The Tennessee Vols climbed two spots in this week’s College Football Playoff rankings, rising from No. 25 to No. 23 following the bye week.

Tennessee was the only team with three losses that was ranked in the top 25 last week, but that’s not the case this week.

Iowa, which suffered its third loss of the season this past weekend, is ranked two spots ahead of the Vols despite sharing the same record.

The outcomes that Vols fans need to root for in Week 12 to get Tennessee back in the College Football Playoff picture

With three weeks remaining in the regular season and the Vols needing to climb about 12 or 13 spots in the rankings, Tennessee needs a lot of chaos to go down to have a chance to sneak into the 12-team bracket.

Here are the results this weekend that would help the Vols out.

No. 22 Pittsburgh over No. 9 Notre Dame: This one is tricky since both teams are ahead of the Vols in the rankings right now. Pitt, though, also has games remaining against Georgia Tech and Miami, so there’s potential for another loss for the Panthers. Notre Dame, meanwhile, has games remaining against Syracuse and Stanford.

No. 21 Iowa over No. 17 USC: This is another tricky one. And really, either outcome will help the Vols. For now, I think USC dropping to three losses would be ideal. But Tennessee should pass whichever team loses this game.

Clemson over No. 20 Louisville: A loss to Clemson on Friday night would almost certainly drop Louisville below Tennessee in the rankings.

Duke over No. 19 Virginia: I thought Virginia might fall below Tennessee after the loss to Wake Forest last weekend. But it looks like the Vols need Virginia to lose to Duke before they can pass the Cavaliers.

Northwestern over No. 18 Michigan: Michigan is one of the teams that despite being well outside of the top 12 right now, kind of controls its own destiny. If the Wolverines win out — which would include a win over Ohio State — they’d be in a strong position to make the 12-team bracket. A loss to Northwestern and a loss to Ohio State later this month would put them comfortably behind Tennessee.

Boston College over No. 16 Georgia Tech: If the Yellow Jackets lose to Boston College (or Pittsburgh next week) and then lose to Georgia in the regular season finale, it should result in Georgia Tech falling below Tennessee in the rankings.

NC State over No. 15 Miami: There’s no guarantee that a three-loss Miami would fall behind Tennessee. Miami’s win over Notre Dame could keep the Hurricanes above the Vols. An NC State win over Miami, however, would still be helpful to the Vols.

Baylor over No. 13 Utah: I don’t know if a third loss would drop the Utes behind the Vols, but this is clearly an outcome that Tennessee fans need to root for this weekend.

TCU over No. 12 BYU: The Big 12 getting two teams in would be a tough blow to the Vols’ playoff hopes. BYU has just one loss on the season. Would a two-loss BYU get in over Tennessee? We don’t know the answer to that just yet, but we do know that one-loss BYU is getting in over the Vols.

No. 4 Alabama over No. 11 Oklahoma: A three-loss Alabama would get in over a three-loss Tennessee (Bama has the head-to-head, plus the Crimson Tide has better wins). That’s why Vols fans might as well root for Bama the rest of the way, even if it’s painful. A three-loss Oklahoma could still be a problem for Tennessee, so the Vols may need the Sooners to also lose to Missouri or LSU.

No. 5 Georgia over No. 10 Texas: This one is important. Tennessee needs the Longhorns to finish with four losses I don’t think a three-loss Tennessee is getting in over a three-loss Texas. The Longhorns have games remaining against Georgia, Arkansas, and Texas A&M. Four losses are a very real possibility for the Longhorns (and a must for the Vols’ playoff hopes).

Florida over No. 7 Ole Miss: Ole Miss needs to lose out for the Vols to have a chance to pass the Rebels. Ole Miss has just two games remaining — they also play Mississippi State — so the best the Vols can hope for is that both teams finish at 9-3. Would a three-loss Tennessee make it in over a three-loss Ole Miss? That’s tough to answer for now, but it’s certainly a possibility if the Vols beat Florida in the Swamp a week after the Gators beat the Rebels in Oxford.

UCF over No. 6 Texas Tech: Tennessee probably needs Texas Tech to lose its final two games of the season to leapfrog the Red Raiders in the rankings. Still, while a Texas Tech loss to UCF is unlikely, it would be beneficial for the Vols.

If over half of these games go Tennessee’s way this weekend, it could put the Vols within striking distance of the top 15 ahead of their trip to Gainesville in November 22.

Tennessee Volunteers News

South Carolina’s Shane Beamer is still talking about ‘hanging 63’ on Tennessee in game where stolen signs may have been utilized

South Carolina head coach Shane Beamer is still talking about that big win against the Tennessee Vols in 2022.

Zach Ragan