Josh Heupel gives a legendary response to the College Football Playoff rankings
Tennessee has all but solidified its spot in the 12-team College Football Playoff. Neither Tennessee nor the teams directly ahead or behind the Vols will play this weekend, meaning it is unlikely they will move unless there is a dramatic shift in a team's perception after conference championship weekend.
That could only happen if a team is blown out in their conference championship. It will likely need to be a team ahead of Tennessee for the Vols to move up any further in the rankings. Whether it be Georgia or Penn State, those two teams could drop enough to open the door for Tennessee to move up one more spot before the final rankings.
Currently, Tennessee is looking at being the No. 9 seed in the Playoff. That means the Vols will miss out on hosting a game in the first round. Instead, Tennessee is expected to travel to Columbus to play Ohio State.
Tennessee fans were upset with the way the CFP committee handled Tennessee and OSU's ranking after the Buckeyes lost to unranked Michigan at home.
While fans were upset, Josh Heupel maintained the same mindset he has had since arriving in Knoxville. He gave a legendary quote during his Wednesday press conference, stating that his and the team's mindset is that they will go anywhere to play anyone at any time.
Josh Heupel on CFP rankings:
— Sam Rothman (@samrothman_) December 4, 2024
"If you're not of the mindset going into this...anyone, anywhere, anytime... then you're just there to have a cup of coffee." #Vols
Tennessee is projected to play at Ohio State. pic.twitter.com/CMLYTwb0J0
While being upset about Tennessee's ranking validates the situation, it sounds like Heupel is handling it the best way possible. If he and the team carry that mindset into the first-round game, Tennessee could shock many people with a road win.
It looks like Tennessee could go into its first-round game as a pretty big underdog. Fanduel has projected the Vols to be nine-point underdogs against Ohio State. That would add plenty of fuel for the Vols to play with a chip on its shoulder.
Tennessee will hope for a little chaos this Saturday to move up a spot and host its first-round game. It could be possible with the right chaos, but as of right now, it looks like Tennessee is heading to Columbus to face Ohio State, and Heupel is ready for it.
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