ESPN’s updated College Football Playoff projection has Tennessee ranked No. 11 but on the outside looking in at the 12-team bracket following the 31-17 loss to Georgia Saturday night at Sanford Stadium.
Tennessee (8-2, 5-2 SEC) was bumped out of the bracket by Boise State, projected to be the highest-ranked Group of Five conference champion.
The College Football Playoff gives automatic berths to the SEC, Big Ten, Big 12 and ACC champion, along with the highest-ranked Group of Five conference champion. The four highest-ranked conference champions get a bye into the quarterfinal round.
“In addition to the loss to Georgia,” ESPN’s Heather Dinich wrote Saturday night, “Tennessee also lost to Arkansas, which the committee will view as worse than Georgia’s loss to Ole Miss.”
“The only reason they would be higher,” Dinich added, “is if the committee felt strongly about Tennessee’s win against Alabama.”
ESPN currently projects four SEC teams to make playoff
Georgia (8-2, 5-2) lost 28-10 at Ole Miss last week. That left the Bulldogs ranked 12th by the College Football Playoff selection committee in the new top 25 released Tuesday night, but had the Bulldogs as the first team out of the bracket after also being bumped by Boise State.
ESPN’s new projection Saturday night had Oregon staying at No. 1, ahead of No. 2 Texas, No. 3 Ohio State and No. 4 Penn State. Indiana was at No. 5, with Notre Dame at No. 6, Miami at No. 7, Alabama at No. 8, Ole Miss at No. 9 and Georgia at No. 10. Boise State was ranked 12th, behind Tennessee.
The new bracket had Oregon, Texas, Miami and Boise State receiving byes into the quarterfinal round. The first-round matchups were No. 12 BYU, as the projected Big 12 champion, at No. 5 Ohio State, No. 11 Georgia at No. 6 Penn State, No. 10 Ole Miss at No. 7 Indiana and No. 9 Alabama at No. 8 Notre Dame.
“If this projection is right,” Dinich wrote, “and the playoff were today, Tennessee would be excluded from the bracket to make room for Boise State, the committee’s fifth-highest ranked conference champion.
“Because the five highest-ranked conference champions are guaranteed spots in the field, if the fifth champion is outside of the committee’s top 12 on Selection Day, they have to get in at the expense of somebody. Last week it was Georgia. Now it’s Tennessee.”
The Vols host UTEP on Saturday (1 p.m. Eastern Time, SEC Network+) on Senior Day at Neyland Stadium, then close the regular-season schedule at Vanderbilt on November 30.
“You got two more (games) guaranteed,” Tennessee coach Josh Heupel said during his postgame press conference Saturday night, “but the only one that matters is next week. So this group will continue to go.
“We don’t control what we don’t control. We control our preparation. We can control how we get ourselves ready to go play next Saturday. Got a good football team in that locker room, man. It’s a good football team. Got to coach a little better. We got to play a little better.”
