#Adam Sparks

Tennessee football may deserve to go to the Sugar Bowl, but the Orange Bowl could be a better outcome. That's the peculiar situation for Vols as they await their bowl bid. The College Football Playoff rankings will be released on Tuesday (7 p.m. ET) and finalized on Sunday (noon ET) on ESPN. That will determine which teams go to the playoffs and…

Tennessee football doesn't control its own destiny for a College Football Playoff bid. That went out of the window when it lost to Georgia 27-13 last week. The Vols (8-1, 4-1 SEC) perhaps can get into the four-team bracket if they beat Missouri (4-5, 2-4) on Saturday (noon ET, CBS) and then South Carolina and Vanderbilt to finish the regular…

It's never too early to overreact or at least recognize a big win for Tennessee football. Oddsmakers certainly like the Vols more than they did a week ago. Numerous betting sites dramatically improved Tennessee's odds to win a national championship after a 34-27 overtime win at Pittsburgh last week. The Vols are now No. 3 among SEC teams in…

Beware of the bird. OK, maybe not. Tennessee football will open the season against the Ball State Cardinals on Thursday (7 p.m. ET, SEC Network) at Neyland Stadium to kick off Josh Heupel's second year, which comes with soaring expectations. While 35½-point underdog Ball State is unlikely to threaten the Vols, the challenges will begin in earnest…