The Tennessee Vols are ranked No. 1 in the initial College Football Playoff rankings.

Tennessee is only the ninth team to be ranked No. 1 since the playoff started in 2014.

Two years ago, the Vols were a 3-7 team and they were going through a recruiting investigation. Now they're the No. 1 team in the country. It's almost impossible to believe.

Tennessee's ranking in the first playoff rankings of the year, however, isn't the best news that the Vols received during the reveal on Tuesday night.

Tennessee can afford a loss and still make the playoff.

But it's not a guarantee that a one-loss Vols team would get into the playoff. There are some scenarios that could knock Tennessee out.

And the one team that I think the Vols need to keep an eye on is TCU.

Either Michigan or Ohio State is going to have one loss. And Georgia or Alabama will end up with at least one loss (in Alabama's case, another loss) before the final playoff rankings. If Georgia wins out, it means that Alabama either lost to LSU this weekend or in the SEC Championship game against Georgia.

That means either Ohio State or Michigan is going to be in, Alabama or Georgia will get in, and Clemson, if they run the table, will get in.

That leaves one spot in the Vols' worst-case scenario.

TCU is the one team that could run the table and possibly push a one-loss Tennessee team out.

But the good news for the Vols is that TCU is ranked No. 7 in the initial rankings, below a one-loss Alabama team. That makes me think that TCU isn't getting in over a one-loss SEC team, which makes the Vols' odds of making the playoff, even if they lose to Georgia this weekend, very high.

Tennessee is in a good spot. The Georgia game is important, but it won't be the end of the Vols' championship hopes if they lose.

Featured image via Brianna Paciorka/News Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK