Latest CFP projection has Tennessee with tough first-round matchup vs. SEC rival

It's back to the drawing board for the Tennessee Volunteers and head coach Josh Heupel. Following the loss to Georgia on Saturday night in Athens, the Vols are 8-2 on the year and a lot of people have them on the outside looking in for the College Football Playoff.

However, national reporter Andy Staples doesn't see things that way. Instead, Staples believes that Tennessee still belongs in the Top 12 once the regular season comes to a close. Matter of fact, Staples thinks the Vols will finish at No. 10.

Not only that, but he has Tennessee taking on No. 7 Ole Miss in the first round of the CFP. This game would take place in Oxford, which would surely prove to be a tough road game for Heupel's players. Is this something fans would be interested in?

Will the Tennessee Vols still make the College Football Playoff?

Last week, Tennessee was projected to host a first-round showdown against Notre Dame in the CFP. That would have been great to see and Neyland Stadium surely would have been rocking for a postseason game in Knoxville.

However, with the loss to the Bulldogs now on the books, that's not going to happen. With that said, Tennessee still belongs in the CFP - there's simply no way the committee can punish them too heavily for the loss on the road to UGA.

We also hope the committee keeps in mind the absolutely brutal officiating that took place in primetime. We don't want to take away anything from Carson Beck and his teammates, as they deserved to win, but the refs were a clown show.

Come Tuesday night, we'll find out where Tennessee lands in the CFP rankings. Prior to the loss to UGA, they were the No. 7 team in the country, jumped by BYU and Indiana. Soon enough we'll see if they plummet in the CFP committee's eyes, or if they'll still be among the Top 12 teams in the country.