ESPN's Paul Finebaum explains why the Tennessee Vols' highly anticipated matchup with Alabama could end up getting overshadowed

The Tennessee Volunteers are off to a hot start in 2024.  With a 51-10 win over NC State on Saturday night in Charlotte, the Vols got the attention of many across the country.

Naturally, that has people dreaming big and talking about how high the Vols could soar this season .  That includes a possible high-stakes matchup with the Alabama Crimson Tide on October 19 at Neyland Stadium.

It's always a can't-miss matchup between the fans of both sides, but this season could have particularly high SEC and playoff implications, especially with the expanded playoff format.

However, according to ESPN's Paul Finebaum during his chat with Matt Barrie on Sunday morning, that game could end up seeing itself as the bridesmaid that day in favor of another huge matchup in the SEC ( 21:50 mark of the video ).

"When you start hearing Nico is the best quarterback at Tennessee since Peyton, you get people's attention," Finebaum said. "You've done NC State games.  It's a good program.  I was surprised at the ease that Tennessee ran through them last night.  Tennessee was always a dark horse, and now I think they're moving into, they're on that playoff line.

"Because - everybody's got an interesting challenge with schedules. I think their game against Alabama, it's going to get overshadowed a little bit this year.  That sounds crazy, Matt, but it's the same weekend as Georgia-Texas in Austin.  It's a playoff game, I think, in many ways, because the loser of that game will have a very difficult time, especially if it's Tennessee losing at home."

He's not wrong in that respect.  The Texas-Georgia game should be a titanic matchup of top five teams, one of the biggest games of the college football season.  Both teams, with the way they're playing right now, could be a collision course for a #1 vs. #2 clash that day - unless Oklahoma can trip up the Longhorns the week before in Dallas or Alabama can knock off Georgia at home on September 28.

However, the Tennessee-Alabama game - which also could match top ten, if not top five teams, depending on what happens when Bama and Georgia face off - could still very decide one of the participants in the SEC championship game.  And Finebaum's comments about the loser of the game having a difficult time making the playoff don't make much sense.  A ten-win Alabama or Tennessee team should still have a very solid chance for consideration in the expanded 12-team playoff as an at large selection.

Regardless, October 19 will be an absolutely massive day in college football.  And it's one that could be a program-changing day for Josh Heupel and the Tennessee Vols - even if the majority of the attention is directed elsewhere that day.

Related: Tennessee Vols legend sees longtime SEC record go down on Saturday, but it should have an asterisk