Early data driven 12-team College Football Playoff prediction revealed; Did Tennessee make the cut or are Vols among first 4 out?

We're still over four months away from College Football Playoff rankings truly mattering, but that doesn't mean it's too early to take a look at some current 12-team playoff predictions.

Earlier this week, A to Z Sports college football managing editor Travis May put together some early data driven predictions for how the playoff could look in December .

These rankings will evolve throughout the season (and we'll keep track of the changes). But for now, May has Tennessee as the No. 10 seed in the playoff. That means the Vols would play on the road in the first round.

And in May's initial prediction, he has Tennessee traveling to Eugene to take on the Oregon Ducks.

If Tennessee wins that game, they'd head to Columbus to take on the Ohio State Buckeyes for a shot at reaching the Final Four.

From A to Z Sports ' Travis May: Oregon largely looks very much like their 2023 selves when you look at their roster construction. New quarterback Dillon Gabriel and wide receiver Evan Stewart should do their best Bo Nix and Troy Franklin impressions, but when they have to match punch for punch against another elite offense they lose this one to Tennessee.

Tennessee's absurd pass rush led by future Top 10 NFL Draft pick James Pearce Jr. will be a problem for many playoff teams. When you combine the nasty pass rush on defense with the deepest set of wide receivers that Josh Heupel's offense has had in his time in Tennessee, Nico Iamaleava and the Vols win the day.

May has Clemson, LSU, Utah, and Michigan as his first four teams out of the playoff.

With 12 teams getting into the playoff, there's more room for error than there has been in previous years. But that also means there will be more competition for those 12 spots. We'll keep tabs all season on whether or not the Vols are among the 12 teams expected to make the playoff or if they're among the first four teams out of the playoff.

Related: Josh Heupel's decision from before he ever coached a game at UT prevented Nico Iamaleava from being in an Arch Manning-like situation