November is here, and Tennessee Football is in the College Football Playoff race. With the 12-team format now, that means a plethora of games are relevant to the Vols as they try to get in. Making it, reaching a desirable seed and avoiding bad matchups are all the major goals of any team trying in the hunt for this event.
Currently, there are 21 teams from the Power Four who could still reach the CFP along with the Notre Dame Fighting Irish as an independent, which makes for 22. Those 22 teams will vie for 11 spots, with four automatic bids and the 12th spot going to the best among the Group of Five programs this year.
As we get set to break down the rooting interest for UT, we’ll separate them into tiers each week. This week, they are based on who Rocky Top wants to avoid, games that aren’t a guarantee they should go this way, games that will help the Vols’ strength of schedule, games to eliminate foes and games that can do both of the latter two. Here’s who Tennessee Football should root for this week.
Tier 5: Teams Vols want to AVOID in CFP
These games are based on teams the Vols don’t want to see in the first round of the College Football Playoff. Because the field is currently so jumbled otherwise, they mostly just involve Group of Five opponents, as there are certain teams from that level UT absolutely doesn’t want to play. To reach the desired outcome, here’s who they should root for.
Air Force over Army
No Power Four team wants to face the Army Black Knights or Navy Midshipmen in the playoff. Both of those teams run that dreaded triple-option and could give Rocky Top hell. As a result, after Navy lost to Notre Dame last week, UT fans should want undefeated Army to lose to the Air Force Falcons this week. With Air Force at 1-6, that is unlikely.
Boise State over San Diego State
A way for Tennessee Football to avoid Army and Navy is for the Boise State Broncos to keep winning. After all, they are the highest ranked Group of Five team at the moment. As a result, until further notice, Vol fans should root for them as well to make sure the service academies don’t get in.
NEXT PAGE: TIER 4 GAMES FOR VOLS CFP ROOTING GUIDE
