CFB Team Named Outside the Top 10 by Paul Finebaum “Alive and Well” for the playoffs

Out of the Top 10 CFB Teams Named by Paul Finebaum Regarding the playoffs, that is “Alive and Well.”

There was some controversy surrounding the announcement of the third round of College Football Playoff rankings on Tuesday. The committee’s ranking of the four SEC teams with an 8-2 record—the No. 7 Alabama Crimson Tide, the No. 9 Ole Miss Rebels, the No. 10 Georgia Bulldogs, and the No. 11 Tennessee Volunteers—was the primary source of controversy.

The committee has shown that it respects head-to-head competitions. Due in part to their victory over Georgia, Alabama is ranked higher than Georgia. In a same vein, the Rebels’ victory over the Bulldogs has them rated higher than Georgia. Additionally, because of their victory over the Volunteers, the Bulldogs are rated higher than them.

But it’s important to remember that earlier in the season, the Volunteers defeated the Crimson Tide. This is the point of contention. In the end, the committee determined that Tennessee should be ranked last. This implies that the Volunteers would not be eligible if the playoffs began today. At the moment, no Big 12 team is ranked in the top 12, and the Big 12 champion gets an automatic bid. Furthermore, the No. 12 Boise State Broncos (9-1) would receive an automatic bid from the top-ranked Group of Five champion.

Paul Finebaum, an analyst for the SEC Network, stated on the “Paul Finebaum Show” that the Volunteers still have a shot to qualify for the playoffs in spite of this. “I think Tennessee is alive and well,” stated Finebaum. Paul Finebaum’s opinion is supported by ESPN’s Football Power Index (FPI). Tennessee is ranked ninth in the country by the FPI. The Volunteers have a 67.5% chance of qualifying for the playoffs, according to the index.

However, the FPI agrees with the committee’s assessment, placing Georgia, Alabama, and Ole Miss higher than Tennessee. At 66.2%, it does, however, provide the Rebels a marginally reduced chance of qualifying for the playoffs. The Volunteers must keep winning in the hopes that it will be sufficient to qualify for the playoffs. At 1 p.m. ET on SECN+/ESPN+, Tennessee will host the UTEP Miners (2-8) before playing the Vanderbilt Commodores (6-4) on November 30 to wrap off the regular season.