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Joel Klatt: Tennessee is firmly in the College Football Playoff after Week 13 chaos

IMG_6598by: Nick Kosko11/25/24nickkosko59
Josh Heupel, Tennessee
Josh Heupel, Tennessee - © Nelson Chenault-Imagn Images

Tennessee sat back and watched the chaos ensue around them in the SEC. The College Football Playoff is firmly in their grasp going into the final regular season weekend.

At 9-2, the Vols can’t make the SEC Championship but they’re in a ripe position to get into the playoff, and maybe even host a game. That’s the way Fox Sports’ Joel Klatt sees it following teams like Texas A&M, Alabama and Ole Miss all losing this past weekend.

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He broke it down ahead of the final weekend.

“The top five teams in the SEC they’re all really good, because they’re just beating each other, and because of the schedules, it’s like, well, yeah, Georgia, you know, they could get two losses, maybe even three losses, and we can still say that they’re like, really, really good,” Klatt said on his podcast. “But the problem is, when you lose to Oklahoma and Vandy and Auburn and Arkansas and Florida and Kentucky and LSU, those aren’t good losses, and so you lose the benefit of the doubt. 

“That’s what happened to the SEC. Great day for Tennessee by the way. All the teams that needed to lose in their conference lost last week. They’re on the outside looking in. Now they’re just like for me, Indiana, firmly in the College Football Playoff, firmly in the college football playoff. The data suggests they’re firmly in the College Football Playoff. Great day to be a Vol. How did it feel rooted for Florida? Probably pretty good knowing that it paid dividends. Watching Florida dunk, literally, on that hoop for the Ole Miss Rebs, like, that was pretty great if you’re a Tennessee fan.”

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Tennessee head coach Josh Heupel was asked about the situation after the SEC chaos, following a 56-0 win over UTEP.

“I said it, there’s a lot of football left to be played,” Heupel said. “We’ve seen it. We’ve lived it. Both sides of it. It’s about controlling yourself and preparing and going and playing good on Saturdays. I’m proud of the way we handled this week. We’ll heal up this afternoon and tomorrow and invest in a great way and practice in a great way. Then we need to go play great football next Saturday as we take the field in Nashville.”

Tennessee  won five straight games against Vanderbilt (6-5, 3-4 SEC), their Week 14 opponent, in the in-state rivalry matchup. However, this Vanderbilt team is a lot better than in the past and will be eager to spoil Tennessee’s hopes of making the College Football Playoff.