Tennessee football moves up in the CFP rankings which no one expected

So, you're saying there's a chance? The Tennessee football team was off this past weekend for its second bye of the year, and last week they were ranked No. 25 in the first College Football Playoff rankings. This week, a lot of us thought they'd fall out of things as a whole.

Joey Aguilar is already starting his Tennessee goodbyes and we weren't ready

Well, that wasn't the case. In a bit of a surprise, Tennessee actually moved up two spots, with Josh Heupel and Co. now checking in at No. 23 in the country in the eyes of the CFP committee. When Tennessee lost to Oklahoma, it felt like the lights were fully turned off for the Vols to sneak in. While we still don't think Tennessee will get a CFP bid, all hope isn't lost just yet:

Tennessee football has checked in at No. 23 in the new CFP rankings

It's important to note that Tennessee is going to need a miracle to somehow get in - again, we just don't see it happening. Not only are the Vols going to have to go undefeated the rest of the way, which we think is possible, but some major upsets are going to have to be posted with the teams in front of them.

This is what makes the loss to Oklahoma sting even more for Tennessee right now and it has people thinking what could have been. Not only that, but the loss to Georgia was one that the Vols had for the taking, but they let that one slip away.

We're not blaming Max Gilbert for the loss, but if he would have done his job and nailed the game-winning kick like everyone was hoping he would, we'd be having a completely different conversation right now. Tennessee was only a few plays away from beating both UGA and OU.

Instead, the team is 6-3 on the season and the best the Vols can finish is 9-3. Taking down Vanderbilt and keeping the Commodores out of the CFP sure would be sweet, as those two sides will face off come Nov. 29. There's still plenty to play for the rest of the way and the Vols will be mentally ready to keep fighting.