Paul Finebaum explains how Tennessee could still miss out on the College Football Playoff

While Tennessee fans are still joyous over last weekend’s victory over Alabama, Paul Finebaum is cautioning them not to buy their College Football Playoff tickets just yet.

Joining the crew on Get Up on ESPN, Finebaum explained how the Volunteers could still miss out on the dance, even if their resume is impeccable right now.

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“I think ultimately Tennessee gets left out, if they don’t get to the [SEC} championship game,” Finebaum said amid an answer about whether multiple SEC teams can make the College Football Playoff. “There are so many combinations left, but SEC fans are jumping up and down. I also realize there’s a few fans up north, but don’t forget that game Alabama has against Ole Miss. That could really be a decider for Nick Saban’s season.”

Evidently, Finebaum believes Tennessee will be the odd team out if Georgia and Alabama both take care of business moving forward. Additionally, Heather Dinich also joined the conversation to weigh in on the Volunteers making the College Football Playoff.

“The Tennessee side is extremely interesting, because this is the best win in the country right now. Tennessee has the best resume in the country, and they could potentially have a win over the SEC champs [Alabama],” Dinich said. “That’s huge, because that means that even if they don’t beat Georgia and win the East, they could be sitting there with one loss, and have a win against the SEC champs, without even playing in the SEC Championship Game. Or they could beat Georgia and play against ‘Bama, lose to them and still get in.

“So this opens the door for Tennessee, but a lot could happen. It also opens the door for all three of them to finish 11-1 and get considered by the selection committee.”

Alas, the one thing that could guarantee Tennessee a spot is an SEC title, but Dinich recognizes that’s far from a given.

“I want to remind everyone of the selection committee protocols. If there are multiple teams that are comparable, they look on a piece of paper that tells them they have to consider conference championships one, which Tennessee would not have. Head to head results, which they would lose to Georgia in that case,” explained Dinich. “So the flip is also the same for Georgia if they were not to win the East. The protocol will matter, and that could be relevant.”

Tennessee controls it’s own destiny, and the Volunteers wouldn’t rather it any other way. Regardless, Paul Finebaum and Heather Dinich believe things could get hairy if Josh Heupel’s squad can’t win the SEC.