The Volunteers entered the top four for the first time in school history after the College Football Playoff selection committee rewarded Tennessee with the top spot.
The Vols were in the top four.
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The University of Tennessee is the leader in college football.
The best win in the country is against Alabama. The Vols could still finish the season with a win against the SEC champion if they lose to Georgia.
Tennessee could lose to Alabama in the SEC championship game and still finish in the top four, even though it split with the Tide.
Georgia seems to have less margin for error than other teams. Only one team ranked No. 3 in the initial rankings has made the playoffs.
Georgia needs to hope that it can finish in the top four without winning its division if it loses on Saturday. It needs a win against Oregon to boost its resume. Georgia's opponents are 22-26 with the best win against South Carolina. Georgia needs a win against Tennessee to make up for no division title. The teams are not in the top 25.
Michigan needs to win.
There will be some room in the top four if Georgia and Tennessee play each other on Saturday, but you can still look at two SEC teams in the top four. It's not ideal for a Michigan team that's on the bubble to be behind a team that's on a roll.
It's going to be difficult for the committee to justify moving the Michigan up if they don't win against Ohio State. Right now their only win against a top 25 team is against Penn State. As far as Ohio State's best win is concerned, the committee likes what it sees from Ohio State more than Michigan.
With USC and Oregon both ranked in the top 10, it's possible that the conference can get a team into the playoffs for the first time in two years.
Michigan and Ohio State will play each other, so there will be movement above them. It's possible that Alabama and Clemson lose between now and Selection Day, as Alabama has two tough road trips at LSU and Ole Miss coming up, and Clemson still has to face rival South Carolina before the conference title game.
If the Frogs lose at least one game, the Pac-12 will be helped. The selection committee ranked Utah and Oregon State as potential opponents for Oregon. It is1-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-6556 The bad loss against Georgia is something that needs to be overcome. It would be the largest loss for a team that made the playoffs.
One loss by UCLA isn't out of the picture. The national title was won by Ohio State after it was ranked 16 in the initial rankings. That is the lowest starting point for a team.
The Frogs are the only team that hasn't lost a game. They have a better resume than the Tide. In order to have a chance, they need to finish as the conference champ. They won against Kansas State and Oklahoma State.
With the release of the first College Football Playoff rankings of the season, there's a lot of anger to go around.
College Football Playoff Anger index for Week 10
This is the first thing. We are aware of the argument. It hasn't been great. If dominance was the criteria for the teams just ahead of the Frogs, it would hold water.
The Horned Frogs have had eight second half drives this season. That is one less than the 4th ranked team in the country.
Alabama has two losses and one win, but it's still one of the top teams.
Some of the obvious drawbacks have not been proven by the university. The committee must have really liked Michigan's seven-point win over Maryland.
The people in the committee room don't care about the future or the past. How do you make heads or tails of a ranking?
The rankings for the College Football Playoff were revealed.
The Frogs have beaten teams ranked in the past. The same as Michigan, Georgia and Alabama.
The Frogs have four road victories, more than any other team.
When trailing, the Frogs have run 20 plays. They were all against better opposition than Missouri.
An average top 25 team would have the same record if they played the Frogs. Georgia, Alabama, and Michigan are all in the top seven.
There is a bigger debate on how schedule difficulty should be taken into account. There is a chance that TCU would've lost had it played either Oregon or Alabama. Do you think it's harder to play a schedule that includes one incredibly difficult opponent and a bunch of cupcakes, or do you think it's just as easy to play a schedule that includes decent teams?
The committee seemed to indicate a belief in the quality of the Big 12 with the rest of its rankings, which makes the argument stronger. It's disappointing that confidence wasn't given to the Frogs. The opening rankings can set the stage in a big way. Even though it's done as much as anyone else, it's still not good enough to beat Alabama.
The season will determine who ends up in the top four for Tennessee, Georgia, Michigan, Alabama and Ohio State. These rankings suggest that it isn't just about winning. The committee will change its perception if the teams ranked higher fail to impress.
There are two The Bruins are ranked 12th. Utah and Oregon State have been played by the USC. They lost to theBeavers and to theUtahs. Do you mean UCLA? The Bruins beat Utah and lost to a top 10 opponent.
There are three. The good news is that Tulane is the top-ranked group of five teams. The good news is that the Green Wave are not ranked as high as Kansas State. It's the University of Louisiana at Lafayette!
There are four. The Michigan's brutal non conference schedule is their downfall. Jim Harbaugh can now pass NC State's Dave Doeren on the power rankings because of the canceled game against UCLA.
There are five. How did Texas get ranked higher than Florida State? The Longhorns lost three close games. Three ranked teams, including NC State, have been visited by the FSU. FSU has a win over LSU and Texas has a win over Oklahoma. Is a one-point loss to Alabama worse than a one-point win over LSU?
The odds for Tennessee to win the national championship have gone from10000 to 1000. Georgia and Alabama are the second and third favorites at +200 and +350, respectively. The semifinals are expected to go under the current ranking.
Georgia and Ohio State both had losses.
Blake Baumgartner: Tennessee 38, Clemson 20; Ohio State 38, Georgia 35
Kyle Bonagura: Tennessee 38, Clemson 17; Georgia 35, Ohio State 31
Bill Connelly: Tennessee 48, Clemson 24; Georgia 28, Ohio State 27
Heather Dinich: Tennessee 42, Clemson 21; Ohio State 24, Georgia 21
Chris Low: Tennessee 42, Clemson 21; Ohio State 30, Georgia 27
Harry Lyles Jr: Tennessee 45, Clemson 27; Ohio State 27, Georgia 31
Ryan McGee: Tennessee 48, Clemson 24; Ohio State 30, Georgia 28
Adam Rittenberg: Tennessee 30, Clemson 27; Ohio State 34, Georgia 30
Alex Scarborough: Tennessee 45, Clemson 24; Georgia 35, Ohio State 34
Paolo Uggetti: Tennessee 41, Clemson 28; Georgia 34, Ohio State 37
Tom VanHaaren: Tennessee 31, Clemson 20; Georgia 31, Ohio State 38
Dave Wilson: Tennessee 42, Clemson 27; Georgia 33, Ohio State 29
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