All for Tennessee
Fansided

Tennessee football rooting guide for 2021 Conference Championship games

By Caleb Calhoun

Smokey runs on the field during an SEC football game between Tennessee and Kentucky at Kroger Field in Lexington, Ky. on Saturday, Nov. 6, 2021.Kns Tennessee Kentucky Football
Smokey runs on the field during an SEC football game between Tennessee and Kentucky at Kroger Field in Lexington, Ky. on Saturday, Nov. 6, 2021.Kns Tennessee Kentucky Football /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
6 of 10
Next
NMSU goes against Utah State Saturday, Nov. 6, 2021, at Aggie Memorial Stadium in Las Cruces.Nmsu Vs Utah State Fb 011
NMSU goes against Utah State Saturday, Nov. 6, 2021, at Aggie Memorial Stadium in Las Cruces.Nmsu Vs Utah State Fb 011 /

5. Mountain West Championship

Utah State over San Diego State

No team is further ahead of Tennessee football at the Group of Five level outside of the American Athletic Conference than the San Diego State Aztecs. At 11-1, they are ranked No. 19 across the board. The Utah State Aggies, at 9-3, are a little bit ahead of the Vols en route to a top 25 ranking, as they are receiving votes in the Coaches Poll, but that’s it.

This means, once again, UT will need some help. Their path is for Utah State to beat San Diego State and then both teams lose their bowl games. However, if San Diego State wins, then even if they lose their bowl game, 12 wins will be enough for them to have a path ahead of the Vols for a top 25 finish.

Of course, there’s no way all six teams we’ve covered from the C-USA to the Sun Belt to the Mountain West could lose their bowl games, as they’ll likely play each other. If that’s the case, Vol fans should root for the C-USA teams, provided WKU does what they want and beats UTSA.

We can address that when the bowl season comes, though. What’s clear is it’s much more crucial for the 11-win teams in the Sun Belt and Mountain West to lose their conference championship games so the Vols have a chance to leapfrog them.

Home/Vols Football