The second round of the College Football Playoff Top 25 rankings were released on Tuesday
As the calendar moves deeper into November, the rankings become even more important. So do the games.
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Tennessee, winners of four-straight, including a 33-14 triumph of Mississippi State last Saturday, continue to improve its standing. The Vols (8-1, 5-1 SEC) remained at No. 7 after a weekend of shakeups.
Tennessee was the second highest ranked SEC team in the rankings, trailing only Texas with a few more opportunities to move up before the playoff field is announced next month.
The Vols face arguably their toughest test to date against No. 12 Georgia (7-2, 5-2) on Saturday (7:30 p.m. ET, ABC) at Sanford Stadium in a game that could potentially serve as a playoff elimination game.
The Bulldogs dropped their second game of the season last week at now-No. 11 Ole Miss, tumbling from No. 3 in the rankings and left with a razor thin margin for error with only three games left on their schedule.
Tennessee, which sits atop the league standings with the tie-breaking better overall record over No. 15 Texas A&M, remains in the drivers seat for an SEC Championship Game and playoff berth.
A road win at Georgia would be a significant step in getting the Vols there with a win over No. 10 Alabama already on their resume, while a loss would make their path a little more difficult.
"Every week, you have the opportunity to play the biggest game of the season. It's the only one that's on your schedule," Tennessee head coach Josh Heupel said. "Coaches, players, and you better be in the present. That's what we focus on, no matter who the opponent is. We understand the quality of the opponent that we're playing this week. Focused on the here-and-now. I was around the game long enough to understand what people are talking about in the future, that's not controlling what you can control. Your preparation and practice matter. Get ready to go play this game Saturday night."
Tennessee's success going forward could hinge on the status of starting quarterback Nico Iamaleava, who sat out the entire second half of the Mississippi State game with an upper body injury.
According to a report from ESPN's Pete Thamel Tuesday night, Iamaleava is in concussion protocol and his status for Saturday was "undetermined," though the coaching staff was "optimistic" that he would be available.
Heupel said earlier this week that the coaching staff felt like Iamaleava was "in great shape" and that he had practiced with the team on Monday.
Iamaleava was coming off of his best game of the season against Kentucky and was 8-of-13 passing for 174 yards and two touchdowns in the first half against Mississippi State. He has passed for 1,879 yards, 11 touchdowns and four interceptions in eight games.
The College Football Playoff Top 12
1. Oregon (10-0)
2. Ohio State (8-1)
3. Texas (8-1)
4. Penn State (8-1)
5. Indiana (10-0)
6.BYU (9-0)
7. Tennessee (8-1)
8. Notre Dame (8-1)
9. Miami (9-1)
10. Alabama (7-2)
11. Ole Miss (8-2)
12. Georgia (7-2)
What would bracket, match up look like for Vols?
With the new expansion, the top 12 teams ranked in the final rankings on Dec. 8 will make the playoff field.
The new format will include the four highest-ranked conference champions, which are seeded 1-4 with the fifth team seeded where it finished in the rankings or moved to No. 12 if it finishes outside if the top 12. The next seven highest ranked teams in the final playoff rankings will also make the field.
The top four teams are guaranteed a first round bye. According to the latest rankings, No. 6 BYU, which leads in the Big 12 standings, would get a top four bid if it wins the conference.
The 5-8 seeds will host on campus games on Dec. 20-21 with the Fiesta Bowl, Rose Bowl, Peach Bowl and Sugar Bowl hosting the four quarterfinal games on Dec.31-Jan.1. The Orange Bowl and Cotton Bowl will be semifinal games on Jan. 9-10.
The national championship game is slated for Monday, Jan. 20 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta.
Based on the current rankings, Tennessee would be the 8-seed and would host 9-seed Notre Dame at Neyland Stadium in the first round with a quarterfinal game against 1-seed Oregon in one of the four bowl games.
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