Where the Tennessee Vols fall in latest SEC power rankings after tough loss to Arkansas

The Tennessee Vols suffered an unexpected loss this past weekend, falling 19-14 on the road to the Arkansas Razorbacks.

Losses are obviously never ideal in college football. But a loss in a game that everyone had penciled in as a win is even tougher to swallow.

On paper, the only games the rest of the season that were expected to give the Vols trouble were their matchups against Alabama and Georgia.

Now, thanks to the loss to the Razorbacks, the Vols essentially have to win at least one of the games against Alabama/Georgia to have a legitimate shot to reach the 12-team College Football Playoff.

Despite the loss to Arkansas, Tennessee is still viewed by 247Sports as one of the top teams in the SEC. 247Sports has the Vols at No. 5 in their latest SEC power rankings, one spot ahead of Alabama.

From 247Sports : It's back to the drawing board for Tennessee after the Vols' first loss of the season and with Alabama and Georgia still on the schedule, the issues must be fixed now. It's hard to win on the road in the SEC and Tennessee is .500 in those opportunities this fall. Nico Iamaleava is a first-year starter and setbacks like this happen against physical competition, but this is a team that still has what it takes to get to the playoff with a strong finish. The defense, an elite unit, will be able to keep this squad in games down the stretch.

Tennessee can get right back on track this weekend with a win against the Florida Gators. Not only is the Florida game a must-win for the Vols -- their path to the playoff becomes real tricky if they lose to the Gators -- but it's the kind of game that can give Tennessee a jolt of life.

Suffice it to say, the Vols need this game against the Gators this weekend.

Florida, however, needs it, too. Gators head coach Billy Napier knows that beating Tennessee is a must if he wants to keep his job in Gainesville beyond the 2024 season.

Tennessee and Florida kick off at 7:00 PM ET on Saturday night in Knoxville.

Related: Former Vol gets real about Tennessee RB Dylan Sampson's 'lackadaisical' comments after loss to Arkansas