Andy Staples projects Tennessee to make the College Football Playoff

There’s definitely a path.

2024 will debut the expanded College Football Playoff, moving from four teams to 12. That obviously opens up a little wiggle room, and a team like Tennessee could be the beneficiary. On3’s Andy Staples thinks the Vols can take advantage. Staples penciled Tennessee into the No. 11 spot this week, setting them up with a hypothetical trip to Oregon.

The full projected bracket is below.

Remember, the first four games will be played on campus, so Eugene would be the host site for the game — and what a game that could be. A potential track meet there would send the winner to the round of eight, where No. 3 seed Florida State is waiting. That game would take place in Atlanta in the Peach Bowl.

If Tennessee is the No. 11 seed, which is the final at-large spot in the field, that likely assumes a couple of things happen. The Volunteers would more than likely finish with a 10-2 mark, and considering the seeding here, one of those losses would be to Georgia. The other would come against either Alabama or Oklahoma — he’s likely assuming Alabama here.

Last season Ole Miss would have been the No. 11 seed with a 10-2 mark. LSU and Arizona would have narrowly missed out at 13/14, both with 9-3 records. So 10-2 is the obvious benchmark to shoot for here.

And, naturally, Tennessee’s win total in Vegas is …. 9.5. A path to ten wins isn’t all that hard to find. The Volunteers will have to navigate through games they should win without any slip-ups too. The potential tricky spots are there — think NC State, Florida, Kentucky, even at Arkansas. From there it comes down to at least splitting the Alabama and at Oklahoma matchups, which does seem reasonable, and that’s exactly where Staples landed here.

The College Football Playoff will begin on Friday, December 20th. The quarterfinals will begin on December 31st. The semifinal round will be played on January 9th and 10th, then the National Championship will take place on January 20th.