College Football Playoff Reaction: Do the Vols have a chance?
Do the Vols have a shot at reaching the CFP? Probably not, but there’s a greater than 0% chance! Let’s explore that path, even if it is just for fun.
It surprised us here at 1796 Sports that the Buckeyes held the No. 1 spot after trailing Rutgers at the half. But Georgia apparently wasn’t dominate enough against a top 15 Missouri to impress the playoff committee.
The latest College Football Rankings are laid out below:
Ohio State
Georgia
Michigan
Florida State
Washington
Oregon
Texas
Alabama
Ole Miss
Penn State
Louisville
Oregon State
Tennessee
Missouri
Oklahoma State
Kansas
Oklahoma
Utah
LSU
Notre Dame
Arizona
Iowa
Tulane
North Carolina
Kansas State
Vols Path To Their First CFB Playoffs
Tennessee is looking from the outside in from tonight’s playoff selection but don’t let that fool you. Many of the teams ahead have to play one another and this will eliminate a few.
Let’s start with the top four. Georgia has to play No. 9 Ole Miss this weekend before coming to Neyland Stadium in a game that might end up being a prime-time CBS game. All the merrier for the Vols if they take care of business in Columbia this weekend and beat the No. 14 Tigers. Ole Miss must beat the Bulldogs for Tennessee to have a shot. If the Vols can pull off a 3-0 finish, either Michigan or Ohio St. will need to slip up somewhere.
SEC
Only Alabama or Ole Miss can claim the SEC West title, and that only helps the Vols if they happen the reach the SEC Championship game. The Vols need to beat Missouri and upset Georgia at home, but with a little bit of help from Ole Miss this weekend, it’s definitely possible.
With two knocked out, Georgia and either Ohio State or Michigan, that leaves the Pac 12.
PAC 12
Washington has a gauntlet of a remaining schedule, facing No. 18 Utah before facing No. 12 Oregon State on the road. A two-loss Washington would open the door to the PAC 12 but a one loss squad would most likely face a rematch with Oregon on the PAC 12 championship leaving a SEC team, Big 10, ACC and a possible PAC 12 team.
Speaking of that Oregon squad, Oregon faces 1st rounder Caleb Williams and the USC Trojans this weekend before ending the season at home against No. 12 Oregon State. An upset here to either team would solidify Oregon’s fall. Oregon State upsetting Oregon and Washington after falling to Utah this weekend will only guarantee the Vols to be looking in at the final four.
The only path for the Vols though, is Washington and Oregon getting knocked out entirely which seems pretty slim. And in the Big 12, Texas will be eyeing that open spot, slimming Tennessee’s chances even more.
Big 12
Other than Florida State, Texas has one of the easiest remaining schedules looking to make a playoff bid. Riding off an impressive win over Alabama earlier this season, the committee will love their strength of schedule even if Oklahoma has lost two straight to ranked teams. But Texas has a challenge at the end of the year with in state rival Texas Tech at the Battle For The Chancellor's Spurs. Even during their best years, it seems like Texas can’t win the games they should. The Vols will be rooting for that Texas Tech upset.
ACC
Must I even write about this? Florida state has the easiest remaining schedule of playoff remaining squads. But both Florida State and Louisville have to play Miami by end of season, and Miami can be dangerous at times, setting up for a possible upset. And that’s before they have to play one another. And maybe Miami can do the Vols a solid and upset both. But count it, Florida state is going to reach their second playoff and knock Louisville out, giving the Vols the opportunity if all the aforementioned plays out in the Vols behalf.
With Tennessee ranking just outside the top 10, and 8 teams possibly eliminating each other, Tennessee possibly has a path to get in. But, it will need a lot of help, even if Milton and Co. can finish 3-0 to cap off the season. As slim as it may seem, we’ve seen crazier things in college athletics.