Tennessee at No. 13 in first CFP rankings, behind an Alabama team it beat by 16

Tennessee came in at No. 13 in the first College Football Playoff rankings, released Tuesday night. That puts the Volunteers one spot outside the top 12 of a 12-team field. The number that stands out sits higher in the poll. Alabama, which has the same 6-2 record and lost 26-10 at Neyland Stadium in October, debuted at No. 5.

That gap is drawing the most criticism of the initial release. ClutchPoints noted that The Athletic's Bruce Feldman singled out the Vols on The Audible, saying "the people who I think have the biggest right to be ticked off are Volunteer fans." He pointed to the head-to-head result and the 16-point margin. The committee's explanation is probably the most recent result. Tennessee lost 27-24 at South Carolina before its bye week. ClutchPoints added that the Gamecocks are now firmly in the top 25, so the loss doesn't look bad on the résumé.

The committee was still kinder than the writers and coaches. WATE reported that No. 13 is three spots above the Vols' No. 16 ranking in the latest AP Top 25. Ohio State is directly ahead at No. 12 and LSU directly behind at No. 14. Miami leads the field, followed by Georgia, Utah, Indiana and Alabama. ESPN's FPI gives Tennessee a 21 percent chance to make the playoff and a 5.5 percent chance to win out, according to Rocky Top Talk.

The committee ranks the field again every Tuesday, so No. 13 is only a starting point. Josh Heupel's team also has a quick way to make its case.

What it means for Kentucky

No. 6 Kentucky (7-1, 5-1 SEC) visits Knoxville on Saturday for a 6:15 p.m. ET kickoff on ESPN. WATE reported that only one of Tennessee's remaining opponents after this game appeared in the first rankings. That makes Saturday the Vols' best remaining chance to add a ranked win alongside the one over Alabama. It also matters in the SEC race, where Tennessee sits at 3-2.

Tennessee's two losses came by a combined six points: 20-17 to No. 1 Texas at home and 27-24 at South Carolina. Over eight games the Vols have outscored opponents 258-130, about 32 points to 16 per game. Against SEC teams the scoring tightens to 23.0 points for and 17.6 against. The defense allowed 10 to Alabama and 14 to Auburn.

The market has Tennessee as the clear pick despite the ranking gap. Across 12 venues on this site's board, the Vols are favored by 6.5 points, and Novig has them at -212 on the moneyline. Kentucky is +203 on Novig and +205 at bet365, the best price anywhere, so the venues are only two cents apart on the underdog. On the spread, Novig lists Tennessee -6.5 at -113, while theScore Bet has the same number at -110. BetRivers offers Kentucky at +7 for -122, compared with Novig's +6.5 at +104. Sportsbook hold on the moneyline runs from 3.9 to 5.9 percent.

The total is 50.5 on Novig. That is about 10 points above the combined scoring average in Tennessee's five SEC games, so the market expects more points than the Vols' league games have produced. A win as a home favorite probably won't fix the Alabama comparison by itself. A loss would leave the Vols far outside the top 12 with little time left to recover.