There are a number of SEC teams still in contention for the College Football Playoff, but Rece Davis says one of them has the “clearest path” to get there.
Appearing on “The Paul Finebaum Show” today, Davis said that Tennessee, not Alabama or Georgia, has the best chance of reaching the playoff.
“I still believe Tennessee still has the clearest path,” Davis told Finebaum. “That doesn’t mean that I think they’re automatically in but I think they have three very viable paths that would make them a strong contender.”
The Vols are obviously a “stone cold lock” if they win the SEC, but Davis said there are two other scenarios that could end with them in the CFP.
“If they were to get to the [SEC] championship game and lose, they would still have a really compelling case, because in all likelihood, they would have already beaten the team that just beat them,” Davis said. “Even should they lose a close game to Georgia, I think they would have a really compelling argument.”
Tennessee already has a win over No. 6 Alabama earlier this month and has also beaten LSU, which is tied with the Crimson Tide for the lead in the SEC West.
The third-ranked Vols have to survive a matchup with No. 19 Kentucky this Saturday before a showdown with No. 1 Georgia on November 5.
Make it through those two games unscathed and they will be in the drivers’ seat for the first College Football Playoff berth in program history.