Felix Okpara is battling a “serious hip pointer” for Tennessee basketball, coach Rick Barnes said Monday.

Barnes said Okpara refuses to come out of practice, but the injury is bothering the Ohio State transfer. He played 25 minutes, scoring two points and grabbing nine rebounds in No. 12 Tennessee’s season-opening 80-64 win against Gardner-Webb at Food City Center at Thompson-Boling Arena.

The 6-foot-11 Okpara is part of Tennessee’s starting five. Sophomore J.P. Estrella is the backup, but has been dealing with a foot injury throughout the summer. Barnes said Estrella did not go through shootaround with the Vols and ended up being a game-time decision.

“I think that is a major step for him,” Barnes said. “Is he 100%? No. But I thought his minutes were valuable for us tonight.”

Okpara averaged 5.3 points, 5.0 rebounds and 1.8 blocks in 70 games in two seasons at Ohio State. He started 45 games and entrenched himself as the starting forward as a sophomore. He averaged 6.6 points and 6.4 rebounds while blocking 82 shots.

Tennessee has 11 scholarship players this season. It was without two against Gardner-Webb as senior guard Darlinstone Dubar and freshman guard Bishop Boswell did not play.

Dubar, a senior transfer from Hofstra, was out due to a personal matter but is with the team. Boswell, a freshman guard, is in concussion protocol.

PREDICTIONS: Tennessee basketball bold predictions: Can Vols reach third straight Sweet 16?

Barnes said Dubar’s “timetable is up to him.”

“Tough time for him personally,” Barnes said. “I think he has dealt with it for a while. We love him to death. We miss him. It is up to him. It is all on his time.”

Mike Wilson covers University of Tennessee athletics. Email him at michael.wilson@knoxnews.com and follow him on Twitter @ByMikeWilson. If you enjoy Mike’s coverage, consider a digital subscription that will allow you access to all of it.

Coach Josh Heupel understands why Tennessee football fans will watch the first College Football Playoff rankings show on Tuesday night, but it won’t be must-see TV for him.

“Do you remember what the first rankings were last year? I don’t either,” Heupel said. “So it doesn’t matter. What they remember is where you finish as November wraps up.”

For what it’s worth, Tennessee was No. 17 in the first CFP poll last season. And it never factored into the playoff race.

In 2022, the Vols were ranked No. 1 in the first CFP poll. They dropped out of the four-team bracket after losing to Georgia and never got back in.

So Heupel makes a fair point. A team’s finish matters instead of its start when it comes to the playoff rankings.

But in this new 12-team playoff format, there’s more room to maneuver from week to week and still stay in the mix.

The first College Football Playoff rankings will be released on Tuesday (7 p.m. ET, ESPN). A new top 25 will then be released by the CFP selection committee every Tuesday through Dec. 3.

The 12-team playoff field will be announced on Dec. 8.

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Focus on Mississippi State before worrying about Georgia

Tennessee is ranked No. 6 in the US LBM Coaches Poll and No. 7 in the AP Top 25. Where the Vols are placed in the CFP rankings will indicate what the selection committee thinks of their resume thus far.

But Heupel is right that Tennessee (7-1, 4-1 SEC) will make or break its playoff chances by what it does in the next four games, beginning with Saturday’s contest (7 p.m., ESPN) against Mississippi State (2-7, 0-5).

“Playoff rankings at this point don’t matter. You don’t have control over it,” Heupel said. “All you have control over is your preparation and how you play. Ultimately, that determines where you’re at or where you’re not at.

“For this football team, we’ve got to continue to grow and get better and control those things that we’re in control of.”

If Tennessee beats Mississippi State, its trip to Georgia on Nov. 16 (7:30 p.m. ET, ABC) would have a massive impact on the SEC and playoff races.

Are Vols talking about College Football Playoff chances?

No. 2 Georgia (7-1, 5-1) plays at No. 12 Ole Miss (7-2, 3-2) on Saturday (3:30 p.m., ABC).

Ole Miss likely would drop out of the playoff race with a loss, and Georgia would be in the driver’s seat for a playoff bid and SEC championship game berth.

A Georgia loss to Ole Miss would put the Bulldogs in a potential playoff elimination game against Tennessee.

Tennessee would be a playoff shoo-in by winning its final four games for an 11-1 record. Losing to Georgia only and finishing 10-2 would set up a toss-up situation for the Vols, who would need help from other playoff contenders.

Alabama (6-2, 3-2) plays at LSU (6-2, 3-1) on Saturday (7:30 p.m., ABC) in a likely playoff elimination game. And there are games in other conferences that will impact next week’s CFP rankings. But none of that matters to the Vols unless they beat Mississippi State to stay in the race.

“It’s just a one-week season at this point. And we’ve talked about us being in control of our destiny,” tight end Holden Staes said. “But in terms of the big picture with the College Football Playoff, we know down the road that will come. But if we just take it one week at a time and do our job each week, then we’ll have the results in terms of that at the end.”

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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It’s no secret that Tennessee landed two recruits on Halloween day. The Vols had a great holiday as they had a day full of treats and no tricks. Tennessee added a commitment in the class of 2026 and a flip from one school to the Vols in the 2025 class to close out the night.

2026 WR Tyreek King committed to the Vols early on Thursday becoming the first wide receiver to commit to the Vols in the 2026 class. King attends Knoxville Catholic which is closer than most schools to Neyland Stadium. Kings high school is only around 15-20 minutes away from Neyland Stadium so one could argue that the Vols always had an advantage for the hometown prospect.

Tennessee would continue the trend of adding other recruiting classes with in-state prospects as Page High School linebacker Brenden Anes would flip his commitment from Wisconsin to the Tennessee Vols. Tennessee has been looking to add another linebacker in the 2025 class as Austin Howard and Brenden Anes have been the frequently mentioned names when talking about the position of need. The Vols finally convinced the Wisconsin linebacker commit to flip to the in-state program with just over a month before early signing day.

You can learn more about this recruiting success below by watching Talkin’ Tennessee with Caleb Sisk. This video not only talks about the two newest commits but also some prospects and targets to keep an eye on moving forward.

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