The Vols are safely in the Playoff, may even get a home game, and they have a week off to start preparing. They will be playing with house money: They were not one of the SEC’s top four or even five most likely picks to make the Playoff.

How many SEC teams are enough in the College Football Playoff? SEC commissioner Greg Sankey weighed in before Texas’ 17-7 win over Texas A&M at Kyle Field on Saturday night. “I think we have set a standard in this league over time,

The College Football Playoff has used a selection committee since its first season in 2014, and that hasn’t changed. A 13-member committee, which has announced its rankings weekly since November, will set the bracket when it unveils the final 12-team rankings on Dec. 8.

The College Football Playoff field is mostly set. The bubble isn’t very big, but the central debate heading into the conference championship games seems clear: Will the committee elect to place three-loss Alabama into the field ahead of two-loss Miami — or even SMU if the Mustangs lose the ACC title game against Clemson?

The CFP rankings released Tuesday didn't change the top of the field but solved the mystery of where SEC schools would land.