ESPN predicts where Tennessee Vols will land in first College Football Playoff rankings of 2024
The first College Football Playoff rankings of the 2024 season will be released on Tuesday evening and ESPN thinks they know where the Tennessee Vols will be ranked. ESPN made some last minute predictions on Tuesday for the first playoff rankings reveal and they have Tennessee as the No. 8 seed, which means the Vols […]
The first College Football Playoff rankings of the 2024 season will be released on Tuesday evening and ESPN thinks they know where the Tennessee Vols will be ranked.
ESPN made some last minute predictions on Tuesday for the first playoff rankings reveal and they have Tennessee as the No. 8 seed, which means the Vols would host a playoff game in Neyland Stadium (ESPN has Tennessee playing Boise State in the first round).
From ESPN: Boise State is the projected Mountain West Conference champion and, in this scenario, the fifth-highest-ranked conference champion. The Broncos are just outside of earning a first-round home game, though. At No. 8, Tennessee is the last team to earn a first-round home game, which is awarded to teams seeded Nos. 5-8. If Boise State were to win this theoretical matchup, the Broncos would face Oregon for the second time this season. The committee doesn't reseed to avoid potential rematches in the bracket. The No. 9 vs. No. 8 winner will always advance to play the No. 1 seed.
This feels about right based on what we've seen so far this season. But it's important to remember that this is only a snapshot of where things currently stand. Plenty will change over the last few weeks of the season.
And Tennessee, believe it or not, is still in play to earn a first round bye and possibly the top overall seed. If the Vols win out, which includes a huge game in Athens against the Georgia Bulldogs, and then win the SEC Championship game, Tennessee would easily earn a first round bye. And if Oregon has a misstep over the last few weeks, the Vols would likely slide in the No. 1 seed in that scenario.
That's not a prediction, by the way, no one really has any clue how the final few weeks of the season will play out. Instead, it's a reminder that Tennessee is still in a great spot despite their loss to Arkansas earlier this season.
