re: Is Tennessee the only legit NC contender from the SEC?

You clearly don't think so by your post, but in the next few weeks, we will find out about the following teams as playoff contenders: Bama, UGA, Tenn, Ole Miss and State. All five meet in various configurations that cannot be predicted at this point.

There is no slam dunk, I agree. But it is possible that at least two of these teams will be in contention for the playoffs after some of the smoke has cleared.