How many SEC teams will make the College Football Playoff when all said and done? That’ll be based on the number of losses next to the name entering conference championship week.

Three teams in the conference continue to be linked to CFP conversations entering Week 9 of the regular season. No. 1 Georiga remains the front-runner while No. 3 Tennessee and No. 6 Alabama have been mentioned based on certain criteria.

According to ESPN’s Rece Davis, the Vols might actually have the clearest path to make the CFP due to their schedule. One loss might not be a death sentence for Rocky Top unlike other programs in different conferences.

“They have 3 viable paths that would make them a strong contender,” Davis said on “The Paul Finebaum Show” on Wednesday. “They’re a stone-cold lock if they win out and win the SEC, obviously. If they were to get to the championship game and lose, they would still have a compelling case because, in all likelihood, they would have already beaten the team that just beat them [Alabama].”

Tennessee’s 52-49 win over Alabama earlier this month ended a 16-year drought for the Vols in the ‘Third Saturday in October’ matchup. A win over Kirby Smart and Georgia in 2 weeks would almost guarantee Tennessee the SEC East title barring a complete implosion to close out the season.

Even if the Bulldogs were to defeat Tennessee at home on Nov. 5, the Vols would need to beat Alabama in the SEC title game to punch their ticket to the CFP. If not, the Vols very well could sneak into the last spot despite losing earlier in the season. Keep in consideration that, back in 2018, Alabama didn’t make it to Atlanta, but still went dancing due to its 11-1 regular season record.