How Tennessee can still make the College Football Playoff after loss to Georgia

The Tennessee Volunteers were handed their first loss of the season by the Georgia Bulldogs. Do they still have a shot at making the College Football Playoff?

The Tennessee Volunteers had a great lead-up to Week 10. They had just blown out the Kentucky Wildcats and were given the No. 1 spot in the very first College Football Playoff rankings of the season. That had to provide a huge confidence boost to the team as they prepared for a huge game against the Georgia Bulldogs, who received the No. 3 ranking.

Tennessee’s great week ended on a sour note, as they were handily defeated by Georgia 27-13. The high-powered offense, led by quarterback Hendon Hooker, were held out of the end zone by Georgia’s defense until there were just four minutes remaining in regulation.

With this loss, does Tennessee still have a chance at making it into the Playoff?

Can Tennessee still make the College Football Playoff?

The answer to that question is yes. But, Tennessee will need some help to get the job done.

First things first, Tennessee will need to win their remaining three games of the regular season against the Missouri Tigers, South Carolina Gamecocks, and Vanderbilt Commodores. On paper, that seems easy enough.

Georgia has three winnable games remaining on their schedule that make a loss seem unattainable. The Bulldogs play the Mississippi State Bulldogs, Kentucky, and Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets. If the Bulldogs win out, or even lose just one game, they have a spot in the SEC Championship Game.

But, Tennessee will need some of the remaining undefeated teams in the top of the rankings to lose at some point this season. That includes the Ohio State Buckeyes, Clemson Tigers, and the Michigan Wolverines.

Realistically, all the Volunteers can hope to do is play at a high level for the remainder of the season, that some of the remaining top undefeated teams suffer a loss, and they could very well sneak into the Playoff.

For more College Football news, analysis, opinion and unique coverage by FanSided, including Heisman Trophy and College Football Playoff rankings, be sure to bookmark these pages.