A new era in college football is here.
The first edition of the 2024 College Football Playoff rankings was revealed on Tuesday night after the first 10 weeks of the college football season.
While the selection committee’s rankings are still set to change each Tuesday night through the end of the regular season, the Nov. 5 reveal gives us a good idea on just how the committee is evaluating the teams in contention. Rocky Top Insider will bring you the latest CFP rankings updates each Tuesday night.
Josh Heupel’s Tennessee Volunteers land at No. 7 in the first edition of the rankings, which were released on ESPN Tuesday night. Tennessee’s ranking is slotted as the 8-seed in the playoff picture because of No. 9 BYU being slotted as the 4-seed as a projected conference champion.
The first CFP bracket projection with the 12-team playoff era has dropped 🏈 pic.twitter.com/HXK3syhbEE
— ESPN (@espn) November 6, 2024
🚨 FIRST CFB PLAYOFF RANKINGS 🚨
1. Oregon
2. Ohio State
3. Georgia
4. Miami
5. Texas
6. Penn State
7. Tennessee
8. Indiana
9. BYU
10. Notre Dame
11. Alabama
12. Boise State
13. SMU
14. Texas A&M
15. LSU
16. Ole Miss
17. Iowa State
18. Pitt
19. K-State
20. Colorado
21.…— College Football Report (@CFBRep) November 6, 2024
Tennessee, the No. 3 team in the current SEC standings, lands as the third highest-ranked team from the conference in the initial rankings. The Vols trail No. 3 Georgia and No. 5 Texas in the rankings.
Tennessee’s ranking also indicates a projected home game for the Vols’ first-round playoff matchup. Teams seeded No. 5 through No. 8 in the final rankings on Dec. 8 will receive a home game on their campus in the first round while teams seeded No. 9 through No. 12 will be visitors. The top four seeds will receive a first-round bye in the initial 12-team playoffs.
If this were to be the final rankings (which it’s not), Tennessee would be set for a home game against No. 8 Indiana in the 8-seed/9-seed game.
Here’s a look at how the selection committee ranked the Top 12 teams in the initial reveal from Tuesday night:
- Oregon (9-0)
- Ohio State (7-1)
- Georgia (7-1)
- Miami (9-0)
- Texas (7-1)
- Penn State (7-1)
- Tennessee (7-1)
- Indiana (9-0)
- BYU (8-0)
- Notre Dame (7-1)
- Alabama (6-2)
- Boise State (7-1)
CFP Committee Chair Warde Manuel on Tennessee: Tennessee has an impressive win over Alabama at No. 11 and wins over NC State and Oklahoma, 4-1 against teams above .500, the loss at Arkansas was something that we discussed a lot.
— Rocky Top Insider (@rockytopinsider) November 6, 2024
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Tennessee is 7-1 on the season with a 4-1 record through five conference games this season. The Vols have three ranked wins including No. 24 NC State, No. 15 Oklahoma, and No. 7 Alabama, but only the Crimson Tide matchup will hold conversational weight after the decline the Wolfpack and the Sooners have been on since each played Tennessee.
The Vols still have three conference games and four games overall left on the schedule, starting with the SEC’s last-place team Mississippi State this Saturday night in Neyland Stadium.
Then comes Georgia.
If the Bulldogs can get through Ole Miss on the same day that Tennessee hosts Mississippi State, the border rivals will be on a collision course in Week 12 with each team only having one loss on the season.
While Georgia has been an expected key opponent for Tennessee all year, the importance of the Vols’ regular-season finale against in-state rival Vanderbilt has ballooned with the Commodores’ success this season. Vanderbilt is already bowl-bound with a 6-3 record and would relish nothing more than ripping through Tennessee’s playoff chances to end the season.
No. 7 Tennessee (7-1, 4-1 SEC) hosts Mississippi State (2-7, 0-5 SEC) this Saturday night at 7:00 p.m. in Neyland Stadium.
