A look around.
Another week, another step closer to the first ever 12-team College Football Playoff. Tennessee remains sitting in a great spot coming out of the open date, following a big road win at Oklahoma. They’ll have to navigate another hostile setting this weekend as they head west to Arkansas.
Tennessee should be favored heavily in every game remaining but two — Alabama in Knoxville and Georgia in Athens. However, just as we saw with Ole Miss last weekend, you simply can’t afford to overlook anyone in the SEC.
The Volunteers continue to move up the pecking order, and now just about every analyst has them in the playoff field. Over at ESPN, one analyst has them advancing to the final four as the No. 6 seed.
College Football Playoff (Round 1)
ESPN Bonagura: No. 11 Clemson at No. 6 Tennessee (in Knoxville)
ESPN Schlabach: No. 10 Clemson at No. 7 Tennessee (in Knoxville)
247Sports: No. 11 Iowa State at No. 6 Tennessee (in Knoxville)
College Football Playoff (Quarterfinals)
Bonagura: Peach Bowl — No. 6 Tennessee vs. No. 3 Miami
Schlabach: Rose Bowl — No. 7 Tennessee vs. No. 2 Ohio State
247Sports: Peach Bowl — No. 6 Tennessee vs. No. 3 Miami (Peach Bowl)
College Football Playoff (Semifinals)
Bonagura: No. 6 Tennessee vs. No. 2 Ohio State
So that’s two votes for Tennessee to host Clemson at Neyland Stadium in the first round, and another for the Volunteers to host Iowa State. Looking ahead, Tennessee’s most consistently projected quarterfinal opponent has been Miami or Ohio State, but color me skeptical that the Hurricanes can hang on to this spot after that showing last week against Virginia Tech.
Side note — how weird would it be to see Tennessee playing in the Rose Bowl? The Vols have been to Pasadena twice ever, coming in 1940 and 1945.
Jerry Palm at CBS Sports still does not have Tennessee in his College Football Playoff field, oddly enough. He must be doing some projecting here, thinking the Vols end up losing to both Alabama and Georgia. Even if that happens, Tennessee should still be in really great shape.
Other Bowl Projections
CBS Sports: Reliaquest Bowl vs. Iowa
According to ESPN’s Football Power Index, Tennessee has a 78 percent chance to make the playoff field. They now have a 15 percent chance to win the SEC and an 18 percent chance to make an appearance in the National Championship game.
First things first though. Tennessee has to get through these next two games, which will more than likely turn out to be must wins.