Tennessee has one of the best resumes in the country outside of the likely conference champions in the Power Four conferences. Between the Vols, Georgia, Alabama, and Ole Miss, Tennessee should not be outside the 12-team College Football Playoff, but they are.
The CFP committee released its updated playoff rankings on Tuesday night, and Tennessee fell to the No. 11 spot in the rankings and the No. 13 seed in the projected College Football Playoffs. That makes Tennessee the first team out, sitting behind Alabama, Georgia, and Ole Miss.
Former Alabama quarterback and current ESPN personality Greg McElroy sided with Tennessee fans in their displeasure with the committee's rankings. The Vols being on the outside looking in is far from the only mistake the committee made in the updated rankings.
"So Tennessee fans that are really upset right now, I totally get it," McElroy said on Wednesday. "If I were Tennessee, I'd be looking at this, I'd say, man, we beat the seventh-ranked team, and yet we're four spots behind them? And if the playoffs started tomorrow, wouldn't we be on the field? If I'm Tennessee, I totally understand your frustration."
As McElroy mentions, Tennessee beat No. 7 Alabama, but the Crimson Tide are currently ranked four spots ahead of the Vols after jumping to No. 7 from No. 10 with its win over Mercer. Yes, Alabama jumped three spots in the rankings because of a win over Mercer.
The Vols' loss to Arkansas could ultimately keep them out of the CFP. It seems like the committee values bad wins over good losses, punishing Tennessee and helping other programs with lesser wins stay in the playoff race.
Tennessee could still earn its place in the CFP by winning out and finishing the year 10-2. It will be hard to argue that the Vols are undeserving of a playoff spot if they can finish the year on a dominant streak with wins over UTEP and Vanderbilt.