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Tennessee could’ve lost to Ohio State in the semifinal rather than the first round if the College Football Playoff format had been changed a year earlier.
Beginning this season, the College Football Playoff will convert to a straight-seeding model that slots all 12 teams in order of the final playoff rankings of the regular season, the group’s management committee announced on May 22.
The top five conference champions will still receive automatic playoff bids, but that won’t guarantee them a bye. Instead, the four highest-ranked teams regardless of conference championships will receive a bye into the quarterfinals.
It’s what Tennessee fans were clamoring for last season, when the Vols were No. 7 in the CFP rankings but seeded No. 9 in the bracket. They lost 42-17 on the road to eventual national champion Ohio State rather than playing a first-round home game against SMU at Neyland Stadium.
Here’s how Tennessee’s CFP path would’ve changed with the new seeding format.
One of the many disappointments of the Vols’ first-round loss was that UT fans showed up in droves in Columbus, Ohio. About a quarter of the 102,780-seat Ohio Stadium was clad in orange.
UT fans were hungry, so imagine how raucous Neyland Stadium would’ve been if the Vols hosted a first-round game.
In the new format, No. 7 seed UT would’ve gotten a home game against No. 10 seed SMU. Season ticket holders would've sat in their usual seats at Neyland Stadium, and attendance would've exceeded the 101,915 seating capacity.
That atmosphere would've been difficult for SMU. The largest crowd it faced on the road during the 2024 regular season was 50,254 at Louisville.
SMU was no pushover, but the Vols would’ve won that first-round game at home. SMU was coming off an ACC title game loss to Clemson. And it instead lost 38-10 at Penn State in the first round.
Then Tennessee would’ve played Georgia in the Sugar Bowl in the quarterfinal. The Vols have lost eight straight to Georgia, including a 31-17 defeat in Athens in the 2024 regular season.
But remember that quarterback Carson Beck, who had torched UT in back-to-back seasons, did not play in the CFP.
With Beck injured and Gunner Stockton at quarterback, Georgia lost 23-10 to Notre Dame. Perhaps the Vols could’ve beaten that wounded version of Georgia at a neutral site.
TENNESSEE VS SEC If UT chooses state law over NIL pledge, it risks a lot
In the new format, wins over SMU and Georgia would’ve put Tennessee in the semifinals, likely against Ohio State.
In a straight-seeding model, Ohio State would’ve hosted Arizona State in the first round and then played Texas at a neutral site. In reality, they played that game – Ohio State beat Texas 28-14 in the Cotton Bowl in a semifinal last season.
So in the new format, Tennessee could’ve played Ohio State in the semifinal at either the Orange Bowl or Cotton Bowl. The Vols were outmatched and would’ve still lost by a double-digit margin.
However, that semifinal loss to Ohio State would’ve hit differently than a first-round blowout.
In that alternate reality, Tennessee would’ve had the memory of a home playoff victory, perhaps a signature win over Georgia and a trip to the CFP Final Four.
Here’s how the rest of the CFP schedule would have looked under the new format:
Adam Sparks is the Tennessee football beat reporter. Email [email protected]. X, formerly known as Twitter@AdamSparks. Support strong local journalism by subscribing atknoxnews.com/subscribe.
Get the latest news and insight on SEC football by subscribing to the SEC Unfiltered newsletter, delivered straight to your inbox.
This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Tennessee football: Who Vols would have played in CFP under new format
Continue reading...
Beginning this season, the College Football Playoff will convert to a straight-seeding model that slots all 12 teams in order of the final playoff rankings of the regular season, the group’s management committee announced on May 22.
The top five conference champions will still receive automatic playoff bids, but that won’t guarantee them a bye. Instead, the four highest-ranked teams regardless of conference championships will receive a bye into the quarterfinals.
It’s what Tennessee fans were clamoring for last season, when the Vols were No. 7 in the CFP rankings but seeded No. 9 in the bracket. They lost 42-17 on the road to eventual national champion Ohio State rather than playing a first-round home game against SMU at Neyland Stadium.
Here’s how Tennessee’s CFP path would’ve changed with the new seeding format.
Neyland Stadium would’ve rocked for playoff game
One of the many disappointments of the Vols’ first-round loss was that UT fans showed up in droves in Columbus, Ohio. About a quarter of the 102,780-seat Ohio Stadium was clad in orange.
UT fans were hungry, so imagine how raucous Neyland Stadium would’ve been if the Vols hosted a first-round game.
In the new format, No. 7 seed UT would’ve gotten a home game against No. 10 seed SMU. Season ticket holders would've sat in their usual seats at Neyland Stadium, and attendance would've exceeded the 101,915 seating capacity.
That atmosphere would've been difficult for SMU. The largest crowd it faced on the road during the 2024 regular season was 50,254 at Louisville.
There was a path to CFP semifinals for Tennessee
SMU was no pushover, but the Vols would’ve won that first-round game at home. SMU was coming off an ACC title game loss to Clemson. And it instead lost 38-10 at Penn State in the first round.
Then Tennessee would’ve played Georgia in the Sugar Bowl in the quarterfinal. The Vols have lost eight straight to Georgia, including a 31-17 defeat in Athens in the 2024 regular season.
But remember that quarterback Carson Beck, who had torched UT in back-to-back seasons, did not play in the CFP.
With Beck injured and Gunner Stockton at quarterback, Georgia lost 23-10 to Notre Dame. Perhaps the Vols could’ve beaten that wounded version of Georgia at a neutral site.
TENNESSEE VS SEC If UT chooses state law over NIL pledge, it risks a lot
Tennessee loss to Ohio State in semifinals would’ve stung less
In the new format, wins over SMU and Georgia would’ve put Tennessee in the semifinals, likely against Ohio State.
In a straight-seeding model, Ohio State would’ve hosted Arizona State in the first round and then played Texas at a neutral site. In reality, they played that game – Ohio State beat Texas 28-14 in the Cotton Bowl in a semifinal last season.
So in the new format, Tennessee could’ve played Ohio State in the semifinal at either the Orange Bowl or Cotton Bowl. The Vols were outmatched and would’ve still lost by a double-digit margin.
However, that semifinal loss to Ohio State would’ve hit differently than a first-round blowout.
In that alternate reality, Tennessee would’ve had the memory of a home playoff victory, perhaps a signature win over Georgia and a trip to the CFP Final Four.
Re-seeding last season’s CFP with new format
Here’s how the rest of the CFP schedule would have looked under the new format:
- No. 1 Oregon (Big Ten champion), No. 2 Georgia (SEC champion), No. 3 Texas (SEC at-large team) and No. 4 Penn State (Big Ten at-large) would have earned first-round byes.
- Oregon would have faced the winner of a first-round matchup between No. 8 Indiana (Big Ten at-large) and No. 9 Boise State (Group of 5 conference champion).
- Georgia would have faced the winner of a first-round matchup between No. 7 Tennessee (SEC at-large) and No. 10 SMU (ACC at-large).
- Texas would have faced the winner of a first-round matchup between No. 6 Ohio State (Big Ten at-large) and No. 11 Arizona State (Big 12 champion).
- Penn State would have faced the winner of a first-round matchup between No. 5 Notre Dame (independent at-large) and No. 12 Clemson (ACC champion).
Adam Sparks is the Tennessee football beat reporter. Email [email protected]. X, formerly known as Twitter@AdamSparks. Support strong local journalism by subscribing atknoxnews.com/subscribe.
Get the latest news and insight on SEC football by subscribing to the SEC Unfiltered newsletter, delivered straight to your inbox.
This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Tennessee football: Who Vols would have played in CFP under new format
Continue reading...
