We knew Tennessee was going to drop in the rankings, but everyone was waiting to see how far. On Saturday night, the Tennessee Vols suffered a disheartening 31-17 loss to the Georgia Bulldogs in Athens. This was a much closer game than the score indicated, while the officials didn't help Josh Heupel and Co. at all.
The College Football Committee saw the game and most certainly took note. That's because after being the No. 7 team in the country last week, but then losing to Kirby Smart's squad, Tennessee has fallen to No. 11. However, with the way the bracket is set up, the Vols are now projected to be the first team out for the CFP. Not good:
Tennessee is the first team out in the new CFP bracket
— FOX Sports Knoxville (@FOXSportsKnox) November 20, 2024
Thoughts? pic.twitter.com/NQKFldwhpz
Tennessee has fallen to No. 11 in the College Football Playoff rankings
As you can see there, Tennessee is going to need some help to sneak in. The same can be said for SMU. As Heupel has said, all the Vols can do right now is focus on what they can control - they can't focus on outside factors.
This weekend, Tennessee will host UTEP and then its regular season will close with a showdown against Vanderbilt. It goes without saying, but the Vols have to win out to stay in the CFP contention. If they drop either of those games, the dream will be dead.
However, this team is also going to need some help too. Unfortunately, just winning out won't be enough. Teams ahead of the Vols will need to lose. This weekend, we'd love to see Billy Napier pull a rabbit out of his hat and take down Ole Miss.
Indiana is 10-0 this year, but they take on Ohio State this weekend. If the Buckeyes dominate play in Columbus, it could open up the committee's eyes about the Hoosiers. There are other upsets for teams ahead of UT that people need to be rooting for. For now, the Vols have dug themselves into a bit of a hole, but there's still time for things to change. Tennessee supporters sure hope they do.