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Warde Manuel explains Tennessee getting hopped by Indiana, BYU in CFP rankings
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Warde Manuel had to know the question was coming, and the College Football Playoff selection committee chairman had the explanation ready.
In the aftermath of the 2nd CFP rankings that were released on Tuesday night, Manuel was asked to explain why Tennessee stayed put at No. 7 while Indiana and BYU each jumped 3 spots, leapfrogging the Volunteers. The undefeated Hoosiers and Cougars were 5th and 6th, respectively, in the new rankings.
Losses by Georgia and Miami created a lot of movement in the top 10, but that didn’t include Tennessee, which stayed right where it was in the first rankings despite easily taking care of Mississippi State, 33-14, last Saturday night. Indiana and BYU weren’t particularly impressive, with each struggling in close victories, so Manuel was asked if the injury to Tennessee quarterback Nico Iamaleava had anything to do with the Volunteers getting hopped by the Hoosiers and Cougars.
“I can say no to the injury to Tennessee’s quarterback. It had nothing to do with it,” said Manuel during a teleconference on Tuesday night. “It really came down to the play last week of both Indiana and BYU, both winning big games on their schedule.”
Manuel did call attention to Tennessee’s inconsistent offense:
“Tennessee, the offense has struggled some the second half of the season, not being consistent early in the year, and we just felt as a committee that at this time Indiana has been playing very well, a close win against Michigan, but other than that, they’ve dominated everyone they’ve played,” explained Manuel.
“BYU, obviously undefeated, two wins against top-25 opponents, at SMU and against Kansas State. In looking at it, as we assessed all the teams, we just felt that Indiana and BYU earned the 5 and the 6 slot, and Tennessee stayed where they are.”
Tennessee will have a golden opportunity to impress the committee on Saturday night when it visits Georgia in an SEC showdown in Athens. Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m. ET on ABC.
Cory Nightingale, a former sportswriter and sports editor at the Miami Herald and Palm Beach Post, is a South Florida-based freelance writer who covers Alabama for SaturdayDownSouth.com.
