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Tennessee football can still make CFP: How Vols can be assured a spot

By Caleb Calhoun

The College Football Playoff National Championship Trophy makes an appearance at the NCAA college football game between Tennessee and Kentucky on Saturday, October 29, 2022 in Knoxville, Tenn.Utvkentucky1029
The College Football Playoff National Championship Trophy makes an appearance at the NCAA college football game between Tennessee and Kentucky on Saturday, October 29, 2022 in Knoxville, Tenn.Utvkentucky1029 /
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Even with that 63-38 loss to the South Carolina Gamecocks, Tennessee football is technically not out of the hunt for the College Football Playoff. The Vols came in at No. 10 in the rankings, and there is a path to the top four. That path obviously starts with beating the Vanderbilt Commodores Saturday, and winning convincingly will help.

UT won’t leapfrog the Ohio State Buckeyes or Michigan Wolverines either. Neither team will finish with more than one loss. How, then, can they get to No. 4? Well, based on these rankings, there is a path not only for them to get there, but for it to be clear-cut.

Six teams ahead of Rocky Top need to lose, which is possible, and a couple other things need to happen to avoid controversy. All in all, 10 teams can affect UT’s playoff chances, and we’ll break them down here. We will rank them by how relevant they are to Tennessee football’s chances. Let’s dive in with what needs to happen to each of them.

The Tennessee football Volunteers are still in the College Football Playoff race.

Nov 5, 2022; Bloomington, Indiana, USA; Penn State Nittany Lions head coach James Franklin high-fives Penn State Nittany Lions running back Nicholas Singleton (10) after a touchdown during the first half at Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Robert Goddin-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 5, 2022; Bloomington, Indiana, USA; Penn State Nittany Lions head coach James Franklin high-fives Penn State Nittany Lions running back Nicholas Singleton (10) after a touchdown during the first half at Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Robert Goddin-USA TODAY Sports /

10. Penn State loses to Michigan State

This is the least likely outcome and one of the least relevant scenarios. The Penn State Nittany Lions are one of the teams ranked below the Vols in the CFP, and beating the Michigan State Spartans isn’t going to help them leapfrog UT if Josh Heupel’s team beats Vanderbilt. Right now, Vanderbilt on the road is a better win.

However, part of this path is eliminating any doubt among competition, and you don’t want Penn State to have a case. As a result, just for a bit of insurance, since Penn State is right behind them at No. 11, losing to Michigan State would be a huge boost for the Vols.

Right now, Penn State has a strong case since their only two losses are to two of the four remaining undefeated teams, Michigan and Ohio State, and while that will change with one of them losing this weekend, they still may have a stronger case than Tennessee football. Losing to MSU at home isn’t likely, but UT can hope.

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