Tennessee injury update sets up another nightmare CFP dilemma

The College Football Playoff committee is eagerly awaiting the result of No. 6-ranked Tennessee against No. 11-ranked Georgia and the status of one of the Volunteer star players could cause a nightmare CFP dilemma. According to Pete Thamel of ESPN, "Nico Iamaleava is in concussion protocol" and his status for their game against top-ranked Georgia is "undetermined".

Tennessee, who suffered their only loss of the season to what will likely be a barely bowl-eligible Arkansas is in a great position, results-wise. But they head into this game after their star QB left their most recent game against Mississippi State midway with an "apparent head injury".

The freshman has been diagnosed with a concussion injury and the Vols "are still working to determine his status" for this week's game against the Dawgs. Before suffering this injury, Iamaleava has had a solid season so far, throwing for 1879 yards and 11 TDs.

Georgia, on the other hand, faces a very rough road ahead with the program likely out of the SEC title race. While the Dawgs might not be able to win a conference title this season, the Bulldogs are still in the hunt for a spot in the 12-team playoff, likely needing to win the rest of their games this season.

If Georgia beats Tennessee this week without the Volunteers star QB playing in this game, it will set back a dangerous precedent from last season as then-unbeaten Florida State was taken out of the playoff with their star QB Jordan Travis suffering leg injury in one of the last games of their regular season.

Carson Beck has struggled this season with the offense being unable to find any clear playmakers in the passing game. The running game has been somewhat okay with Trevor Etienne running for 447 yards this season on 95 carries. Considering this, it's fair to say that the Bulldogs two losses have been caused by poor offensive play.

Despite the Volunteers only having two losses this season, it's possible that Josh Heupel's squad could be left out in a crowded field. While the Volunteers might not be playing with a healthy squad, it's possible that the committee would put the Bulldogs over them for one of the last spots in the playoff.

Tennessee injury update sets up another nightmare CFP dilemma

It's possible that the Volunteers would be able to reach a somewhat easy victory if their QB was completely healthy as Georgia has been unable to match top offenses this season. The gunslinger has led Tennessee towards a 33.6 points per game this season which would likely spell trouble for the Dawgs in this matchup.

Whether the Volunteers get their star QB for this game has yet to be determined but a possible absence could create a huge dilemma for the playoff committee if Georgia beats them.