On3's Andy Staples projects Tennessee to be a playoff team in Year 1 of 12-team CFP

On3’s Andy Staples has Tennessee as a playoff team in the first year of the 12-team College Football Playoff. In a bracket projection released Tuesday, Staples had the Vols as the No. 11 seed, facing No. 6 Oregon on the road in the first round. 

“Tennessee at Oregon,” Staples said while explaining his playoff picks. “That’s going to be your Friday night game in Eugene on ESPN and ABC.”

On3 ranked the Vols No. 14 in its top 25, updating the ranking after the end of spring practice and the closing of the transfer portal.

“This would be in Eugene,” Staples said of the projected Tennessee-Oregon matchup, “and this is a case of where one win, one loss probably makes a big difference. Like the difference between Tennessee having to go on the road here and Oregon hosting is probably going to be one game in the record.”

Staples had Ohio State, Georgia, Florida State and Kansas State has his top four seeds, in that ordered, and receiving the bye into the quarterfinals. 

He had No. 5 Alabama hosting No. 12 Boise State, with the winner advancing to face No. 4 Kansas State, and No. 8 Michigan hosting No. 9 Notre Dame, with the winner advancing to face No. 1 Ohio State. 

On the other side was No. 7 Texas hosting No. 10 Ole Miss, with the winner advancing to face No. 2 Georgia, and the Oregon-Tennessee winner advancing to face No. 3 Florida State.

Tennessee opens 2024 season vs. Chattanooga on August 31

Tennessee opens the season on August 31 against Chattanooga and goes to Charlotte in Week 2 for a neutral-site game against N.C. State (ranked No. 18 by On3) on September 7 at Bank of America Stadium in the Duke’s Mayo Classic. The Vols return home to host Kent State on September 14.

After starting conference play with road games at Oklahoma (No. 17) on September 21 and at Arkansas on October 5, Tennessee hosts Florida on October 12, Alabama (No. 4) on October 19, Kentucky on November 2 and Mississippi State on November 9, with the second bye week of the season set for October 26, in the middle of the four-game run at home.

Tennessee goes to Georgia (No. 1) on November 16, hosts UTEP on November 23 and closes the regular-season schedule at Vanderbilt on November 30. 

On3 had Oregon at No. 5 in its post-spring, post-portal Top 25.

‘Tennessee-Oregon would be a juicy, juicy matchup’

“Tennessee-Oregon would be a juicy, juicy matchup,” On3’s Jesse Simonton said during the conversation with Staples. “I mean, you’re talking about all the track speed that Oregon has recruited at wide receiver. You bring in Evan Stewart, they bring back Tez Johnson. What Dan Lanning has done with that program has been really impressive just from a talent acquisition perspective.

“And then Josh Heupel, Tennessee has just kind of slowly put this thing back together.” 

After the on-campus games to open the 12-team playoff, the Fiesta Bowl will host a quarterfinal game on December 31 and the Peach Bowl, Rose Bowl and Sugar Bowl will host quarterfinals on January 1. The Orange Bowl will host the first semifinal game on January 9 and the Cotton Bowl will host the second semifinal on January 10. 

The national championship game will be played in Atlanta on January 20.

“I think there’s a lot of folks in Knoxville that believe this (Tennessee) team, this 2024 team, is even more talented, 1-85 (on roster),” Simonton said, “than the ’22 team that beat Alabama and was kind of a fringe playoff team (in the four-team playoff) that year.

“So if (Tennessee defensive coordinator Tim) Banks has a defense that can continue to kind of come together, (Tennessee-Oregon) would be a heck of a game.”