Tennessee football is certain to fall in the newest College Football Playoff rankings on Tuesday night after falling to Georgia 31-17 on Saturday night in Athens.
The Vols are now 8-2 (5-2 SEC) on the season with a home matchup against UTEP and a road trip to Vanderbilt remaining on their schedule. So what are the chances of Tennessee making the 12-team College Football Playoff? Here’s what the betting markets say.
Tennessee is -120 to make the College Football Playoff according to the DraftKings Sportsbook. The Vols are for the 12th best odds of any team to make the playoffs with Colorado. The Buffs have the best odds of any Big 12 team and with the conference winner getting an automatic bid in the playoffs, that makes Tennessee the first team out of the playoffs in the current betting market.
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The current landscape of the playoff picture makes it appear likely that once ACC team, one group of five team (Boise State), one Big 12 team, potentially Notre Dame and eight teams between the Big 10 and SEC will make the College Football Playoff.
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If Notre Dame does make the playoffs and there’s eight spots open between the Big 10 and the SEC, the safe bet is that four teams from the Big 10 and four teams from the SEC will make the playoffs. The betting market clearly sees Tennessee as the fifth team in the SEC.
Texas and Georgia are both -3000 to make the playoffs, Alabama is -1000 to make the playoffs while and Ole Miss -500 to make the playoffs. Tennessee finds itself squarely in that fifth SEC spot with Texas A&M (+350) having the next best odds in the SEC.
Despite having minus betting odds to make the College Football Playoffs, Tennessee likely needs some help to make the playoffs. One of Ole Miss, Alabama or Notre Dame suffering a defeat is likely the Vols best chance to move up and make the expanded playoffs.
Ohio State beating Indiana (-450) in blowout fashion would be another way for Tennessee to potentially make the playoffs. That would put five SEC teams in the playoffs with just three Big 10 teams making it.
