Three Tennessee games that ESPN believes will impact the College Football Playoff race

Three games on Tennessee’s schedule this season will have an impact on the College Football Playoff, according to ESPN. The three highlight by ESPN on Tuesday were Georgia at Tennessee on November 18, the Vols playing at Alabama on October 21 and Saturday’s game vs. Virginia.

The showdown between Tennessee and Georgia at Neyland Stadium, the second to last game of the season for the Vols, was No. 3 on the list of the games that will make the biggest impact on the CFP race this season.

“This could eliminate one team if the game determines the winner of the SEC East — or it could change the three-peat narrative in the SEC and catapult the Vols into the top four if they’re not there already,” ESPN senior writer Heather Dinich wrote. “If Georgia doesn’t beat Tennessee and doesn’t play for the SEC title, it’s going to be difficult for the selection committee to justify a top-four finish — unless it’s a close loss and Georgia has won every other game so easily that those in the room agree the Dawgs are ‘unequivocally’ one of the four best teams in the country. 

“That’s going to be difficult, though, because Georgia’s nonconference schedule includes UT Martin, Ball State, UAB and Georgia Tech. The entire East division could be eliminated if Tennessee beats Georgia but loses at Alabama on Oct. 21 and again in the SEC championship game.”

Tennessee looking for second straight win over Alabama

Tennessee’s game at Alabama in October wasn’t one of the 10 biggest games impacting the playoff in 2023, but was categorized as one of the top five games that just missed the cut.

“The Vols have a chance to beat Georgia and Alabama during the regular season,” Dinich wrote. “What else does the committee need to see?”

Tennessee beat Alabama 52-49 in Knoxville last season but lost 27-13 at Georgia, after both teams entered with perfect 8-0 records. The Vols open the season as a 28-point favorite on Saturday against Virginia at Nissan Stadium in Nashville, scheduled for a Noon Eastern Time start on ABC.

‘The Vols could be a CFP contender, but don’t overlook their season opener’

Tennessee can’t get caught sleepwalking in what will be an emotional game for the Cavaliers. That’s why ESPN listed it as one of five game that could surprise fans regarding how it factors into the playoff race.

“The Vols could be a CFP contender,” Dinich wrote, “but don’t overlook their season opener. They will be facing a very emotional UVA team playing for the first time since the deaths of D’Sean Perry, Devin Chandler and Lavel Davis Jr., who were killed in a campus shooting in November 2022.”

Virginia went 3-7 last season, cancelling its final two games on the regular-season schedule after the shooting. Head coach Tony Elliott on Tuesday addressed his team playing its first game back since the tragedy.

“Every day is the triumph for us,” Elliott said. “I believe as a program, every day that we continue to wake up and come to work, put our best foot forward that’s the triumph in all of this. And now we have an opportunity on a national stage to show just how resilient the human spirit is. And that’s what I’m looking forward to is just seeing the guys play in a way that inspires people. 

“Because we know the responsibility that we have to the legacies of the ones that we lost and we got a great opportunity, because football is a great unifier, as I said before, people are gonna be watching, right? People are gonna (be watching), they situation’s gonna come back up. It’s gonna be right in front of us, and we have a chance to say, you know what? We’re gonna accept the challenge and we’re gonna be the ones that’s gonna triumph every single day. 

“The outcome of the game,” Elliott added, “it doesn’t necessarily determine the triumph. For me it’s about how the guys play and if they play in a way that inspires others.”