No. 9. Tennessee Volunteers10-2 (6-2 SEC)What’s next: vs. 8 Ohio State, Columbus, Ohio, Dec. 21, 8 p.m. ETHead coach: Josh Heupel (fourth season at Tennessee, 37-14; seventh season overall, 65-22)About Heupel: In addition to chasing Tennessee’s first national championship since 1998, Heupel — the quarterback of Oklahoma’s 2000 BCS title team — can join the exclusive company of Frank Leahy, Bud Wilkinson and Jimmy Johnson as national champs both as football players and head coaches.ResumeRepeatedly coming through in the clutch, five of Tennessee’s eight SEC games were each decided by 10 points or fewer – including a signature win, 24-17, over fellow contender Alabama on Oct. 19.Postseason historyThe last of Tennessee’s six claimed national championships came in 1998, the inaugural season of the BCS. After more than a decade of disappointment, the 2022 Vols’ 31-14 Orange Bowl rout of Clemson matched UT’s best finish since 2001.Road to AtlantaWinning at The Horseshoe in Columbus is the first order of business for the Vols, and No. 1 Oregon is waiting in the wings. That game would be played Jan. 1 at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, Calif.Names to knowRB Dylan SampsonDespite already setting the program records for rushing yards (1,485) and touchdowns (22) in a season, Sampson was not named a finalist for the Doak Walker Award, given to college football’s top running back.Speaking with radio host Jim Rome, Sampson was unfazed.”My coach … knows the value and I know the value I have to this team,” he said. “They’ll see what I do as we continue to make this playoff run.”DE James Pearce Jr.