Why the College Football Playoff Committee Will Like the Tennessee Volunteers

Why the College Football Playoff Committee will like the Tennessee Volunteers this season.

Tennessee’s Nico Iamaleava (8) and Tennessee head coach Josh Heupel during Tennessee football’s first fall practice, in Knoxville, Tenn., Wednesday, July 31, 2024. / Caitie McMekin/News Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK

Why the College Football Playoff Committee will like the Tennessee Volunteers this season.

When taking a look at the Tennessee Volunteers this season, there is a lot to like. The starting quarterback, despite his lack of experience, has a very high ceiling, James Pearce Jr. is expected to have a monster year on defense, they return a lot of key pieces and they have first-year players that can make an impact this season. While all of that is great for Tennessee to have, the college football playoff committee doesn't care about the names on the roster, but they still will have a lot to like about the Volunteers this season.

ESPN's Heather Dinich broke down why 30 different college football programs could make the playoffs and what the committee will and won't like about them this season. For Tennessee, it boils down to arguably the most important thing when it comes to these conversations: They will be battle-tested by the time the playoffs roll around.

"Road/neutral site wins. If the Vols are going to impress the panel, they're going to have to do it on the road, where they will face some of their toughest competition," Dinich wrote. "Tennessee could earn a nonconference win against a ranked ACC opponent Sept. 7 if it can beat NC State in the Duke's Mayo Classic in Charlotte, North Carolina. If it doesn't win that game, though, two of its best chances to compensate for it are Sept. 21 at Oklahoma and Nov. 16 at Georgia."

Just like the schedule is potentially their best case to earn a playoff spot, it also could turn into the best reason for them not to be in the college football playoff this season. There is not a lot of room for error on Tennessee's schedule so not only is it important to win the big ones, it's also important to not lose the ones you shouldn't.

"An inexplicable loss in addition to forgivable ones. In 2022, South Carolina shocked Tennessee in November with a 63-38 win, essentially eliminating the Vols from the CFP," Dinich wrote. "Last year, another loss at rival Florida marred what should have been an undefeated start. The problem in each of those two seasons was that those upsets compounded other, more respectable losses. The selection committee will still consider Tennessee this year if it has one or two losses to ranked opponents -- especially on the road -- but bad defeats have historically been difficult for teams to overcome. If the Vols are going to reach even an expanded field, they've got to win the games they're supposed to.

It will be interesting to see how the expanded college football playoff system works out this season and how thre rankings will play out in its first year. Strength of schedule the keynote wins will certainly play a role in the selection process and the Volunteers will have opportunities to build up both of those things.

Other Tennessee News:

• Tony Vitello Turnaround Nothing Short of Brilliant for Tennessee Baseball
• Jaylen Williams Cuts Recruitment to Four Schools
• Tennessee Vols Football Could Make Playoff According to CFB Data Model

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