WATCH: Rece Davis explains why Tennessee has best path to the College Football Playoff in the SEC

The SEC has many contenders to make the College Football Playoff, but none stand out more to Rece Davis than Tennessee. The Volunteers are off to their first 7-0 start since 1998, and have already notched a victory against another CFP candidate and conference foe in Alabama.

Davis joined the Paul Finebaum Show on Wednesday, where he explained why even if Tennessee loses to No. 1 Georgia on Nov. 5, it will still stand a good shot.

“I think there are some things that are pretty clear-cut,” the ESPN analyst said. “The SEC champion’s obviously gonna go, but I heard (Greg) McElroy talking earlier (about) the possibility of four SEC teams being in the mix. I still believe that Tennessee has the clearest path. 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.

“Stone-cold lock if they win out and win the SEC obviously. If they were to get to the 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. Even should they lose a close game to Georgia, I think they would have a really compelling argument.”

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The CFP Rankings come out next Tuesday and @ReceDavis thinks the Vols may have the best path to CFP in SEC. pic.twitter.com/vz0DgWpdcy

— Paul Finebaum (@finebaum) October 26, 2022

Davis went on to say there are a couple of teams who could end up spoiling Tennessee’s chance at the College Football Playoff. If the Volunteers do end up losing either to Georgia or in the conference championship, they’ll need to hope for at least one loss from either Clemson or TCU.

If that doesn’t happen, there will only be room for one SEC team to make the Playoff.

“The caveat is this: If TCU and Clemson both were to go undefeated, then you’ll have one from the Big Ten, one from the SEC and those two teams would make it if that happens,” he said. “Even though I think TCU’s really good, I think the Big 12 is probably too balanced and in too full of peril for them to make it through unscathed.

“But we were talking three and even the wild possibility of four SEC teams last week, and now it’s not a crazy scenario to say there could be two one-loss SEC teams sitting on the outside and left out. I don’t think that’s likely, but there is a path and it’s certainly possible.”

At this point in the season, it’s still realistic for any one of Alabama, Georgia, Ole Miss or Tennessee to make the College Football Playoff. The month of November will be crucial for all, as the first set of Playoff rankings are set to be announced Tuesday on ESPN.