Tennessee is barely in the College Football Playoff picture with no margin for error remaining.
The Vols, who dropped their second game of the season at Georgia last Saturday in Athens, fell four spots to No. 11 in the College Football Playoff Top 25 on Tuesday, making the top 12 but currently left out of the bracket.
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Tennessee (9-2, 5-2 SEC) debuted at No. 7 in the initial playoff rankings earlier this month and remained there in the second release last week.
The Vols' current standing puts them just on the edge of the new 12-team playoff format with games against UTEP on Saturday (1 p.m. ET, SEC Network+) at Neyland Stadium and at Vanderbilt next week, but because of conference champion and Group of Five conference bids, Tennessee is currently the first team out behind SMU and Boise State.
The Vols' resume currently boasts a 24-17 victory over now-No. 7 Alabama, along with wins over NC State, Oklahoma, Florida, Kentucky and Mississippi State, but is running up against other two-loss teams in its own league, including Georgia, which jumped to No. 10 after beating Tennessee and No. 9 Ole Miss.
The Vols will need some outside help over the next two weeks to get firmly back in the picture.
The College Football Playoff Top 12
1. Oregon (11-0)
2. Ohio State (9-1)
3. Texas (9-1)
4. Penn State (9-1)
5. Indiana (10-0)
6. Notre Dame (9-1)
7. Alabama (8-2)
8. Miami (9-1)
9. Ole Miss (9-1)
10. Georgia (8-2)
11. Tennessee (8-2)
12. Boise State (9-1)
What would playoff bracket, Vols’ path look like?
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. 13 SMU is in position to jump Tennessee given its place atop the ACC standings. The Mustangs are the second team out behind the Vols.
Boise State could also take the Group of Five bid, despite being No. 12.
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.
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