Tennessee football's bye week came at the right time for the Vols as they had the opportunity to get some rest ahead of the final stretch of the season, while other teams throughout college football were being upset by unranked opponents.
Most notably, Penn State all but ended its College Football Playoff hopes with an embarrassing loss to a formerly winless UCLA squad. Add losses from Texas, Vanderbilt, and Iowa State, and Tennessee's path to the CFP became a lot clearer.
Courtesy of some key losses, Tennessee moved up two spots in the ESPN Football Power Index to No.