Give us a break. The second edition of the College Football Playoff rankings were released on Tuesday night and there are a lot of disappointed Tennessee Volunteers fans out there. Tennessee stayed put at No. 7, expected (for now) to take on Notre Dame in the first round of the CFP. Due to seeding, the Vols would get pushed back to No. 8 here.
However, a big question a lot of people had on their minds was why did BYU and Indiana BOTH jump Tennessee this week. The Vols dominated Mississippi State 33-14 at Neyland Stadium to improve to 8-1 on the year. Next up is a huge showdown with Georgia.
Reporter Adam Sparks of the Knoxville News Sentinel got to the bottom of this by asking CFP selection committee chair Warde Manuel about Tennessee being at No. 7, but Indiana and BYU jumping ahead of Josh Heupel and Co. His answer is going to tick a lot of people off:
I asked CFP selection committee chair Warde Manuel why Indiana and BYU moved up but Tennessee did not.
— Adam Sparks (@AdamSparks) November 13, 2024
He said Indiana and BYU had big wins Saturday (over Michigan and Utah, respectively).
He added that Nico Iamaleava's injury was not a factor.
Indiana and BYU both jumped Tennessee in the latest CFP rankings
With the greatest of respect, this is insulting. Indiana escaped with a 20-15 home win against a struggling Michigan side. As for BYU, they almost lost to Utah, but some beyond questionable calls late in the action opened the door for the Cougars to come out on top 22-21.
This is what Warde classifies as 'big wins,' which is head-scratching. In addition, per Sparks, the injury to Nico Iamaleava did not play a factor in the committee's decision to put Tennessee at No. 7. Then why did the Vols not move up?
With the Bulldogs next up on the schedule, Tennessee will surely climb up the rankings if they're able to post a win in Athens. However, the worry now is that the committee will have the Vols plummet if they suffer a loss. With Iamaleava's status a bit unknown for the game too, it only complicates things on offense.
We understand the process for the rankings is tough, but having BYU and Indiana over Tennessee for what Warde is calling big wins only adds to the anger for a lot of people. They better get things right for next week, especially if Tennessee takes down Kirby Smart's team on the road.