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The College Football Playoff selection committee rewarded Tennessee for its win over Alabama but penalized it for a loss to Arkansas.
That’s why the Vols (7-1) were ranked No. 7 in the initial CFP poll on Tuesday. They are ahead of two undefeated teams, No. 8 Indiana (9-0) and No. 9 BYU (8-0), but behind No. 6 Penn State (7-1).
“Tennessee has an impressive win over Alabama at No. 11 and wins over North Carolina State and Oklahoma – 4-1 (record) against teams above .500,” CFP selection committee chairman Warde Manuel said during a media conference call.
“The loss at Arkansas was something we discussed a lot.”
Manuel mentioned that Alabama is the highest ranked two-loss team in the CFP poll at No. 11, so the Vols’ 24-17 win over the Crimson Tide carries weight in the ranking.
He added that Penn State is ranked ahead of Tennessee because the Nittany Lions have a strong body of work and a tight 20-13 loss to No. 2 Ohio State.
Could Vols play Indiana at Neyland Stadium in playoff?
Tennessee was ranked No. 7 in the first CFP poll. But the four highest-ranked conference champions will get a first-round bye in the 12-team playoff, so projected Big 12 champion BYU is placed as the No. 4 seed in the projected bracket according to the first ranking.
If these initial rankings determined the playoff, Tennessee would be the No. 8 seed in the bracket and host Indiana in a first-round game at Neyland Stadium. But the rankings will be updated each week, so that projection could change drastically.
However, it’s plausible that Tennessee and Indiana could finish as the No. 8 and No. 9 seeds, respectively. Some projections have placed them in those positions.
They’ve played twice before, and the Vols won both games. Tennessee beat Indiana 27-22 in the Peach Bowl to finish the 1987 season. And it won 23-22 in the Gator Bowl to…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/heres-cfp-selection-committee-said-023452892.html
Author : Knox News | The Knoxville News-Sentinel
Publish date : 2024-11-06 02:34:52
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