Tennessee Vols' SEC East and College Football Playoff chances via ESPN significantly increase after win over Alabama
If the College Football Playoff started today, the Tennessee Vols would be one of the four teams playing. We're only halfway through the season — there's a lot to still be decided — but I can't think of anyone outside of maybe some Vols superfans that would've predicted Tennessee to be in this position before […]
If the College Football Playoff started today, the Tennessee Vols would be one of the four teams playing.
We're only halfway through the season — there's a lot to still be decided — but I can't think of anyone outside of maybe some Vols superfans that would've predicted Tennessee to be in this position before the season started.
While there's still a lot of season left, the Vols are well-positioned to reach the playoff for the first time since it started in 2014.
Tennessee controls its own destiny at this point. If they can upset Georgia and take care of business against Kentucky, South Carolina, Missouri, and Vanderbilt, then the Vols will play in Atlanta the first weekend in December.
Easier said than done of course. Georgia is the No. 1 team in the nation. And Kentucky is a team that can't be overlooked by the Vols.
The path, however, is doable (even if Tennessee loses to Georgia they would still have a shot at the playoff).
And that's likely why the Volunteers' Allstate Playoff Predictor odds (via ESPN) increased significantly after the big win against Alabama.
Here are the SEC East and College Football Playoff odds for Tennessee after their 52-49 win against Alabama, via ESPN's Bill Connelly:
My SP+ ratings now give the Vols a 37% chance of winning the SEC East and a 19% chance of winning the SEC. The Allstate Playoff Predictor, meanwhile, more than doubled their CFP chances, from 23% to 48%.
The Vols are almost a 50/50 bet to make the playoff. That's a coin flip. It's also insane to think about. I'm still trying to wrap my head around the idea that Tennessee might be the best team in the nation (we'll know for sure after the Georgia game, assuming they take care of business against Kentucky on October 29).
It doesn't feel real that the Vols are in this position. But it's happening. The win against Alabama changed expectations big time for Tennessee. This went from a season where 10 wins was the goal (for fans, the team always had bigger goals) to a season that might end with Vols players pointing to their fingers like Joe Burrow after beating Clemson.
Tennessee quarterback Hendon Hooker could be making that same gesture in just a few months.
That's a sentence that was really far-fetched in August. Suddenly, though, it's very realistic.
Featured image via Brianna Paciorka/News Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK
