The value of our strong OOC schedules

[HuntlandVolinColo]

I see a light at the end of the tunnel. Especially with neutral site games. VT and WV are very winnable. And we are just now starting to reap the rewards of great recruiting. Even our 3*s are really panning out (Coleman Thomas, Cam Sutton, etc). Hearing rumblings of GT plus Nebraska 26a/27h and UConn games scheduled. All very winnable with only UConn being a somewhat weak game.

uscW 20a/21h also.

OK will be a real challenge this year but it WON'T be a blowout like last year and we might even pull an upset. Next year we have a seasoned team in Neyland to whip a highly depleted Sooner squad.

2015: OK, UAB at Nashville, North Texas, TBD
2016: VT at Bristol BMS, TBD, TBD, TBD
2017: Ind State, Southern Miss, at Memphis, TBD
2018: WV at Charlotte, TBD, TBD, TBD

A lot of holes in the near term...I guess due to uncertainty of 8/9 game conference scheduling.

If we can upset OK, we have a decent chance of winning our next 16 OOC games.

 

[gonzagafan62]

In what way? Do you think Dobbs would have gotten significantly better last December vs Spring Practice and a QB guru this off-season?

I'm just using Dobbs as an example.

I don't think Dobbs would have gotten much better persay, but I do think it would have taken a lot off the shoulders of the university as a whole, to get into a bowl game in Butch's first year.

The players don't get much better by making a bowl game (especially when a team has been down for so long) but it does keep the spirit of competition alive, and what it also does is put confidence into players knowing they can get to a bowl game instead of imagining it.

I think the players (slightly) get better on the field by getting to a bowl game, but not much, but it does change the mindset of players.

And I just wanna say throw Dooley's year of Music City Bowl out the window, as that whole year was a mess. Nobody came out with much going to that one.

 

[YorkVol]

Another year brings another attempt to educate you heathens about the disaster that these high-caliber OOC games have been to our beloved program.

- Over the past 12 years, Tennessee is an astounding 3-8 (.2727%) in these high-caliber OOC games.
- Tennessee isn’t just losing these games, they are getting trashed. Tennessee average margin of defeat is a horrifying 18.5 points.
- 3 times in the past 12 years, these games have prevented Tennessee from attending a bowl game.

Missing a bowl game doesn’t just hurt recruiting; it also closes the door to 12-15 additional practices with the team. That’s crippling! It equates to almost a full spring practice schedule that we are missing out on. For what? What did we gain for signing up to get drummed by the Ducks by 45 points last year? A little bit more name recognition? About 15 minutes of excitement for the fan base until Oregon starting taking it seriously? Not having to listen to the grumblings about another boring scrimmage game?

The truth of the matter is that these games are crippling Tennessee’s ability to rebuild. They are hindering the efforts to build confidence within our program and ripping 12-15 practices away from us when we need them most.

You don’t have to look too far to see the wisdom in avoiding these games, just look down the road in Nashville when a historically horrid Vanderbilt program starting being competitive. How did they turn the program around so quickly? Because of great coaching and avoiding preventable embarrassments by scheduling wins instead of more exciting trashings.

Don’t come here posting about how these game are scheduled years in advance and unavoidable at this point. The fact that we cleared UNC off our schedule in 2011/2012 tells you everything you need about how unavoidable these games truly are.

Predictions for the 2014 season point to a very similar result. A 5-7 team missing out on another bowl game because we opted to get trounced by another high-caliber opponent, this time Oklahoma. Tennessee will move to 3-9 (.250%) and will once again miss 12-15 invaluable practices when we need them most.

Hopefully our athletic department can figure out how to help this program rebuild instead of continuing to hinder them for the sake of their pride.

Hindsight is 20/20. How would you have predicted all of this 12 years ago? First, Fulmer started slipping. Should the AD have gone to Phil and said, "hey, we don't want to make things too tough on our NC winning coach, so we're going to buy out of some of these tough games in the future."

Could the AD have predicted Kiffin's departure and the need to rebuild in 2010? Could the AD have predicted Dooley would be halfway competitive his first year and then fallen flat for 2 years in a row after? At what point do you buy out these games and not have it show complete lack of support for your coach?

And, how much would you have been willing to pay to buy out Oregon and Oklahoma, especially if you've already emptied the pig paying buy outs to all your former coaches?

And, come on, losing to Oregon didn't cost us a bowl last year. Losing to Vandy did that.

 

[KBVol]

run away from a strong OOC?. not no but *&%! no. WE ARE NOT ALABAMA!!

You're bloody hell right about us not being Alabama....they've won 3 of the last 5 national championships....

 

[Quaint88]

Another year brings another attempt to educate you heathens about the disaster that these high-caliber OOC games have been to our beloved program.

- Over the past 12 years, Tennessee is an astounding 3-8 (.2727%) in these high-caliber OOC games.
- Tennessee isn’t just losing these games, they are getting trashed. Tennessee average margin of defeat is a horrifying 18.5 points.
- 3 times in the past 12 years, these games have prevented Tennessee from attending a bowl game.

Missing a bowl game doesn’t just hurt recruiting; it also closes the door to 12-15 additional practices with the team. That’s crippling! It equates to almost a full spring practice schedule that we are missing out on. For what? What did we gain for signing up to get drummed by the Ducks by 45 points last year? A little bit more name recognition? About 15 minutes of excitement for the fan base until Oregon starting taking it seriously? Not having to listen to the grumblings about another boring scrimmage game?

The truth of the matter is that these games are crippling Tennessee’s ability to rebuild. They are hindering the efforts to build confidence within our program and ripping 12-15 practices away from us when we need them most.

You don’t have to look too far to see the wisdom in avoiding these games, just look down the road in Nashville when a historically horrid Vanderbilt program starting being competitive. How did they turn the program around so quickly? Because of great coaching and avoiding preventable embarrassments by scheduling wins instead of more exciting trashings.

Don’t come here posting about how these game are scheduled years in advance and unavoidable at this point. The fact that we cleared UNC off our schedule in 2011/2012 tells you everything you need about how unavoidable these games truly are.

Predictions for the 2014 season point to a very similar result. A 5-7 team missing out on another bowl game because we opted to get trounced by another high-caliber opponent, this time Oklahoma. Tennessee will move to 3-9 (.250%) and will once again miss 12-15 invaluable practices when we need them most.

Hopefully our athletic department can figure out how to help this program rebuild instead of continuing to hinder them for the sake of their pride.

Bogus point. We lost to Vanderbilt in 2013, Wyoming in 2008, and Vanderbilt in 2005 to miss bowls. If we had been bowl-worthy, we would've made a bowl. What you're saying is that we should have tricked the bowl committees into rewarding that ****.

 

[golf437]

You already decided that we lost to Oklahoma?

Must be fact then.

99% chance of being a fact.

 

[Other_Guy]

So we should drop Oklahoma and tells our players "we really don't want you guys getting murdered cuz we don't wanna be embarrassed by our bad team so we're chickening out and getting Helen Keller JV so we can squeeze by UK and Vandy and go to a bowl."? Good call.

 

[wolfej]

So we should drop Oklahoma and tells our players "we really don't want you guys getting murdered cuz we don't wanna be embarrassed by our bad team so we're chickening out and getting Helen Keller JV so we can squeeze by UK and Vandy and go to a bowl."? Good call.

Exactly this. I think we'll play Oklahoma close til towards the end of the game. If we had more depth that weren't true freshmen I think we would have a pretty good chance to win.

 

[ntxVOL]

Another year brings another attempt to educate you heathens about the disaster that these high-caliber OOC games have been to our beloved program.

- Over the past 12 years, Tennessee is an astounding 3-8 (.2727%) in these high-caliber OOC games.
- Tennessee isn’t just losing these games, they are getting trashed. Tennessee average margin of defeat is a horrifying 18.5 points.
- 3 times in the past 12 years, these games have prevented Tennessee from attending a bowl game.

Missing a bowl game doesn’t just hurt recruiting; it also closes the door to 12-15 additional practices with the team. That’s crippling! It equates to almost a full spring practice schedule that we are missing out on. For what? What did we gain for signing up to get drummed by the Ducks by 45 points last year? A little bit more name recognition? About 15 minutes of excitement for the fan base until Oregon starting taking it seriously? Not having to listen to the grumblings about another boring scrimmage game?

The truth of the matter is that these games are crippling Tennessee’s ability to rebuild. They are hindering the efforts to build confidence within our program and ripping 12-15 practices away from us when we need them most.

You don’t have to look too far to see the wisdom in avoiding these games, just look down the road in Nashville when a historically horrid Vanderbilt program starting being competitive. How did they turn the program around so quickly? Because of great coaching and avoiding preventable embarrassments by scheduling wins instead of more exciting trashings.

Don’t come here posting about how these game are scheduled years in advance and unavoidable at this point. The fact that we cleared UNC off our schedule in 2011/2012 tells you everything you need about how unavoidable these games truly are.

Predictions for the 2014 season point to a very similar result. A 5-7 team missing out on another bowl game because we opted to get trounced by another high-caliber opponent, this time Oklahoma. Tennessee will move to 3-9 (.250%) and will once again miss 12-15 invaluable practices when we need them most.

Hopefully our athletic department can figure out how to help this program rebuild instead of continuing to hinder them for the sake of their pride.

Sounds like you need to get a dog.

 

[Rooster1]

Yeah, I don't think the Coach who openly says regularly "we expect to compete for national championships at UT" is going to bail on high profile games to squeak into a low-level bowl at 6-6. How bout if we beat vandy and mizzou at home we will be fine. something a bowl worthy SEC team should do.

Yeah. Just beat VD, KY, Mizzou and three OOC patsies. Done.Bowl.

 

[thebjd]

Yea, because Florida had to drop FSU from their schedule in order to rebuild from the Zook years....SMH.

We can't drop the strong OOC opponent. I just think we were unlucky that we got Oregon and Oklahoma in top-5 seasons. Had we scheduled Texas 5 years in advance it would have looked like a nightmare matchup, but in reality would end up being something very different.

Some years we'll get an Oklahoma, some years we'll get a WVU or Ga Tech. You just play the team that's in front of you and do your best to come away with a victory. SOS does count.

Let's pick up an in state rival like Memphis:loco:

 

[Catbone]

Replace Oklahoma's and Oregons with Virginia and North Carolina teams WHERE WE RECRUIT. But no, you guys want us to forever be handicapped by playing the best of the best and lose. We already play Bama every year, it's not like we need more SOS. Whatever guys.

 

[Rooster1]

Replace Oklahoma's and Oregons with Virginia and North Carolina teams WHERE WE RECRUIT. But no, you guys want us to forever be handicapped by playing the best of the best and lose. We already play Bama every year, it's not like we need more SOS. Whatever guys.

Good points. Play ACC schools where UT recruits and against whom UT can win, rather than Oregon and OK where UT has little recruiting activity.

 

[Boca Vol]

Replace Oklahoma's and Oregons with Virginia and North Carolina teams WHERE WE RECRUIT. But no, you guys want us to forever be handicapped by playing the best of the best and lose. We already play Bama every year, it's not like we need more SOS. Whatever guys.

FWIW, we did have a game scheduled with N. Carolina. We're playing VT in 2016, WVU in '18. You're getting your wish.

 

[Catbone]

FWIW, we did have a game scheduled with N. Carolina. We're playing VT in 2016, WVU in '18. You're getting your wish.

Am I alone on thinking that is the right move?

 

[Catbone]

Good points. Play ACC schools where UT recruits and against whom UT can win, rather than Oregon and OK where UT has little recruiting activity.

Exactly my point.

 

[Boca Vol]

Am I alone on thinking that is the right move?

When the Oklahoma series was scheduled UT had just come off of a nice 2004 season capped by a butt kicking of aTm. It made sense as UT has had success recruiting in OK and TX.

No one saw the demise of the UT football program. But cancelling the games only makes you look like you squat to pee.

 

[Catbone]

When the Oklahoma series was scheduled UT had just come off of a nice 2004 season capped by a butt kicking of aTm. It made sense as UT has had success recruiting in OK and TX.

No one saw the demise of the UT football program. But cancelling the games only makes you look like you squat to pee.

I do agree cancelling games would be a bad idea.

 

[Quaint88]

Am I alone on thinking that is the right move?

I like the idea of playing the high caliber teams in our recruiting territories over those further away, although that's not exactly your point. I don't want to see these games completely eliminated from the schedule just so we can lose to teams we should never lose to and still appear successful, though. That seems to be the main motivation for this move right now, and I think that's pretty weak. I'm not a fan of being embarassed on national TV in these games, but I prefer to know where we stand even if it's really ugly. It seems that some just want to hide how far we've sunk because it's embarassing, but I'm not a fan of "fake it 'til you make it". That's how I see having an OOC schedule that would allow us to go 2-6 in the SEC and still easily make a bowl.

 

[volfan5589]

if you wanna be the best you have to beat the best.

 

[Rooster1]

if you wanna be the best you have to beat the best.

This year will showcase that thought, UT playing one of the nations toughest schedules, maybe the toughest. Probably wrong year to do that though. Two years from now? Sounds about right if UT can develop a QB.

 

[HuntlandVolinColo]

Too bad we had to reschedule UConn for VT game. I don't see them being a threat for 2015/16.

 

[GoVols876]

Look at the upside. What happens if we beat Oklahoma or keep it fairly close? Every talking head in the country will take notice.

We are 3-8 in these games! Stop living in fantasy land and take a factual look at the reality of our program.

We are not competitive in these games and they are serve to embarrass our program.

It's time to dump these games, start scheduling wins, go to bowl games, and build confidence into the program.

Winning is an attitude and it's not something our boys are likely to develop from getting drummed by 45 on national television.

 

[GoVols876]

So we should drop Oklahoma and tells our players "we really don't want you guys getting murdered cuz we don't wanna be embarrassed by our bad team so we're chickening out and getting Helen Keller JV so we can squeeze by UK and Vandy and go to a bowl."? Good call.

Where is this pride coming from?

This program is not good right now and dumping the Oregon, Oklahoma, Ohio State, Nebraska's off our schedule gives us the best chance of getting back to where we all thing this program belongs.

These games demoralize the team, fanbase, students, and most importantly, the recruits. What do we get out of them? Very little.

 

[Boca Vol]

Where is this pride coming from?

This program is not good right now and dumping the Oregon, Oklahoma, Ohio State, Nebraska's off our schedule gives us the best chance of getting back to where we all thing this program belongs.

These games demoralize the team, fanbase, students, and most importantly, the recruits. What do we get out of them? Very little.

So dumping these marquis match-ups in favor of the Austin Peay's of the world will help UT get back to where it belongs? :crazy:

I'm sorry, but going 6-6 (all UT had to do was beat Vandy to accomplish this last season) and going to a bowl game in Shreveport or B'ham doesn't do anything for this program. It's putting lipstick on a pig.

These games are great for Butch Jones. Odds are UT isn't going to beat the Oregons and Oklahomas of the world but if UT could somehow put on a good show in Norman, he wins by getting the fanbase pumped. Look at how pumped this place was last year after the UGA game...which was a loss, mind you.

So back to last year, would you really be that excited about last season if UT had dumped Oregon for another cream-puff which would have given UT 6 wins but the 6 losses were to (UGA, UF, Bama, Auburn, Mizzou, and Vandy)? That wouldn't have proved squat. Look at Miss State's schedule from last year. They went to a bowl with 6 pathetic wins (Ole Miss was a decent win). There is no hype surrounding them this year.