Tennessee could’ve lost to Ohio State in the semifinal rather than the first round if the College Football Playoff format had been changed a year earlier.
Beginning this season, the College Football Playoff will convert to a straight-seeding model that slots all 12 teams in order of the final playoff rankings of the regular season, the group’s management committee announced on May 22.
The top five conference champions will still receive automatic playoff bids, but that won’t guarantee them a bye. Instead, the four highest-ranked teams regardless of conference championships will receive a bye into the quarterfinals.
It’s what Tennessee fans were clamoring for last season, when the Vols were No. 7 in the CFP rankings but seeded No. 9 in the bracket. They lost 42-17 on the road to eventual national champion Ohio State rather than playing a first-round home game against SMU at Neyland Stadium.
Here’s how Tennessee’s CFP path would’ve changed with the new seeding format.
Neyland Stadium would’ve rocked for playoff game
One of the many disappointments of the Vols’ first-round loss was that UT fans showed up in droves in Columbus, Ohio. About a quarter of the 102,780-seat Ohio Stadium was clad in orange.
UT fans were hungry, so imagine how raucous Neyland Stadium would’ve been if the Vols hosted a first-round game.
In the new format, No. 7 seed UT would’ve gotten a home game against No. 10 seed SMU. Season ticket holders would’ve sat in their usual seats at Neyland Stadium, and attendance would’ve exceeded the 101,915 seating capacity.
That atmosphere would’ve been difficult for SMU. The largest crowd it faced on the road during the 2024 regular season was 50,254 at Louisville.
There was a path to CFP semifinals for Tennessee
SMU was no pushover, but the Vols would’ve won that first-round game at home. SMU…
Source link : https://www.knoxnews.com/story/sports/college/university-of-tennessee/football/2025/05/23/tennessee-football-cfp-playoff-seeding-new-format/83683320007/
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Publish date : 2025-05-23 14:11:00
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