Tennessee football was passed by Indiana and BYU in the College Football Playoff poll because they won “big games” over Michigan and Utah, respectively, the CFP selection committee chair said.

That was part of the explanation for why the Vols remained at No. 7 in the latest CFP ranking, which was released on Tuesday.

“It really came down to the play last week of both Indiana and BYU, both winning big games on their schedule,” CFP selection committee chair Warde Manuel said. “… So in looking at it, as we assessed all the teams, we just felt like Indiana and BYU earned the five and six slot and Tennessee stayed where they are.”

Tennessee (8-1) won 33-14 over Mississippi State (2-8). The Vols stayed at No. 7.

Indiana (10-0) won 20-15 over Michigan (5-5). The Hoosiers moved from No. 8 to No. 5.

BYU (9-0) won 22-21 over Utah (4-5). The Cougars moved from No. 9 to No. 6.

Meanwhile, Georgia (7-2) dropped from No. 3 to No. 12 after losing 28-10 to Ole Miss.

Tennessee plays Georgia on Saturday (7:30 p.m. ET, ABC) at Sanford Stadium in Athens, Georgia. The game will impact the CFP poll next week and playoff chances of both teams.

CFP committee: Nico Iamaleava injury wasn’t a factor

Notably, Manuel said the injury to Tennessee quarterback Nico Iamaleava was not a factor in the ranking.

“I can say no (to a question about) the injury of Tennessee’s quarterback,” Manuel said. “It had nothing to do with it.”

Iamaleava is in concussion protocol after leaving the Mississippi State game last week, a source with direct knowledge of the situation confirmed to Knox News late Tuesday. The source requested anonymity because no official announcement has been made.

But Iamaleava participated in team activities and meetings on Monday, which coach Josh Heupel acknowledged at his weekly press conference. And Iamaleava practiced with the team on Tuesday.

Iamaleava's status for the Georgia game has not been determined, the source told Knox News.

On Monday, Heupel said he felt like Iamaleava would be “in great shape” for the Georgia game. But he instructed reporters to monitor the SEC student-athlete availability report, which will be released at 8:15 p.m. Wednesday.

Backup quarterback Gaston Moore, a fifth-year senior, would play against Georgia if Iamaleava is out. Freshman Jake Merklinger is the No. 3 quarterback.

Committee wants more from Tennessee offense

Manuel praised Indiana and BYU. But he said the committee has not been impressed by Tennessee’s lulls on offense.

“With Tennessee, the offense has struggled some in the second half of the season (after) not being consistent early in the year,” Manuel said.

Granted, Tennessee’s offense has not played to the elite level that Heupel’s units usually do. It has averaged only 24.5 points per game in SEC play.

But the Vols are still ranked No. 15 nationally in scoring offense (37.6 ppg), No. 8 in total offense (471.6 ypg) and No. 9 in rushing offense (235.1 ypg).

NICO IAMALEAVA INJURY: QB in concussion protocol ahead of Tennessee vs Georgia

“We just felt as a committee that at this time that Indiana has been playing very well. They had a close win against Michigan,” said Manuel, who is also Michigan’s athletics director. “But other than that, they have dominated everyone they’ve played.

“BYU is obviously undefeated with two wins against Top 25 opponents, SMU and Kansas State.”

The CFP selection committee ranks the Top 25 teams each week for the new 12-team playoff format. The rankings will be updated each Tuesday for the next three weeks, and the final CFP field will be announced on Dec. 8.

Adam Sparks is the Tennessee football beat reporter. Email adam.sparks@knoxnews.com. X, formerly known as Twitter@AdamSparks. Support strong local journalism by subscribing at knoxnews.com/subscribe.

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This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Tennessee football: Why CFP committee moved Indiana, BYU ahead of Vols