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ESPN breaks down Tennessee's standing in the College Football Playoff chase

IMG_3593by:Grant Ramey•11/15/22•

GrantRamey

tennessee-wide-receiver-jalin-hyatt-says-him-and-teammates-are-ready-for-next-game-versus-alabama
(John Korduner/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

Tennessee stayed at No. 5 in the College Football Playoff Top 25 in the updated rankings Tuesday night. For now, it’s a waiting game.

The top five from the CFP Selection Committee stayed put: No. 1 Georgia, No. 2 Ohio State, No. 3 Michigan, No. 4 TCU and the fifth-ranked Vols. 

Tennessee (9-1, 5-1 SEC) plays at South Carolina (6-4, 3-4) on Saturday (7 p.m. Eastern Time; TV: ESPN), then ends the regular-season schedule at Vanderbilt on November 26. 

TCU goes to Baylor on Saturday and hosts Iowa State on November 26. Illinois plays Michigan and Ohio State plays Maryland on Saturday, before the two rivals meet at Ohio State on November 26.

“Tennessee only with the loss to Georgia and still in really, really good position,” ESPN host Rece Davis said Tuesday night.

“I think they’re in a good position,” analyst Joey Galloway added, “because six and seven (in the rankings).”

No. 6 in the new ranking is LSU (8-2, 6-1), the team Tennessee beat 40-13 on October 8 at Tiger Stadium in Baton Rouge. USC is No. 7 and Alabama came in at No. 8, one spot ahead of No. 9 Clemson.

Tennessee at South Carolina, 7 p.m. ET, Saturday, ESPN

“(Tennessee) went on the road and blew out LSU,” Galloway said, “they also have the win against Alabama, who is ranked No. 8. So when we get to the end of this, Tennessee will not be in the SEC Championship Game, but because of that resume, they’re sitting in a really good spot once Ohio State and Michigan play each other.”

One unanswered question, ESPN analyst Kirk Herbstreit mentioned, is where the loser of the Ohio State-Michigan game drops to in the updated rankings.

“Unless there’s a major upset this week with Michigan and Illinois or Ohio State and Maryland,” Herbstreit said, “the loser of that (Ohio State-Michigan game), Tennessee is just sitting there waiting for whoever loses that game. 

“If Tennessee keeps winning, and looking the way they are, the potential debate would be with the loser of the Ohio State-Michigan game. With, of course, Tennessee. If Tennessee wins out, not going to Atlanta.”

LSU is going to Atlanta, having clinched the SEC West title and a date with No. 1 Georgia in the SEC Championship game. Should both Tennessee and LSU win out, then there could be a question of who gets in and who gets left out.

Rece Davis: ‘LSU can get in, but not ahead of Tennessee’

“If LSU were to win out,” Herbstreit said, “beat Georgia in the SEC Championship Game … if they were to beat Georgia, what would that do at that point? Is LSU in? Is Tennessee in? You know Georgia is in. So that would become a pretty interesting discussion.”

Both Davis and Galloway gave the nod to Tennessee based on the head-to-head result and, more specifically, the way that game played out five weeks ago in Baton Rouge.

“Watching them and measuring the resumes and everything, LSU can get in, but not before Tennessee,” Davis said. “I mean, head to head is not everything, but unless you’re unequivocally better, it is one of the things. 

“And (Tennessee) didn’t just slip past (LSU). They beat them senseless on their home field.”

“Yeah, at LSU,” Galloway added. “And I think that’s why Tennessee is sitting in a really good spot.”

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