Bowl Projections: Tennessee on outside looking in at most College Football Playoff predictions
Entering Week 10, Tennessee still appears to be on the outside looking in at the College Football Playoff according to most playoff projections and bowl predictions. ESPN, CBS Sports, College Football News and The Action Network all have the Vols headed to bowl games while Athlon has Tennessee in its playoff bracket.
Athlon has Tennessee as a No. 11 seed in its College Football Playoff projection, going on the road in the first round to face No. 6 Ohio State, with the winner advancing to the quarterfinal round to face No. 3 Miami in the Peach Bowl.
ESPN’s two bowl projections have Tennessee headed to either the Citrus Bowl or the Gator Bowl.
ESPN’s Kyle Bonagura had Tennessee going back to the Citrus Bowl for a second straight season, facing Illinois this time around. ESPN’s Mark Schlabach had Tennessee in the Gator Bowl against Virginia Tech.
ESPN’s Heather Dinich had the Vols as the 12th and final team in her projected College Football Playoff bracket on Tuesday.
Up Next: No. 7 Tennessee vs. Kentucky, Saturday, 7:45 p.m. ET, SEC Network
Both CBS Sports and College Football News have Tennessee headed to the Gator Bowl to face SMU and The Action Network has Tennessee in the ReliaQuest Bowl against Michigan, with the Vols as a 13-point favorite against the Wolverines.
No. 7 Tennessee (6-1, 3-1 SEC) hosts Kentucky (3-5, 1-5) on Saturday night (7:45 Eastern Time, SEC Network) at Neyland Stadium. The first College Football Playoff ranking of the season will be released next Tuesday.
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The Vols stay home to face Mississippi State on November 9, before finishing the regular-season schedule with a road game at No. 2 Georgia, a home date against UTEP and a road game at Vanderbilt.
ESPN: Vols would have 78% chance to make playoff at 10-2
Dinich on Saturday night had Tennessee at No. 12 in her updated ranking of the current top 12.
“ESPN Analytics gives Tennessee more than a 50% chance to win each of its remaining games — except Nov. 16 at Georgia,” Dinich wrote. “If the Vols finish as a two-loss team, they will be heavily dependent on that win against Alabama to impress the selection committee enough for an at-large spot.”
ESPN’s playoff predictor gives Tennessee a 78% chance to make the playoff should the Vols finish the regular season with a 10-2 record and not go to the SEC Championship Game. They would have a 23% chance to host a first-round playoff game and a 55% chance to play on the road.
“A road win in the regular-season finale against Vanderbilt is no longer a gimme,” Dinich added, “and the committee would recognize that as a more respectable win than in years past. Still, a two-loss Tennessee’s fate would depend on how the Vols play, how their opponents finish, and how many other two-loss contenders are in the mix.
