How Tennessee's loss and Vanderbilt's win affect the Vols CFP odds

Tennessee football lost to Arkansas in embarrassing fashion on Saturday night. The Vols lost 19-14 in a game in which the offense was nowhere to be found outside of two touchdown drives in the third quarter. 

The loss threatens Tennessee's spot in the 12-team College Football Playoff with multiple big games still on the schedule, including matchups against Alabama and Georgia. 

This loss could cost the Vols a spot if they can't win one of two games. The good thing for the Vols is that neither Georgia nor Alabama seems as good as they have been in years past. Alabama's loss this past Saturday demonstrates that. 

Vanderbilt pulled off the upset of the decade as they beat No. 1 Alabama at home in front of a raucous crowd in red and white. After the Tide almost single-handily secured its spot in the 12-team College Football Playoff with their win last week over No. 1 Georgia, they put themselves in a vulnerable spot one week later. 

Vandy's 40-35 win will not only drop Alabama in the rankings but could help Tennessee in the College Football Playoff rankings later in the season. 

With how the expanded College Football Playoff works, Alabama and Tennessee could still secure a spot in the CFP if they can fix their mistakes and play nearly flawlessly the rest of the year. 

Both teams might need to travel to Atlanta to play in the SEC Championship to secure their spot. If not, they likely lost more than one more game this year and might have to settle for a trip to the Citrus Bowl.

Tennessee's Playoff chances went up with Alabama's loss but dropped significantly only a few hours later. According to ESPN, the Vols are currently projected to be a ten seed in the Playoff if they make it at all. 

According to Fanduel, the Vols currently have the 11th-highest odds of making the Playoffs at +110. Alabama has the fourth-highest odds, at -500, so Tennessee's loss is more costly than Alabama's because of the Tide's win over Georgia.

Based on the logic provided by the current odds to make the 12-team Playoff, Tennessee needs a win over Alabama or Georgia to virtually guarantee their spot in the CFP. That includes not dropping a game to anyone else on their schedule.

The Vols will have to handle business against Florida Saturday night before moving on to Alabama or even Georgia. The Vols and the Gators kick off at 7:00 PM ET on ESPN.