Tennessee football’s playoff hopes were dashed after suffering its third loss of the season to Oklahoma, but the Vols remained inside the College Football Playoff rankings despite it. Heading into its clash with Vanderbilt, Tennessee climbed its way back up to No. 19 in the country.
However, after a 45-24 loss at home to Vanderbilt, to finish the regular season 8-4 (4-4 SEC), the Vols have dropped all the way out of the rankings. This is the first time Tennessee is not in the College Football Playoff rankings since the end of the 2021 season.
There are seven SEC teams in the rankings. Alabama and Georgia are set to meet in the conference championship, but both have strong at-large bids no matter the result. Leading the way is No. 3 Georgia, followed by No. 6 Ole Miss, No. 7 Texas A&M, No. 8 Oklahoma, No. 9 Alabama, No. 13 Texas and No. 14 Vanderbilt.
The rankings are led by No. 1 Ohio State and No. 2 Indiana, which will meet in the Big Ten Championship game this Saturday. No. 4 is Texas Tech, followed by No. 5 Oregon, No. 10 Notre Dame, No. 11 BYU and No. 12 Miami.
BREAKING: College Football Playoff Rankings🚨https://t.co/SNzFXRlW69 pic.twitter.com/DIgfqsjvd2
— On3 (@On3sports) December 3, 2025
More From RTI: Where ESPN Has Tennessee’s Recruiting Class Ranked on the Eve of Early Signing Day
UT head coach Josh Heupel just concluded his fifth regular season at Tennessee with a brutal loss to in-state rival Vanderbilt. The Commodores used a 31-3 run to end the game to win 45-24 in Neyland Stadium. This resulted in an 8-4 (4-4 SEC) mark for the Vols in a turbulent 2025 season that followed an unprecedented offseason of change.
In his Tennessee tenure, Heupel now holds a 45-19 (24-16 SEC) record. He has steered the Vols to a pair of 10-win regular seasons, including in 2024, which saw UT earn a spot in the College Football Playoffs as the 9-seed. Tennessee would go on to lose at Ohio State, the eventual national champion, in the first round.
His name floated briefly around rumors in regards to the Penn State opening after the season concluded, but he shut it down on Monday night.
“I wouldn’t want low expectations,” Heupel told On3’s Chris Low in a report. “That’s part of why I want to be here. We’ll win big.”
The Vols now await their Bowl Selection, which will be revealed after the conclusion of conference championship games this weekend.
