Tenne see (8-0, 4-0) is ranked second in the AP poll and third in the Coaches Poll. On Tuesday evening, the College Football playoff committee unveiled the initial CFP rankings on ESPN, and the Vols are ranked as the nations top team in the country.The committee ranked Georgia 3rd and Clemson 4th with Alabama and Michigan as the first two out.Tenne see and Georgia will determine next week's number one during their contest on Saturday in Sanford Stadium at 3:30 pm ET.The Vols are continuing prep as usual ahead of the gigantic showdown between the SEC East rivals."Great environments, thats why you come and coach and play in this league," Heupel said on Monday afternoon. "You want Tug McGraw Jersey to be in big-time games, and theres something unique about being on the road and facing that type of environment, too. Its fun and exciting. Well practice with crowd noise like we do. When were at home, we practice it as well, we just do it with the defense because theyve got to learn how to communicate through it. Well try to prepare for that and be ready to handle it. We obviously know that itll be a great environment."This is the first time since the playoff proce s began that the Vols have been ranked or even considered for a playoff ranking among the nation's top programs.Whoever wins Saturday's contest will most likely find their way into the playoffs, even with a lo s in Atlanta, if they handle busine s the rest of the way during the regular season.Below is the rest of the playoff committee's rankings and how they formulate the rankings each week:1. The first listTo start, every College Football Playoff selection committee member creates a master list of the 30 teams they think are the best in the country.The committee will give consideration to any team that three or more members add to their lists.At the end of any round of selections, members can add other teams to the group, provided at least three or more members agree.Each succe sive round consists of two steps: "listing," and "ranking."2. Listing stepEach member lists what they feel are the six best college football teams, but not in any ranked order. The six teams that receive the most votes become the pool for the first step in the rankings.3. Ranking stepThis is Zack Wheeler Jersey when each selection committee member formally ranks the top-six teams from the listing step. The top-ranked team in each member's poll receives one point. The second-best team receives two points, the third-best three points, and etc.The members then add their rankings together, and the three teams with the fewest points become the top three seeds. From there, the members hold the three teams not seeded for the next ranking step.4. Picking the next sixEach member of the selection committee then lists the six best teams left, in no certain order. Whichever three teams get the most votes are then added to the three teams held over for the next ranking step.5. Repeat until there's 25College Football Playoff selectors repeat the third and fourth steps until they seed 25 total teams. There are seven rounds of voting, each consisting of a listing step and a ranking step. Here's how the proce s looks for the entire Top 25 rankings system.Scroll to ContinueRd 1: No. 1, No. 2, No. 3 teamsRd 2: No. 4, No. 5, No. 6Rd 3: No. 7, No. 8, No. 9Rd 4: No. 10, No. 11, No. 12, No. 13Rd 5: No. 14, No. 15, No. 16, No. 17Rd 6: No. 18, Tom Seaver Jersey No. 19, No. 20, No. 21Rd 7: No. 22, No. 23, No. 24, No. 25Members select teams ranked No. 1, No. 2, and No. 3 in the first round. The fourth -, fifth-, and sixth-ranked teams are slotted in the second round.Selectors rank the No. 7, No. 8, and No. 9 team in the third round. From there, the committee switches to ranking four teams each in Rounds 4, 5, 6, and 7.Between each step, the 13 College Football Playoff selectors will research and evaluate each team before voting. After each round, selectors can re-consider any grouping of three or more teams if three members vote to do so. They then repeat the third step to see if they have to make any adjustments.Rankings scheduleThe selection committee releases the official Top 25 College Football Playoff rankings every Tuesday starting in the second half of the season.The top four teams as seeded by the selectors' proce s are eligible for the semifinal games.Committee Steven Matz Jersey members meet and release the Top 25 rankings either six or seven times, depending on how long the season is.Rankings criteriaCollege Football Playoff selectors create Top 25 rankings based on their evaluation of teams performance on the field. The committee employs several metrics to select the best teams.Strength of scheduleHead-to-head game resultsResults vs. teams in Top 25 rankingsResults vs. common opponentsConference championshipsSelectors are allowed to use a variety of advanced analytics to gauge teams' performance, but those numbers don't play a formal role in determining Top 25 rankings, which is a decision made by selectors' own judgement.College Football Playoff structureBoard of ManagersManagement CommitteeSelection CommitteeComprised of 11 university presidents and chancellors, the board of managers creates, inspects, and approves the annual budget and policy for the College Football Playoff. It hires and fires officers of the company in charge of the Playoff, and has overall complete and final authority.The CFP management committee is responsible for running the company every day. It performs many of the tasks that the Mookie Wilson Jersey board does not, but answers to the board for everything. This group consists of 10 athletic conference commi sioners and the Notre Dame athletic director.As the name implies, the selection committee is responsible for choosing the Top 25 teams each week starting in the second half of the season. And, most crucially, in selecting the Top 4 teams eligible for the College Football Playoff semifinal games."The selection committee is comprised of experts in college football, and they use their expertise in the deliberations," according to the Playoff's statement on the group.