Although they didn’t play this week, Tennessee ascended two spots in the AP Top 25 Poll rankings, thanks to a lot of carnage from Saturday. Tennessee, now ranked #No. 21, entered its bye week ranked No. 23 in the AP Top 25 poll, following a loss to Oklahoma the previous week.

Tennessee faces New Mexico State in Knoxville this Saturday. A road trip to Florida with a final home game against Vanderbilt in Knoxville will round out the Vols’ regular season.

If the Vols win out, meaning a victory over the higher-ranked Commodores, a 9-3 record will likely still leave them short of the College Football Playoff. If Vanderbilt wins out, their 10-2 record would likely get them in. The chaotic college football season still has lots of surprises ahead.

In the SEC, Texas A&M, Alabama, Georgia and Ole Miss seem likely to make the 12 team playoff roster. If one of them stumbles in the final weeks, it could open the door to Vanderbilt. And if the ACC only has one team in the playoffs then the SEC could see five teams get in the door.

Georgia and Texas A&M face a rising Texas Longhorns team in the weeks ahead, so there are possibilities for losses for both. Alabama still has a tough matchup looming against Oklahoma. Several SEC teams can control their own destiny on the playing field, but they may also need help from others to make the playoffs.

Steve Gill is editor and Publisher of TriStar Daily.