Tier 1: CFP threat and Tennessee Football SOS
Arkansas over Ole Miss
There is one game this weekend that will eliminate a College Football Playoff threat to Tennessee Football while also boosting the Vols’ strength of schedule. That game is the Ole Miss Rebels at the Arkansas Razorbacks, a matchup that could turn out to be much more intriguing than anybody thinks going into Saturday.
Ole Miss is 6-2 right now, and assuming the Vols will be a 10-2 team fighting with other 10-2 teams to reach the CFP, they should be rooting for as many three-loss teams as possible. Although Ole Miss still has to face the Georgia Bulldogs, you don’t want to take any chances, so Vol fans want them eliminated as quickly as possible.
On the other side, if the Hogs win, Sam Pittman’s team will clinch bowl eligibility, so UT’s loss to them on the road a few weeks ago won’t look as bad. At 6-3 by that point, they wouldn’t be able to use head to head to leapfrog a 10-2 Vols team even if they won out, so the Vols have no reason to worry about Arkansas as a threat on that front.
If Arkansas does win, a matchup with the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs gets them to seven win, and they do get a reeling Texas Longhorns team at home and overrated Missouri Tigers team on the road. Simply put, UT could end up claiming one of its losses was to an 8-win SEC team on the road.
Of course, then there’s the Lane Kiffin aspect. Just seeing him lose is an added benefit for Tennessee Football fans, but regardless of that, every factor of this game screams the Vols needing Arkansas to win, so that’s their biggest rooting interest Saturday.
