Tennessee football's potential College Football Playoff opponents

Tennessee football has started the season 4-0 and looks like one of the best teams in the country. There's still a lot of the season left, so there could be a lot that changes the landscape of college football, but Tennessee is sitting in a really good spot in year one of the expanded College Football Playoff. 

The CFP goes from four teams to 12 this year, so the Vols have better odds of making their first Playoff appearance in program history. They had a chance to compete for a National Championship two years ago but fell to South Carolina, eliminating them from Playoff contention. 

Tennessee has great odds to compete for a championship after four games and has some pretty favorable first-round matchups in which they are projected to host. 

The Vols are ranked No. 4 in the country after Week Five, and 247Sports has predicted Tennessee will host the first round of the CFP against Iowa State. They have the Vols as the 6-seed, beating the Cyclones and playing No. 3 Miami in the Peach Bowl. 

On3 Sports' Andy Staples also has the Vols as the 6-seed, facing a Big 12 opponent. Staples, though, has the Vols facing No. 11 Kansas State, with the winner facing No. 3 Clemson. Meanwhile, Ari Wasserman has Tennessee as an 8-seed facing 9-seed Clemson, with the winner playing No. 1 Alabama. 

It won't be easy for Tennessee to advance through the Playoff regardless of their opponent, but those three opponents match Tennessee's playing style on both sides of the ball. It will be interesting to see where other SEC and Big Ten teams fall by the end of the season and if Tennessee could face another heavyweight program in the first round. 

Tennessee will look to continue its winning ways after a week off as it heads to Fayetteville to face the Razorbacks in another primetime matchup on ABC, with a 7:30 PM ET kickoff.