Josh Heupel reacts to a Saturday’s results, impact on College Football Playoff

Tennessee finds itself in a great position to make the College Football Playoff after several teams suffered upset losses over the weekend. The Vols were ranked No. 11 last week and should move up after Indiana (No. 5), Alabama (No. 7) and Ole Miss (No. 9) all fell in Week 13.

That sets up a situation where Tennessee simply needs to win its final game of the regular season to secure its place in the 12-team field. After a 56-0 win against UTEP, coach Josh Heupel addressed the chaos that occurred Saturday and how it affects his team’s mindset as it prepares to play Vanderbilt.

“I said it, there’s a lot of football left to be played,” Heupel said. “We’ve seen it. We’ve lived it. Both sides of it. It’s about controlling yourself and preparing and going and playing good on Saturdays. I’m proud of the way we handled this week. We’ll heal up this afternoon and tomorrow and invest in a great way and practice in a great way. Then we need to go play great football next Saturday as we take the field in Nashville.”

The Vols have won five straight games against the Commodores (6-5, 3-4 SEC) in the in-state rivalry matchup. However, this Vanderbilt team is a lot better than in the past and will be eager to spoil Tennessee’s hopes of making the College Football Playoff.

Heupel acknowledged what is at stake, but at the same time isn’t trying to put too much pressure on his players. He believes they’ve gotten to this point because they deserve to be here and will look to prove that.

“The better you play, the more you win, the bigger the games get,” he said. “It doesn’t matter. For us, this is the next step in our journey. Laser-focused in how we prepare, how we practice. Get ready to go play and you’re gonna have to play well. We need to play well in all three phases in this one.”

Kickoff between Tennessee and Vanderbilt is set for noon ET on Saturday in Nashville.