College football Week 4 overreactions: Tennessee takes big step toward making CFP; end is near for Mack Brown

Go ahead and pencil Tennessee into the College Football Playoff. The No. 6 Vols cleared their biggest hurdle yet by going on the road and opening SEC play with a 25-15 win against No. 15 Oklahoma, a likely cathartic moment for Sooners legend and current Tennessee coach Josh Heupel. 

Tennessee’s defense dominated and extended its streak to 19 straight quarters without allowing an offensive touchdown before the Sooners broke it midway through the fourth quarter. The Vols only scored six points in the second half while largely taking their foot off the gas and still walked out of Gaylord Family – Oklahoma Memorial Stadium with their first road win against a top-15 team since 2006. 

It wasn’t entirely pretty. The offense looked a little disjointed over the last 30 minutes and the Vols were responsible for some really ugly penalties that could hurt them in closer games, but this was arguably the make-or-break game for Tennessee in 2024. Now it controls its destiny while walking a wide-open path. 

Tennessee will be heavily favored in all but two of its remaining contests. One of those, against No. 4 Alabama, comes at home. Going on the road to play No. 2 Georgia is a tall task, but the Vols don’t even need to win either game to make a 12-team playoff. Close losses to two top-four teams while maintaining a 10-2 record in the SEC will likely earn them plenty of leeway with the selection committee. 

Split those games and the CFP is a guarantee. Barring a complete disaster, Tennessee should be seen as a lock at this point. 

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Author : Will Backus

Publish date : 2024-09-22 14:58:57

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