A week ago, Tennessee saw its college football hopes and dreams go down the toilet after losing to Georgia, and this was even the first time Tennessee had been out of the playoffs during the new college football playoff rankings this past Tuesday.
The Volunteers needed some help to get into the field of 12, and they got all of it on Saturday, seeing their SEC rivals lose.
Tennessee Wins Big In Many Ways
Tennessee first had to take care of business against UTEP if they wanted to make sure they would still have a chance at the playoffs, and they did, winning 56-0 just minutes before the Volunteers’ big win; Ole Miss fell to Florida, giving them their third loss and most likely out of the playoffs.
Ole Miss’s loss was major for Tennessee since the Rebels were the ninth-ranked team in the country. If they won out, they would have gone to the postseason. Now, that opened the door for Tennesssee to get it, and they also got some help from their new SEC friends down in Oklahoma.
The Sooners shut down Alabama, winning 24-3, giving the Crismon Tide their third loss on the season. Now, they are in the same boat as Ole Miss, most likely being kicked out of the playoffs.
Tennessee needed only one SEC team in front of them to lose, not named Texas. If they won out, they would be playing in the postseason, but magically, two fell, and now, with one more win against Vanderbilt this week, the Volunteers will be singing Rocky Top all the way to the new college football playoffs.