Tennessee
Why Tennessee football playoff rankings don’t matter to Josh Heupel but should to you
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.
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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NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — Tennessee has approved funding for Summer EBT benefits that will put money directly on families’ grocery cards, but the program will not kick in until summer 2027.
This delay leaves families to find other resources for the upcoming summer.
The program will make way for eligible families to get $120 in federal funds per child to spend on groceries during summer months when kids lose access to school breakfast and lunch.
About 700,000 Tennessee children would qualify for the benefit.
Tennessee participated in 2024 but skipped the program for 2025 and 2026.
Advocates like Marissa Spady, senior manager at No Kid Hungry, say the program couldn’t be more critical.
“It’s very exciting to know that families will have the resources that they need to make sure that their children are able to head back to school in August with having the nutrition they need to be ready to learn,” Spady said.
The program allows families to use benefits at grocery stores and farmers markets they already shop at, bringing millions of federal dollars into Tennessee’s economy.
For families needing help this upcoming summer, you can check with your school district about summer meal sites and other resources.
To learn more about how this delay impacts local families and what resources are available now, watch the full video report above. Have questions or a story idea? Reach out to me directly at Eric.Pointer@NewsChannel5.com.
This story was reported by Eric Pointer and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Eric Pointer and our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
Middle Tenn. gardeners: How to handle early spring, dry weather
It’s has been a dry spring for us. Nashville is over 6 inches below normal for rainfall for the year with Clarksville over a 9 inches deficit. Kim Rafferty went to a nursery to get a couple of tips that may be useful for you.
– Lelan Statom
Tennessee
Tennessee lawmakers react after shooter opens fire during White House Correspondents’ Dinner
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WSMV) – President Donald Trump and other top leaders in the U.S. are unharmed after being evacuated from the White House Correspondents’ Dinner when a shooter opened fire at the hotel the event was being held.
The Associated Press reported that the incident happened outside the ballroom where the dinner was being held. The correspondents’ dinner was scrapped and will be rescheduled.
The FBI said the shooter is in custody.
During a press conference after the incident, President Trump said the suspect was armed with multiple weapons before being stopped.
Trump unharmed after security incident at White House correspondents’ dinner
Trump responds after shooter opened fired at correspondents’ dinner
Some Tennessee lawmakers have shared their reactions to the on social media.
Gov. Bill Lee:
Congressman Andy Ogles, who was at the dinner, posted a video to X saying he and his other colleagues were safe.
Sen. Marsha Blackburn:
Sen. Bill Hagerty:
U.S. Rep. Matt Van Epps:
The AP reported that the FBI Washington field office is investigating the shooting.
Copyright 2025 WSMV. All rights reserved.
At least Jermod McCoy didn’t have to wait long on Saturday, after a difficult fall over the first two days of the NFL Draft.
McCoy, a cornerback from Tennessee who missed all last season due to a knee injury, was the first pick of the fourth round to the Las Vegas Raiders. He was expected to go much sooner. Some thought he could go in the first round on Thursday. There were multiple concerns about his ACL injury and whether he’ll need more surgery, Yahoo Sports’ Charles Robinson reported.
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There will be a bit of a reunion as McCoy joins the Raiders. McCoy’s first college interception was against a quarterback from Cal named Fernando Mendoza. Mendoza moved on to Indiana, won a Heisman Trophy and was the first overall pick of the draft to the Raiders. McCoy and Mendoza get to be teammates in the NFL.
Jermod McCoy, who missed all last season after suffering a torn ACL, slid in the NFL Draft. (Photo by Jacob Kupferman/Getty Images)
(Jacob Kupferman via Getty Images)
If McCoy was healthy coming into this year’s NFL Draft, it seems like a foregone conclusion he would have been a first-round pick. He might have gone in the top 10. But in January of 2025, he tore his right ACL while working out. That forced him to miss the entire 2025 season, but he was still considered a potential first-round pick based on what he had shown already in college.
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But NFL teams were clearly worried about his medical exams. McCoy didn’t get picked in the first round and he slid in the second round too. Cornerbacks Colton Hood, Avieon Terrell, D’Angelo Ponds and Brandon Cisse were taken in the second round with McCoy on the board. That’s when it was obvious teams were scared of the injury. McCoy probably would have gone ahead of all of those cornerbacks, and perhaps even the two first-round cornerbacks Mansoor Delane and Chris Johnson, if he never got hurt.
The third round came and went without McCoy being picked, leading to another night of wondering where he’d go. The Raiders took a chance on him to start the third day of the draft. If his knee holds up, it will be tremendous value.
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