SEC Football: How the result of Tennessee-Alabama will affect the CFP race

Is Tennessee’s CFP hopes over if they lose to Bama? Is it over for Bama? How will this game affect the SEC title race in both divisions?

It’s that time of year again, the college football playoff (CFP) race is in full swing. The number 6 team and 3 teams will be facing off. This game will have major college football playoff implications. Tennessee goes into this game with a 6-0 record and one of the hottest offenses in the country. People in Knoxville are certainly hopeful about this year.

It seems like fans started to believe this team was good after the win against Pitt. That feeling felt bigger after the win at Florida and a little bigger after beating LSU. This Vols team is legit and now they are going against one of the big dogs of the college football world when they face Alabama.

Alabama goes into this game shaky. They were two yards short of losing to Texas A&M. That is not good considering that the Aggies’ offense has not been good all year. A week before, they beat Arkansas. While they did beat the Razorbacks by a noticeable score, they kind of let Arkansas hang around for a little while longer than should have.

I would also say this team was probably a Quinn Ewers injury away from losing in week 2 to Texas. The offensive line is clearly an issue this year. While this Alabama team certainly looked beatable at times, they are still in a favorable position.

They could lose this week and win out and easily make the CFP. It’s a lot easier for both teams because it’s not a divisional game. Still, this game will have massive implications.

If Tennessee wants to make the playoff, it probably needs this game to be close. It doesn’t have to be a defensive battle but it needs to be one possession for the majority of the game.  With Georiga coming later in the regular season, the Vols can’t be blown out here. Even if they play Georiga extremely close, they would probably need a win against the Dawgs if they lost to Bama.

Obviously, it is unlikely but I still think there is a world where we get three SEC teams in the CFP. The Vols would need to lose to Georiga and Bama by only one possession each. While you would probably need a lot of help (including Pac-12 teams; USC, Oregon, UCLA, and Utah losses, Big 12 teams Kansas State, Oklahoma State, TCU losses, and Clemson losses) it isn’t completely out of the picture.

While it is extremely unlikely, I still think a Vols team that ran the table besides Georgia and Bama is a pretty good resume. More likely, they would be very likely to go to a New Years Six bowl if the scenario I laid out happened.

With the schedule they have, Alabama should have less pressure on their hands. The game against Ole Miss will be a more important opponent for the Tide this one. Still, this game is very important and makes their roadmap very easy.

If they win this game and win out the rest of the regular season, you are looking at a team playing for SEEDING in the college football playoff in the SEC conference championship. Honestly, I think this game will be interesting to watch. I do think that Tennessee has a shot but I kind of have to go with Alabama, especially if Bryce Young returns this week.