SEC Network analysts raised the bar for Tennessee to make the College Football Playoff and lowered it for Alabama, at least in terms of record.

It happened during a short segment on “SEC Nation” on Saturday, when SEC Network analysts made quite a contrast between the rivals’ potential path to the playoff.

First, CFP analyst Heather Dinich said Alabama would have long odds to make the playoff if it loses to LSU (6-2). But she didn’t completely rule out the Crimson Tide (6-2) if it suffered a third loss.

“The loser of that (Alabama-LSU) game is going to fall out of the immediate playoff picture. But when you look at Alabama, the reason I hesitate to completely eliminate the Tide with a third loss is because of their win against Georgia,” Dinich said. “Consider this: What if Georgia goes on to win the SEC (title) and you’ve got a three-loss Alabama sitting out there with a win against the SEC champs?

“They would obviously be a longshot and still need some teams to lose in front of them. But I want people to remember this: In the past decade, there have been 13 three-loss teams ranked in the committee’s top 10 on selection day.”

TENNESSEE VS MISSISSIPPI STATE PICKS Score predictions by Knox News staff

OK, so Dinich provided hard data for her analysis. There’s a chance Alabama could make the playoff with three losses.

But where would that scenario leave Tennessee, especially if it suffered a second loss to Georgia next week?

The Vols beat Alabama, and they have a 7-1 record heading into a homecoming game against Mississippi on Saturday (7 p.m. ET, ESPN).

SEC analyst Roman Harper said he doesn’t think Tennessee can lose another game and still make the playoff.

“I think that Tennessee has to win out. That’s a team that scares me because when this thing comes down to being a beauty contest, their schedule might not be the most beautiful contestant out there,” Harper said. “Tennessee is a team that is teetering. Tennessee has to win out because of who they have played and how they look offensively.”

Notably, Harper was an All-SEC player at Alabama.

That being said, Alabama is ranked No. 13 in strength of schedule, according to ESPN.com. Tennessee is ranked No. 33 in strength of schedule.

By the way, SEC analyst Paul Finebaum disagreed with Dinich. He doesn’t think Alabama has a prayer of making the playoff if it loses to LSU.

“I’ll give them no credit if they lose tonight,” Finebaum said. “They’re not going to be able to find their way back.”

Adam Sparks is the Tennessee football beat reporter. Email adam.sparks@knoxnews.com. X, formerly known as Twitter@AdamSparks. Support strong local journalism by subscribing at knoxnews.com/subscribe.

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