30 games that will eventually decide the 12-team College Football Playoff

Every year, a few games change the scope and brevity of the race towards the College Football Playoff. This year, one game already made a major impact, and these 30 others should give us a look into who will participate in the first-ever 12-team College Football Playoff.

Michigan defensive lineman Kris Jenkins (94) celebrates a tackle against Ohio State. / Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK

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22. Tennessee vs. NC State: Sep. 7

On that same exact day, the second week of the college football season, we see another game with upset written all over it. And we’re talking about Tennessee again. The Volunteers have just this interesting schedule. They have all of Alabama, Georgia, and Oklahoma on the schedule. Of course, any of those games could be on this list, but this one was where it was actually intriguing.

Losing to NC State would really destroy the Tennessee season. This is a franchise that has a habit of losing at the worst possible time or taking the wind out of the sails of its fans. Losing on Sept. 7 to a reportedly overlooked Wolfpack team would really do just that. Losing at home would be the icing on the cake.

NC State is this strange team that we feel like has a good history in college football, but then we realize they have one double-digit wins season in its history. And that was back in 2002. This season could be different, but we’ve felt that many times before. A win against Tennessee would go a long way in learning this Wolfpack team is legit.

After Tennessee, NC State has one other game against a ranked opponent. If NC State splits their games with Tennessee and Clemson, they are likely making the Playoff. Can you imagine a team going with one loss in a major conference and not making the Playoff? There is more on the line in this game than it’s getting credit for.

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