Tennessee defeated Kentucky 34-6 on Saturday night. The win now makes the Vols 7-2, with just three games left to play in the regular season. Coming into the game, Tennessee was ranked 13th in the country, just outside of a playoff spot, but with the win, Tennessee has massively boosted its playoff chances, and here’s why.

Why Tennessee Boosted Playoff Chances Saturday

Let’s start with the obvious. Defeating the sixth-ranked team in the country in Kentucky is a massive resume builder. More than that, they did not just “beat” Kentucky; the Vols dominated the Wildcats. If Kentucky finishes anywhere near the College Football Playoff picture, this win is likely going to shine in the committee's eyes and put Tennessee in the playoffs. Just think about how Alabama was ranked fifth in the committee’s original rankings last Tuesday. The Crimson Tide, up until that point, had lost two games, and Kentucky was their best win; now Tennessee can say it has beaten Kentucky and Alabama, who are both in the playoff picture. So, how can the committee say that Tennessee is undeserving of a playoff spot as of now if they continue to rank Alabama so highly?

Beyond just the Tennessee-Kentucky game, Alabama also boosted Tennessee’s chances of making the playoffs. The Crimson Tide defeated LSU 31-13, effectively taking LSU out of the playoff picture for the time being. The Tigers were ranked just one spot below Tennessee at 14th, but they are likely to drop quite far after losing by three scores at home. With a big win, Alabama also helped boost Tennessee’s resume with the Vols' win over Alabama earlier in the season.

Another game that helped Tennessee’s chances of making the playoffs was Georgia vs. Ole Miss. The Bulldogs took care of business, destroying Ole Miss 42-7. It’s the Rebels' third loss of the season, and losing by 35 at home is not a good look for any team, never mind the fact that now they are going to need some help to get in.

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So let’s do a quick recap. LSU and Ole Miss are essentially out of the playoff picture for now, if not the rest of the season. This leaves five SEC schools that are in the thick of the playoff picture right now (with a few others on the outside looking in): Tennessee, Alabama, Texas, Georgia, and Kentucky. The Vols beat two of the other four schools and only lost by three to Texas. This alone should be a good enough resume to get Tennessee into a playoff spot.

Tennessee just needs to handle business over its last three games against Texas A&M, LSU, and Vanderbilt to likely secure a spot in the College Football Playoff.

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