions are likely locked into the playoff, but a home game isn't a given for them.  A loss here is also very unlikely, but still something that would help UT. 
  • Texas at Texas A&M – The winner is in the SEC title game, but Texas – with a resume bereft of quality wins – taking another loss could drop them below Tennessee.  With A&M already having 3 losses, at this point it's about everyone else getting as many losses as possible. 
  • Miami at Syracuse/Cal at SMU: Miami and SMU are in the same boat.  Prevail on Saturday, reach win #11, and they appear to be pretty much, at worst, at large locks. They would face off on ACC title game if they both win, and the winner would get a first round bye and the loser likely an at large spot.  SMU is in the ACC title game already (Miami isn't yet), but both losing on Saturday would ensure both are below Tennessee going into the championship game weekend. 
  • Michigan at Ohio State: Name brand matters in college football (Alabama and Georgia have proven that in recent years), and Ohio State's reputation is on par with those.  The Vols probably don't jump the Buckeyes if they lose as 20+ point favorites to Michigan, even if perhaps they should (up for debate).  But hey, you never know, and chaos is fun.  

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