Josh Heupel reacts to Ole Miss loss, Tennessee's increased College Football Playoff chances
The scores around college football were news to Josh Heupel when he got behind the podium for his postgame press conference after No. 10 Tennessee’s 56-0 win over UTEP on Senior Day at Neyland Stadium.
Florida beating Ole Miss? Indiana getting blitzed at Ohio State?
“I said it,” Heupel said, “there’s a lot of football left to be played.”
The Vols got the help they needed as quickly as they could have gotten it Saturday afternoon. No. 9 Ole Miss was upset 24-17 by Florida at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium in Gainesville, breaking up a log jam of what was four SEC teams with 8-2 records.
‘It’s about controlling yourself and preparing and going and playing good on Saturdays’
While the Gators were taking down Lane Kiffin, No. 2 Ohio State was running over No. 5 Indiana in a 38-15 Buckeye win at Ohio Stadium in Columbus.
“We’ve seen it,” Heupel said. “We’ve lived it, both sides of it. It’s about controlling yourself and preparing and going and playing good on Saturdays.”
Tennessee was on the outside looking in when the new College Football Playoff rankings and bracket were released by the selection committee Tuesday night. The Vols were ranked No. 11, but were bumped out of the 12-team bracket by BYU, as the projected Big 12 champion.
Alabama, Georgia and Ole Miss were ranked ahead of Tennessee last week, after the Vols lost 31-17 at Georgia. The Crimson Tide were ranked No. 7, Ole Miss was No. 9 and Georgia No. 10. Indiana was ranked No. 5 last week after jumping past Tennessee two weeks ago.
Georgia beat UMass 59-21 in Athens Saturday. Alabama plays at Oklahoma and Army plays Notre Dame at Yankee Stadium Saturday night, in two other games with playoff spots in the balance.
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No. 10 Tennessee at Vanderbilt, Saturday, Noon ET, ABC
But Tennessee (9-2, 5-2 SEC) now turns its attention to Nashville, where it will face Vanderbilt (6-4, 3-3) on Saturday (Noon Eastern Time, ABC) in what could be a win-and-in playoff scenario for the Vols.
“I’m proud of the way we handled this week,” Heupel said. “Heal up this afternoon and tomorrow. Invest and prepare in a great way, practice in a great way, then we need to go play great football next Saturday as we take the field in Nashville.”
And go play the biggest game of the season, with the College Football Playoffs on the line, after getting some much needed help Saturday afternoon.
“The better you play,” Heupel said, “the more you win, the bigger the games get. Doesn’t matter. So for us, this is the next step in our journey. Laser focused (in) how we prepare, how we practice, get ready to go play.”
