Paul Finebaum Shoots Down Tennessee Football Playoff Hopes at SEC Media Days originally appeared on College Football News. Paul Finebaum isn’t buying the Tennessee hype heading into the 2025 college football season.

SEC Media Days headed into Day 3 on Wednesday with several of the biggest brands in the sport. Florida, Oklahoma and Alabama headlined the proceedings, with Mississippi State also making an appearance.

This article was originally published on www.si.com/fannation/college/cfb-hq as Ranking college football's surprise teams in 2025, per Phil Steele. With the historic expansion of the College Football Playoff to 12 teams, the race for the national championship has opened up in a way it never has been before.

Greg Sankey revealed the deadline for the College Football Playoff to decide on a new format for the 2026 season.

Ole Miss lost star defensive tackle Walter Nolen, who finished the season with 14 tackles for loss and 6.5 sacks before being drafted in the first round by the Arizona Cardinals. Furthermore, Ole Miss will be missing five of its top six sack leaders from last season.

The two titan conferences of college football will ultimately decide how the College Football Playoff will evolve — or won't.

Clemson was the final team to make the CFP last year after winning the ACC to earn an auto bid. Ole Miss' Lane Kiffin hopes this process changes soon.

Fox Sports' Joel Klatt is optimistic the Big Ten will overtake much of the College Football Playoff landscape and potentially have a first-time team make the field. Klatt says Nebraska, which won a bowl game this past season, could be one of those teams.