Whoever loses this momentous SEC showdown should not make the 12-team CFPs

The 2024 College football season just finished its seventh week and the upcoming eighth week of the season features a bevy of intriguing matchups. In Week 8, the No. 1 Texas Longhorns will welcome the No. 5 Georgia Bulldogs in Austin.

Furthermore, Miami quarterback Cam Ward and the No. 6 Hurricanes will travel to do battle against a solid Louisville team.

Above all else, however, the No. 11 Tennessee Volunteers will meet No. 7 Alabama Crimson Tide in a game with major implications regarding the College Football Playoff. Since both teams have losses to unranked opponents, whoever loses this SEC showdown should not be in the College Football Playoffs.

The Volunteers and the Crimson Tide had started off the season strong. In Tennesse's case, they had outscored their opponents 216-28 to start the season 4-0, respectively. Rising star quarterback Nico Iamaleva had rumblings of Heisman hype prior to the season, but he hasn't quite yet had that "wow" performance.

Nonetheless, the Volunteers were undefeated and had defeated then-No. 15 Oklahoma Sooners in Norman and were ranked as the fourth-best team in the nation. Unfortunately, that all changed when the Volunteers suffered its first loss of the season to an unranked Arkansas team on the road.

Furthermore, the Volunteers went to the brink (OT) against a Florida Gators team that has been underwhelming over the past few seasons last weekend. Are the Volunteers as good as the College football world perceives them?

Iamaleava hasn't thrown for at least 200 yards since the season opener against Chattanooga. Moreover, the 6-foot-6 pass-thrower hasn't tossed for a touchdown in the last two affairs. Yes, the Tennessee offense is averaging 42.17 points per game, but since the Arkansas loss, they've averaged only 17 points per game (in regulation), respectively.

The Volunteers' upcoming matchup against the Tide is an absolute must-win for the program if it wants to compete in the playoffs. Tennessee offensive coordinator Joey Halzle needs to ramp up the offense, as his unit went scoreless in the first half over the past two games.

As for the Crimson Tide, they are fresh off a narrow victory over an unranked South Carolina team that is starting a quarterback who is in his first full season as a starter in LaNorris Sellers. The Tide hung on 27-25, but the Gamecocks had ample opportunities to pull off the upset.

Prior to this game, the Tide suffered arguably one of the biggest upset losses in NCAA football history to the hands of the Vanderbilt Commodores. Did I mention that the Tide was ranked No.1 in the rankings and had defeated Georgia just the week before? Did I also mention the fact that the Commodores had lost to Georgia State earlier in the season?

The Crimson Tide, led by dual-threat star quarterback Jalen Milroe, was a legit Heisman candidate after the thrilling victory over Georgia. Milroe had tossed for a season-high 374 yards and ran for 117 yards along with two touchdown passes in the battle of SEC heavyweights. Since the Georgia win, however, Milroe has thrown three interceptions to only two touchdowns.

The Tide under first-year head coach Kalen DeBoer no longer look like the feared and mysterious Alabama teams of old under former head coach Nick Saban. The 2024 Crimson Tide team is vulnerable and lacks that "it" factor that defined them over the last 15 years.

At 5-1 and having not looked impressive against lesser teams over the past two weeks, can the Crimson Tide really afford another loss? Yes, the Georgia win was massive, but that is perhaps the only thing that the Tide can really hang its hat on after losing to Vanderbilt as 23-point favorites.

This matchup between the Crimson Tide and the Volunteers is the biggest game of their respective seasons. The Tide are 9-1 against the Volunteers over their last ten matchups, respectively.

Since both teams each suffered upsetting losses and haven't played well lately, it's safe to say that whoever loses this upcoming SEC showdown should not make the College Football Playoff.

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