Is this year going to replay last year’s FSU playoff snub? By the looks of it, things don’t look too promising for Josh Heupel and co. Right now, No. 8 Tennessee is 8-1. They’re in a great position to make a college football playoff appearance. But QB Nico Iamaleava’s injury in the last game overshadowed their hopes. And it doesn’t help that their next game is a CFP elimination battle against SEC opponent Georgia. 

Josh Pate joined Hailey Sutton in a new YouTube episode on CBS Sports on November 14 to discuss Tennessee’s potential playoff situation without their star QB. Throwing light on the Florida State snub last season, Pate delivered a grim prognosis. He said, “We have seen in the years past with the committee on both sides of the coin. They have factored in injury. If you lose a guy like Jordan Travis late, they’ll keep you out of the playoffs. If you lost a guy early in the season and you lost the game, but now he’s back, they may not punish you as badly.”

Last season, the CFP committee selected one-loss Alabama over undefeated Florida State for the playoffs. The biggest reason was that FSU star QB Jordan Travis suffered a season-ending injury and the Seminoles’ offense struggled. HC Mike Norvell then voiced out his players’ emotions saying, “When you do the things that our guys did throughout the year and the way that they responded, the way they fought, the way that they just pulled together, it hurt when we were not selected.”

A similar situation could reoccur with Nico Iamaleava listed as questionable for the upcoming game against Kirby Smart’s Bulldogs. The 20-year-old suffered a head injury in their last game against Mississippi State and had been in concussion protocol this week. In case he doesn’t play this Saturday and Tennessee loses, they’re still a two-loss team with a glimmer of CFP hope. But can they keep up the game without Iamaleava?

Can Tennessee knock Georgia out of the playoffs?

The upcoming SEC clash between Georgia and Tennessee will feature two of the nation’s best defenses. The Vols rank No. 5 in the nation in scoring defense while the Bulldogs rank at No. 16. The Bulldogs will view this game as a CFP elimination round if they loss. After their last upset defeat against Ole Miss, they’re 5-2 in the SEC. Another defeat will wipe them out of the playoff picture as well as the SEC championship race. 

Still, Tennessee is a 10.5-point underdog entering the game against Georgia. And without Nico Iamaleava, their chances to win looks even bleaker. As Josh Pate noted, “In this game, everything they want to do, everything that would give them the chance to beat Georgia runs through Nico Iamaleava.” But the injury report isn’t set in stone. If a scenario arises where Iamaleava returns to the game and knocks Georgia out of the playoff race, it would be a very different ending for Tennessee.