Paul Finebaum weighs in on whether Tennessee is a true contender

Tennessee‘s dominant 65-24 win over Tennessee Martin may not have taught us anything new about the Volunteers, but it does extend their record to a perfect 7-0 this season. The Vols stayed at the No. 3 spot in the AP Poll following Saturday’s victory, but did move up one spot in the Coaches Poll as they now rank No. 3 in each.

As the season gets closer and closer to the end by the week, many are wondering if the Volunteers are the real deal and will have a shot to compete in this year’s College Football Playoff. College football analyst Paul Finebaum was asked about the matter on ESPN and spoke about about the legitimacy of the Vols moving forward.

“Yes they are, the problem for Tennessee is they’re now the hunted, they’re no longer the big underdog,” Finebaum said. “They have Kentucky this weekend, but the game that will define Tennessee is a week from Saturday, they go to Athens, it will be the biggest game in college football so far. It’ll likely be a 1 versus 3 matchup and there’s a path.”

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Tennessee’s matchup with Georgia is one that many fans had circled on their calendar immediately following their win over Alabama, as the two remain as the only unbeaten teams in the SEC. That game will have plenty of SEC and National Championship implications on the table, but Finebaum believes the Crimson Tide can still have a strong say in how the Volunteers season shakes out.

“We’re now in the playoff equation with that coming out next week, so they could conceivably hang around without winning but it’s unlikely much of that depends on Alabama, and Alabama has suddenly a couple of more foes on the road that they have to deal with,” Finebaum said.

The remainder of the SEC schedule will surely be interesting to watch, as Georgia, Tennessee, and Alabama currently occupy three of the nation’s top six spots in both the AP and Coaches Polls. With only four bids to the College Football Playoff, it will be fascinating to see much SEC representation will exist with the looming inevitably of the conference’s top teams playing each other. But, you have to like Tennessee’s chances, as they currently boast the nations top offense in yards and points per game.

“But Tennessee is extremely good and as you know, they’re not elite on defense, but nobody can match up them offensively,” Finebaum concluded.