Where ESPN projects Tennessee in the College Football Playoff picture after Week 1
ESPN has Tennessee Football as the second team out of the 12-team College Football Playoff following Week 1, despite the Vols having a 49.9% chance to make the playoff according to ESPN’s Playoff Predictor.
Only six teams in the Playoff Predictor have a better percentage chance to make the playoff: Georgia (87%), Alabama (78%), Texas (77%), Notre Dame (71%), Penn State (70%) and Ohio State (69%).
Still, ESPN Senior Writer Heather Dinich has Tennessee on the outside looking in heading into Week 2.
“(Making the playoff) is certainly possible with a quarterback as talented as Nico Iamaleava,” Dinich wrote, “but the Vols would bolster the hype more with a win Saturday against NC State in the Duke’s Mayo Classic. ESPN Analytics gives the Vols an 88.1% chance to win.”
Up Next: No. 14 Tennessee vs. No. 24 North Carolina State
No. 14 Tennessee (1-0) and No. 24 North Carolina State (1-0) are scheduled for a 7:30 p.m. Eastern Time start Saturday at Bank of America Stadium. The game will be televised by ABC.
The ESPN projections from Dinich on Wednesday had Missouri, Tennessee, Michigan and Oklahoma listed, in that order, as the first four teams out of the College Football Playoff bracket.
Georgia was ESPN’s No. 1 overall seed, ahead of Ohio State, Miami and Utah. The first round matchups were No. 12 Boise State at No. 5 Texas, No. 9 Ole Miss at No. 8 Penn State, No. 11 Oregon at No. 6 Notre Dame and No. 10 Alabama and No. 7 USC.
Vols ranked No. 7 in ESPN’s Football Power Index
Tennessee is the No. 7 team in the country according to ESPN’s updated Football Power Index. The FPI now projects a win-loss record of 9.2-3.0 for Tennessee. It gives the Vols a 1.3% chance to go undefeated and a 98.8% chance to win at least six games.
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Tennessee has a 6.4% chance to win the SEC, a 50.2% chance to make the new 12-team College Football Playoff, a 9.1% chance to make the national championship game and a 4.3% chance to win the title.
The FPI now projects a win-loss record of 9.2-3.0 for Tennessee. It gives the Vols a 1.3% chance to go undefeated and a 98.8% chance to win at least six games.
Tennessee has plenty of opportunities ahead to make playoff statements, starting with Saturday night’s game against N.C. State. The Vols go to Oklahoma in two weeks, host Florida and Alabama in October and play at Georgia in November.
The SEC schedule opens on the road at Oklahoma in what will be a pivotal game for both sides.
“The Sooners had no trouble dismantling Temple 51-3 on a Friday night,” Dinich wrote, “but they might have a tough time establishing themselves as a top contender in the SEC in their first year in the conference. According to ESPN Analytics, the Sooners have the seventh-best chance in the SEC to reach the conference championship game (6.7%).”
