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After Tennessee fans shook off their disappointment from a loss to Georgia, they realized that a College Football Playoff bid is still within reach.
But the Vols (8-2) will need to beat UTEP (2-8) on Saturday (1 p.m. ET, SEC Network+) and Vanderbilt (6-4) on Nov. 30. And then they’ll need help from other teams.
The updated College Football Playoff rankings will be released on Tuesday (7 p.m. ET, ESPN).
Tennessee will be a bubble team and clustered along with several others for one of the final spots. So UT fans will have a rooting interest in other games.
Here are seven ways the Vols could make it into the 12-team playoff.
Ole Miss loses to Florida
Ole Miss (8-2), Georgia (8-2), Alabama (8-2) and Tennessee have the same record and a head-to-head win against another team in the foursome. So any loss by a team in this group helps the others.
Ole Miss plays Florida (5-5) at The Swamp on Saturday (noon ET, ABC). The Rebels are favored. But the Gators are rejuvenated after beating LSU behind dynamic freshman quarterback DJ Lagway.
UT fans should root for Lane Kiffin to lose. That shouldn’t be hard.
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Ohio State blows out Indiana
Indiana (10-0) plays at Ohio State (9-1) on Saturday (noon ET, FOX). Tennessee could benefit from a blowout by either team. But an Ohio State win by a wide margin seems more likely.
Indiana is undefeated, but it has a weak schedule and no Top 25 wins.
If the Hoosiers lose to Ohio State in a blowout, it would feed skepticism about their legitimacy and perhaps push them out of the bracket.
UT fans should root for Ohio State to rout Indiana.
Notre Dame loses to Army or USC
If Notre Dame (9-1) wins out, it will make the field. But considering Notre Dame already has an ugly loss to Northern Illinois, another defeat likely would bury…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/7-ways-tennessee-college-football-013451555.html
Author : Knox News | The Knoxville News-Sentinel
Publish date : 2024-11-18 01:34:51
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