The latest college football rankings were released on Tuesday night, and the Tennessee Volunteers maintained their #7 position for a second week. Nonetheless, the committee made a surprising decision regarding the Volunteers’ Saturday night opponents.
The Georgia Bulldogs, ranked #12 after suffering a 28-10 defeat at the hands of Georgia last weekend, found themselves relegated outside the playoff bracket due to Boise State taking their spot as a conference champion. This marks the second consecutive week that Georgia is looking up at the Vols prior to their upcoming game in Athens, and they have legitimate reasons to feel overlooked. In 2022, the Vols were ranked #1 in the initial playoff standings while Georgia was #3. As the undefeated reigning national champion, Georgia used the chip on their shoulder to defeat Tennessee 27-13 on their way to a second straight title.
Now, the Bulldogs are experiencing a significant lack of respect, having fallen out of the bracket entirely. The committee essentially signaled that, despite what some ESPN analysts might argue, Georgia must win to secure a playoff spot. This puts them in a tough spot, ensuring that Tennessee will face a desperate team on Saturday night in Athens.
Tennessee is keen to secure this victory as well, especially since the committee seems to downplay their recent performances. The committee chair even commented on the Vols’ recent offensive difficulties, despite the team scoring at least 23 points in each of their last four games. For context, Indiana managed only 20 points against a 5-5 Michigan team, while BYU narrowly defeated Indiana 22-21.
However, one team certainly has more motivation, and that team is the home squad on Saturday night. It will be interesting to see if Tennessee’s strong defense can counteract the advantage that the committee has inadvertently given to Kirby Smart’s team.
