South Carolina Stuns No. 11 Tennessee 27-24 on 48-Yard Walk-Off Field Goal

Q: Did Tennessee's catastrophic late-game collapse just permanently destroy their College Football Playoff dreams?

No, but it was a major blow. In the 12-team College Football Playoff era, a 6-2 Tennessee team is not automatically finished, especially in the SEC. The Volunteers were already viewed as a fringe-but-credible contender because of schedule strength, and the committee weighs quality wins, road performance and how a team finishes. That means Tennessee’s path is damaged, not erased. What makes this loss so harmful is the way it happened and who it came against. Tennessee failed on a key fourth-and-1, then gave away the ball in the final minute and lost to a South Carolina team that entered 3-3. Even if the Gamecocks are improving and now own back-to-back ranked wins, this is still the kind of road loss that weakens Tennessee’s margin for error. At 6-2 overall and 3-2 in the SEC, the Vols likely no longer have room for another stumble. The good news for Tennessee is that its résumé can still be repaired. The committee has shown it values strong late-season wins, and Tennessee’s remaining schedule still offers chances to add them. In a chaotic national season with many contenders taking losses, a two-loss SEC team can remain in the at-large conversation if it closes well. So the collapse did not permanently destroy Tennessee’s CFP hopes. It probably changed the mission from “control your destiny” to “win out and hope the résumé compares well enough.”

3 articles · Updated · Fox News · Oct 24

Malik Orsan hit a 48-yard field goal as time expired after South Carolina recovered George MacIntyre’s fumble at the Tennessee 34 with 33 seconds left, sealing a 27-24 upset in Columbia.
LaNorris Sellers forced the game level at 24-24 with 1:17 remaining, finishing a 3rd-and-goal scramble from the 4 by twisting through defenders and lunging into the end zone.
South Carolina had led 14-0 in the first quarter before Tennessee rallied, but the Gamecocks finally broke through in a spot where they had been 1-28 under Shane Beamer when trailing by seven or more in the fourth.
The win lifted South Carolina to 4-3 overall and gave it back-to-back victories over ranked teams, while 6-2 Tennessee absorbed a second loss that could damage its College Football Playoff positioning.