Warde Manuel discusses how Penn State came in ahead of Tennessee in first College Football Playoff rankings

After last week’s loss to Ohio State, the question was what it would mean for Penn State in the College Football Playoff rankings, released Tuesday night. The Nittany Lions stayed in the Top 10, though, coming in at No. 6 – one spot ahead of Tennessee.

Both teams are 7-1 and looking to stay in the running for a spot in the 12-team field. When it came to the rankings process, though, selection committee chairman Warde Manuel broke down the factors that led to the decision to put Penn State in front of Tennessee.

Manuel said the committee looked at the “body of work” of both teams, and Penn State had the advantage. The loss to Ohio State – the No. 2 team in the first rankings – is the only blemish for James Franklin’s group. Although Tennessee has a victory over Alabama to its name, a loss to Arkansas loomed large in the discussions.

“Well, Penn State lost to the No. 2 Ohio State Buckeyes, and it was a game that went back-and-forth, and obviously a game that could have gone the other way. It was back-and-forth,” Manuel said on a teleconference with reporters after the rankings reveal. “In that, they have wins over Illinois and Southern Cal in overtime, an opening win at West Virginia, which is difficult to play. So we looked at their body of work.

“Tennessee has an impressive win over Alabama at No. 11 and wins over North Carolina State and Oklahoma, 4-1 against teams above .500. The loss at Arkansas was something that we discussed a lot. So looking at the resume, looking at what we’ve seen, the offensive performance, their tight end Tyler Warren is a dominating force on offense. So I just think Penn State, in terms of their body of work and what the committee saw in terms of their body of work, that came to the ranking of Penn State at 6 and Tennessee at 7.”

Tennessee bounced back from its loss to Arkansas with three straight wins, including one in overtime against Florida last month. But a win over then-No. 7 Alabama was the most important so far, and another big game looms against Georgia in Week 12.

As a whole, the Volunteers have faced the No. 33-ranked strength of schedule in the country, according to ESPN. Penn State, meanwhile, sits at No. 28. The Vols face the tougher road moving forward, though, with the 13th-hardest schedule remaining while the Nittany Lions’ remaining slate ranks No. 56.