The Tennessee Vols are the No. 1 team in the first College Football Playoff rankings of the season.

There's obviously still a lot of season left to play, but Tennessee being No. 1 in the first rankings likely means the Vols will be in the playoff.

Only one team (Mississippi State) that has been ranked at No. 1 in the first CFP rankings has failed to make the playoff.

Tennessee can afford a loss and still likely make the playoff at 11-1.

In a couple of years, there won't be nearly as much stress on the top 10 teams in the country when it comes to the playoff rankings.

That's because 12 teams will be in the playoff starting in 2026 (or maybe 2024 if the process is sped up), which will leave some room for error for these top teams.

If the 12-team playoff were in place today, it would mean that Tennessee, along with the other top four seeds (Ohio State, Clemson, and TCU by virtue of being conference champions) would have a bye.

In that scenario, the Vols would play the winner of the No. 8/No. 9 game in the second round.

Based on the 2022 season so far, that game would be between USC and Oregon.

Here's how that bracket would look (via ESPN):

First-round games

No. 12 Tulane at No. 5 Georgia
No. 11 Ole Miss at No. 6 Michigan
No. 10 LSU at No. 7 Alabama
No. 9 USC at No. 8 Oregon

Quarterfinal games

No. 9 USC-No. 8 Oregon winner vs. No. 1 Tennessee
No. 10 LSU-No. 7 Alabama winner vs. No. 2 Ohio State
No. 11 Ole Miss-No. 6 Michigan winner vs. No. 3 Clemson
No. 12 Tulane-No. 5 Georgia winner vs. No. 4 TCU

This is truly just the start of something special for the Vols. With the expanded playoff on the way, Tennessee should be competing for a national championship on an annual basis moving forward.

Featured image via Randy Sartin-USA TODAY Sports