The second College Football Playoff rankings release is set for Tuesday night, and Tennessee is positioned to make a clear jump after a wild weekend across the sport.
Saturday shook up the board in a big way. No.
1 Miami lost. No.
6 Kentucky lost. No.
9 BYU lost. No.
10 Ole Miss lost. No.
12 Ohio State lost. That’s five teams ranked ahead of Tennessee that took a hit, including one the Vols beat by 28 points.
So the real question isn’t whether Tennessee gets into the 12-team field. It’s where the committee places the Vols once the dust settles.
A few of the national projections released Tuesday morning point to Tennessee landing at No. 9.
CBS Sports’ John Talty has Tennessee at No. 9 with a first-round matchup at No. 8 UCLA.
David Pollack also slots Tennessee at No. 9, but pairs the Vols with No. 8 Texas.
USA TODAY’s Paul Myerberg has the same setup as Talty, with Tennessee at No. 9 and headed to UCLA. Yahoo!
Sports’ Nick Bromberg follows that same path, projecting Tennessee at No. 9 and matched up with Texas.
Bleacher Report’s David Kenyon is the outlier. He has Tennessee at No. 7 and hosting No. 10 Wake Forest in the opening round.
That projection would give Tennessee a home playoff game and a path that runs through Wake Forest, then Utah, and then likely UCLA for a shot at the national championship. Kenyon’s bracket also places the Utah game in New Orleans and the UCLA game in Miami, which would set up a strong Orange presence if the Vols keep moving.
If Tennessee ends up as the No. 8 or No. 9 seed, a second-round meeting with Georgia would likely be waiting.
The College Football Playoff rankings will be unveiled at 9:00 p.m. Tuesday on ESPN.
Texas A&M (4-5) will host No. 9 Tennessee (7-2) at 3:00 p.m. ET on Saturday afternoon at Kyle Field in College Station, TX.
In Other News...
Tennessee Gets One Break But Another Loss Just Got Much Tougher
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The harder blow came on the other side of the ball, where sack leader Tyree Weathersby was ruled out for the year with a knee injury. He became the eighth Tennessee player to suffer a season-ending injury this season, and the list does not stop there, with six other players already sidelined for multiple games. For a defense that has leaned on depth all year, the latest update only adds to the challenge of getting through a demanding stretch. [Read more 🡒]
Tennessee Gets Encouraging DaSaahn Brame News Before Texas A&M
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Tennessee Just Made A Strong New Push For Four-Star DL RJ Wyms
Tennessees latest home win gave RJ Wyms a first-hand look at what the program can do on a big stage. The four-star defensive lineman was at Neyland Stadium for his first Tennessee football game day and saw the Volunteers handle Kentucky by 28 points, smothering the Wildcats early and never letting them find much room to breathe. For a recruit weighing his next steps, it was the kind of atmosphere that can leave a mark.
Wyms has already been in contact with Tennessee defensive line coach Rodney Garner, and the visit gave him another chance to size up the staff in person. He came away with positive impressions of the defense and the coaching around it, while still considering trips to other schools as his recruitment moves forward. For Tennessee, the timing of that strong showing could hardly have been better. [Read more 🡒]