The College Football Playoff is expanding in 2024. Here is Tennessee’s path

The College Football Playoff is expanding and that could benefit Tennessee.

The Vols are set to return experience on the offensive and defensive lines while other position groups like quarterback, wide receiver and running backs are teeming with potential.

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Those factors are already playing a part in the attention Tennessee is receiving months before the start of the 2024 season, which will feature a number of significant changes.

The SEC is expanding to 16 teams with the additions of Texas and Oklahoma and will be going away from divisions for the first time in more than 30 years. The playoff will move from the top four teams to the top 12 for the first time, too.

Tennessee, which took a step back last season after winning 11 games and finishing in the top 10 two years ago, likely has the pieces to be included among the final 12 teams at the end of the regular season, but there are a few things the Vols will have to do get there.

Tennessee boasted the best offense in the country in 2022.

Josh Heupel's fast-paced, up tempo system was seemingly unstoppable for much of that season, due in large part to consistency at quarterback in Hendon Hooker and a reliable wide receiving corps, spearheaded by Jalin Hyatt.

That was missing for the Vols last season. At times that was on the quarterback play, while at others a lack of reliability at receiver was to blame. Instead, Tennessee was oftentimes one-dimensional, leaning heavily on its run game.

The Vols are expected to have more balance behind Nico Iamaleava, who dazzled in his first career start in the Citrus Bowl in January and is now the unquestioned leader at quarterback and the wide receivers room has a healthy mix of returning experience and talented newcomers.

Though the backfield outside of junior Dylan Sampson is largely unproven, the run game could still be a strong suit and playing behind a veteran-laden offensive line will help.

Tennessee doesn't have to exactly replicate its offensive success from 2022, but if it can get back to some kind of semblance of that, it would likely be enough to get the Vols in the mix as an SEC title and playoff contender.

Tennessee's improvement on offense will win games, but the improvement in the secondary could be the difference in reaching the playoff.

The numbers show improvement over the last three seasons. The Vols' went from giving up 287.3 passing yards per game to allowing 218.3 yards, moving them from 124th nationally to top 50.

There are still plenty of questions, though. Tennessee will have a new-look secondary in 2024 after losing nine contributors, including seven players to the transfer portal. Only two of those departures were starters and it could be argued that the Vols have upgraded the secondary since December.

Injuries last season forced a number of underclassmen to see increased playing time, particularly in the Citrus Bowl against Iowa and Tennessee added some experience from the transfer portal in corner Jermod McCoy and safety Jakobe Thomas.

As long as the numbers continue to improve, especially on third down, the secondary should be able to compliment the first and second levels of the defense where the Vols are expected to be strong.

Tennessee has a manageable schedule and one or two losses are probably more affordable in a 12-team playoff format.

A division-less SEC has changed up the Vols' conference schedule, but it still includes the usual suspects. Tennessee plays host to Alabama and Florida in back-to-back games in October and it will have to travel to Georgia in November.

Though the Crimson Tide underwent a plethora of changes over the offseason, including a regime change following the retirement of Nick Saban and a transfer portal exodus, the Vols don't have to view Alabama as a must-win game. The same goes for Georgia, which has won two of the last three national titles and is primed for another in 2024.

But Tennessee can't afford any surprising trip-ups on the rest of its schedule. As it stands, the Vols will likely be favored in all but two games next season. That doesn't mean there won't be challenges.

A neutral site bout with N.C. State in Charlotte in week 2 could serve as an early-season test, and despite Florida's downturn, history hasn't exactly been on Tennessee's side in that series.

The Vols have undoubtedly turned a corner under Heupel, but there has been at least one inexplicable loss in the last two seasons. Last year it was a 29-16 defeat to the Gators in Gainesville. Two years ago it was a 63-38 blowout loss at South Carolina that knocked them out of playoff contention.

Avoid that and Tennessee is a playoff team.

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