Tennessee's loss to Georgia pushed the Volunteers outside of the College Football Playoff field this week, which alters our bubble watch lookahead. They are one of six SEC teams inside the selection committee's top 15 but need help to earn an at-large bid.
The Vols -- currently sitting at -160 to make the College Football Playoff, according to FanDuel Sportsbook -- will be scoreboard watching through SEC Championship Game weekend as they close against UTEP and Vanderbilt. One game outside the conference that holds significance for Tennessee is Indiana's showdown at Ohio State. A Hoosiers loss would likely pit them against the Vols in the race for one of the final 12 playoff spots.
Colorado's blowout win over Utah kept the Buffaloes in the thick of the Big 12 race as the season hits its stretch run. Deion Sanders said this week that his Buffaloes have ignored the noise and are simply focused on Kansas before making any conference title game reservations.
MORE: Six paths for Tennessee to secure a College Football Playoff spot
In our estimation, five of the eight teams on the current playoff bubble will not need help if they win out, including Army. If the Black Knights upset Notre Dame this weekend and finish a perfect campaign with a victory over Tulane in the AAC Championship Game, we're not expecting the selection committee to leave out an unbeaten team, even from the Group of Five ranks.
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College Football Playoff Bubble Watch: Week 13
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| Will the Vols be the SEC's odd team out with a 10-2 finish? It's a concern right now after landing at No. 11 in the third edition of the CFP Rankings. If five SEC programs are invited, Tennessee appears safe. This week: vs. UTEP | |
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| The new betting favorite to win the Big 12, the Buffaloes travel to Arrowhead Stadium this weekend to take on a red-hot Kansas team that handed BYU a last-second defeat its last time out. Colorado was slotted 16th in this week's rankings and will assuredly move up by winning out. This week: at Kansas | |
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| Rhett Lashlee has vouched for his Mustangs in consecutive weeks during the playoff selection show. He is just two wins away from playing for a league championship to cap SMU's first season in the ACC. This week: at Virginia | |
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| A comeback win at Pitt preserved the Tigers' faint playoff hopes, which would require SMU and Miami suffering upsets over the next two weeks. Miami holds the tiebreaker over Clemson due to a common opponent (Louisville). Unless it wins the ACC, Clemson's out. This week: vs. Citadel | |
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| Was an eight-spot drop warranted following BYU's first loss of the season? The Cougars were previously 3-0 in games decided by a single possession, but Week 12's setback against Kansas was deflating. Playoff hopes are not gone, however. This week: at Arizona State | |
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| Texas A&M is one of two SEC teams -- along with Texas -- that remains in control of its playoff destiny. If the Aggies beat Auburn on Saturday night and take out the Longhorns during rivalry weekend, they'll be playing in the SEC Championship. This week: at Auburn | |
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| The Green Wave pushed ahead five spots to No. 20 in this week's playoff rankings update, which means Jon Sumrall's squad is pulling for Army to stay unblemished until their showdown next month in the conference championship game. This week: vs. Memphis | |
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| The Black Knights' playoff hopes come down to Saturday. A loss to Notre Dame virtually eliminates Army from consideration unless Boise State fails to win the Mountain West and the Black Knights topple Tulane in the AAC title game. This week: vs. Notre Dame (Yankee Stadium) | |
About the expanded CFP
The third College Football Playoff Rankings from the selection committee will be released on Nov. 26, then one more time leading up to Selection Sunday (Dec. 8). In the first season of the 12-team playoff format, the four highest-ranked conference champions will be seeded 1-4 and receive first-round byes next month. Remaining teams, including the fifth conference champion, will be seeded 5-12 based on the selection committee's opinion.
First-round games on campus start Dec. 20 with CFP quarterfinals at bowl sites beginning Dec. 31. The semifinals at the Orange Bowl and Cotton Bowl will be played Jan. 9 and 10. The national championship is set for Jan. 20 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta.