Tennessee got good news in the College Football Playoff picture and on national signing day this week.

But it’s hoping for much better news on both fronts in the coming days. Penn State losing and David Sanders signing could help with that.

On this week’s podcast episode of “The Volunteer State,” UT beat writer Adam Sparks and columnist John Adams break down the Vols’ final scenarios in the playoff, including who they’ll play and where. And they look back on the win over Vanderbilt that earned UT’s way into the 12-team bracket.

Plus, a review of signing day raises some big questions. Will Sanders, the No. 1 offensive tackle in the 2025 class, sign with the Vols? And what’s the future hold for blue-chip quarterback George MacIntyre?

To hear the full discussion, listen to the podcast. But here are a few highlights.

Will David Sanders sign? Will George MacIntyre start after Nico?

If Sanders signs with Tennessee, as expected, he should compete to play immediately. If something goes awry in his signing, it would be a major loss to the Vols, and their only consolation would be a bigger budget to spend NIL money on transfers.

Nevertheless, UT needs to sign Sanders sooner than later.

VOLS SIGNING CLASS Tennessee signs QB George MacIntyre, waits on 5-star David Sanders

As for MacIntyre, Sparks believes he’ll follow the path of other highly-rated quarterbacks under Heupel. He’ll eventually earn the starting job or transfer elsewhere. Tayven Jackson, Nico Iamaleava and Jake Merklinger have faced that same situation.

Could Penn State fall in CFP and play Tennessee?

Tennessee’s last hope of hosting a College Football Playoff game depends on a blowout in the SEC or Big Ten title games.

But even if those blowout losses occurred, the CFP selection committee might not drop the losing teams behind Tennessee in the rankings. There’s probably a greater chance that a championship game loser falls in the rankings but only changes Tennessee’s opponent.

No. 2 Texas (11-1) plays No. 5 Georgia (10-2) in the SEC championship game on Saturday (4 p.m. ET, ABC). No. 1 Oregon (12-0) plays No. 3 Penn State (11-1) in the Big Ten championship game on Saturday (8 p.m., CBS).

Adams thinks the likely scenario is that Tennessee plays Penn State in the first round. Adams and Sparks discussed the likelihood of other scenarios.

Have Vols turned the corner just in time for playoff run?

Iamaleava played his best SEC game in the Vols’ 36-23 win over Vanderbilt.

Does that mean he’s turned a corner? Maybe.

Sparks said Iamaleava has gained confidence and comfort in the offense, and he’s playing at a higher level. But UT fans should be cautiously optimistic, keeping in mind Vanderbilt’s pass rush was almost nonexistent against Iamaleava.

Sparks and Adams believe Tennessee can win at Ohio State or Penn State or certainly against either team at Neyland Stadium, if it got a home game. But the matchup won’t be easy. Both Big Ten teams tout a strong defense.

Again, to hear the full discussion, listen to this episode of “The Volunteer State.”

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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