The Vols took a hit.
Tennessee’s season took an unexpected turn last weekend, as two-touchdown underdog Arkansas pulled the upset on the Volunteers, 19-14. Tennessee came out flat, and pretty much stayed flat for the majority of the night. They would eventually build a 14-3 lead, but the Razorbacks came storming back late to take the win.
The loss leaves Tennessee in a tough spot in terms of making the College Football Playoff. Not only do they have to win the rest of the games that they’re supposed to win (Florida, Kentucky, Vanderbilt, Mississippi State, UTEP), but they’ll more than likely have to beat at least one of Alabama or Georgia to stay above the at-large cut line.
Most analysts around the country have agreed that the Arkansas loss has taken Tennessee out of the CFP field, at least for now. Only ESPN’s Mark Schlabach has the Volunteers in his CFP projection, which would put them on the road at Penn State.
Latest College Football Bowl Projections
Action Network: Las Vegas Bowl vs. Utah
USA Today: Music City Bowl vs. Michigan
CBS Sports: Gator vs. Louisville
ESPN Schlabach: CFP First Round at Penn State
ESPN Bonagura: ReliaQuest vs. Michigan
Tennessee going 9-3 would likely leave them on the outside looking in, which would put them in the next pool of bowl games that we’re all so familiar with. The Volunteers have appeared in the Citrus, Music City and the Gator in recent years. Remember too that conference alignment could give us some new potential matchups that we haven’t seen much of before.
The Volunteers are tasked with bouncing back from that Arkansas loss this weekend with a matchup against Florida. They’ll then host Alabama on the 19th. We’ll know much more about where this team is headed after those two games are played.