The 2025 season has been one that’s seen the Tennessee Volunteers fall well clear of the College Football Playoff. Despite being in the rankings every week until Tuesday following a deflating 45-24 loss to Vanderbilt, the Vols were a complete nonfactor after picking up loss number three to Oklahoma back on November 1.
However, on Sunday during the College Football Playoff ranking, Tennessee found their name in the mouth of the committee chair Hunter Yurachek. It was the second time this week, and it was a complete a total contradiction for how they were used.
Case in point: on Sunday when explaining why Alabama hung on to the No. 9 seed in the playoff over Notre Dame and Miami (the Hurricanes took the final spot at No. 10), Yurachek said the following:
“We evaluated all of those conference championship games and felt like in the end, regardless of Alabama’s performance yesterday, their body of work in those first 12 games when they had probably the best win, arguably, this whole season, winning at No. 3 Georgia. And having to win against Vanderbilt, win against Tennessee as well, that their strength of schedule was the highest in the top 11.”
Oh, now that win against Tennessee means something? This is what the same man said about Vanderbilt beating Tennessee on Tuesday after the Commodores stood pat at 14:
“The committee has a great deal of respect for Vanderbilt and what they have achieved, an amazing season, a 10-win season. When you look at their schedule, now that Tennessee is no longer ranked, they just don’t have a signature win. They’ve got wins against LSU, Missouri and Tennessee. Missouri and Tennessee were previously ranked in our poll. They are no longer ranked in our poll.”
Ummm…..okay.
I have felt as though the selection committee kind of uses bits and pieces of things to support arguments they want to make, and this feels like it. What was more impressive about Bama’s win over the Vols than Vandy’s? If anything, Vandy’s win was more impressive because they rolled up 312 rushing yards and 582 total yards in Neyland Stadium and won by 21.
Bama did not drop on Sunday, and I’m honestly shocked they didn’t. They’ve been mediocre for weeks and got dog walked in their first and last games of the season.
But it appears as though that Tennessee win was a ticket that Bama was able to cash in with the committee to make it to the field. Vandy? Sorry, admission declined.
