Phil Steele Countdown: #7 TENNESSEE

#52
#52
Dobbs 4 Heisman said:
He should listen to his computers saying we're going 12-0.

Its funny how the pure analytics love us (i.e. McIllese Sports) but it's the human element putting us at the bottom of the top 10.

This is one time people should just follow the numbers.
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The human element is the one that knows the emotion and pain of losing to Florida teams we shouldn't. Playing down to the competition and losing a game we shoudn't. Also the human element of not knowing yet if Butch can get it done against elite teams and coaches in the 4th quarter. I'm grateful for Butch getting us back to respectibility and I am a big fan of his. However, he still has some things to prove as far as wins go. I have faith in him, but can't say I'm sold YET. I hope this is the year he takes the leap from program builder to championship maker. Go Big Orange.
 
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#54
#54
Undefeated season? I still think we'll lose to UF and Bama. Sorry. We've come along way. A looking way. But until I SEE it, I can't believe it. Had to much blind faith and I've had my heart broken too many times over the past decade.
 
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#55
#55
VFL-82-JP said:
What is "the belt"? Is it a B12 thing?
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Straight from "The Belts" Website:

The College Football Belt Championship

My friends & I were sitting watching football; talking about what a farce Division 1-A college football is without a national championship tournament. Every year, just like millions of others, we gathered together to watch March Madness when a National Champion is crowned in college basketball & we lamented that this doesn’t happen in major college football. Sometime during the 1980’s, most likely 1983 when Miami jumped four spots in the polls over Auburn to claim a National Championship or 1984 when Brigham Young was named National Champions after they had defeated a Michigan team that finished 6-6, we decided to create our own championship. Our logic was simple; we watch as much college football as anyone else so why can’t we name a champion? We wanted the championship to have some history but we had to work within the scheduled games available since we could not create a match-up. The big thing was we wanted the title to be decided on the field like a fight is decided in the ring; this is how The Belt was born.

The concept was easy, no one could claim The Belt without defeating the current title-holder on the field. But where do we start? Who would be the first Belt holder? Some wanted to go back to the first college football games between Princeton & Rutgers while others felt we should start with the 1936 Minnesota Golden Gophers since they were the first team to be named National Champions by the Associated Press. The decision was finally made to give the first Belt to the best college football team within our lifetime. Most of us were born in the early 1960’s so there was really only one choice -- the 1971 Nebraska Cornhuskers. Update

On January 1, 1972, after a 38-6 victory in the Orange Bowl over Alabama, Nebraska was awarded The Belt. The Cornhuskers stood with a 32-game winning streak & universal acclaim as “Greatest Team Ever”. Since that game, each champion has defended The Belt every time they take the field. The Belt is held with a win or tie while The Belt is claimed by the new champion only when the current title-holder is defeated on the field of play. This is The College Football Belt Championship.

The Belt has traveled through many conferences, with both good teams & bad teams but one thing has remained constant -- it is always decided on the field. Each Belt-holder can trace their lineage back to the Cornhuskers team that dominated college football for 3 straight years. Each title-holder is a descendent of that great team & should look with pride on the fact they are a part of history. From the 1973 Notre Dame Fighting Irish, through the 1986 Penn State Nittany Lions, to the 1996 Brigham Young Cougars, each team that has held The Belt is a part of the bloodline of the college football champion. Even the 1985 Oregon State Beavers & the 1996 Tulsa Golden Hurricane have held a piece of this history. Whether they reigned for one week, like the Rice Owls in 1991, or 31 weeks like the 2000-2002 Miami Hurricanes these teams are the descendents of one of the best college football team in the land.

As you browse through the history of The Belt, please note the champion is designated by a "©" symbol & the number of championships a team has held is in parentheses after their name in the "Belt Records" line.



Update

After receiving some feedback from our readers, we have checked the championship lineage if we had started The Belt with the 1936 Minnesota Golden Gophers as well as the first documented game between Princeton & Rutgers. The lineage confirmed what we expected in that the current champion is still the same. The Princeton/Rutgers lineage flowed directly to the 1971 Nebraska Cornhuskers as the Alabama Crimson Tide brought The Belt to the 1971 Orange Bowl. If we had started with the 1936 Minnesota Golden Gophers, the 2 lines converged on October 31, 1942. When Alabama traveled to Atlanta, Georgia to meet the Georgia Bulldogs, the Crimson Tide were the champions of the Princeton/Rutgers lineage while the Bulldogs held the Minnesota Belt. With Georgia's 21-10 victory, they became the unified, undisputed champion.

The lineage now will include many of the greatest names of college football. Coaches like Walter Camp, Pop Warner, Amos Alonzo Stagg, & Knute Rockne. While many of the great teams of the past fall outside of this lineage we believe this is at least as fair a system as is currently in place. Sometimes great teams & great players don't get the opportunities they feel they deserve.

With over 1300 games in the Belt lineage, we feel comfortable in saying that you could choose any team in the history of college football as the starting point & that lineage will converge with the current champion in a reasonable amount of time.
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#56
#56
I have a set of data that predicts a national championship. The intricacies of the equations involved are so in depth that if they are wrong there will be some sort of quantum entanglement that will forever alter the course of the universe. The data set is presented in an unabridged version immediately below.
Vols >Gatorbamadawg*√secchampionship=Tampa15-0
 
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#58
#58
Power T-Rev said:
No college football team goes 15-0 with "ease." I hope we run the table but to say it's not going to be close is ignorant. Sorry D4H
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Incorrect. The 2001 University of Miami Hurricanes ran the table, and only had one game within in single digits.

albeit they were all being paid I think.
 
#59
#59
The Artful Dodger said:
Straight from "The Belts" Website:
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That is just totally awesome, Dodger, thanks!

So the thinking in this thread goes, Arkansas takes the Belt from TCU, the current holder of the Belt, when they play in earlly September. Then either A&M or Bama take the Belt away from Arkansas, in late September/early October. Then we win the belt from either A&M or Bama when we play them later in October.

I'm all for it; let's win the Belt! :rock:
 
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#61
#61
Power T-Rev said:
No college football team goes 15-0 with "ease." I hope we run the table but to say it's not going to be close is ignorant. Sorry D4H
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There hasnt been a team this talented since the 2008-09 Florida Gators. And unlike the 09 Gators we're hungry to prove ourselves.

I think yall will be surprised by how much better this team is than the experts think.
 
#62
#62
fade route said:
Since you're a known and confessed fair-weather fan, I wonder how many on here will be rooting for us to lose early in the year just so you will go away? I'm not going to root for us to lose but will certainly ease the sting knowing you will quickly drop UT football by that Sunday morning after a loss.
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LOL. If you actually root for the Vols to lose because of silly ole me, then you aint a real fan at all.
 
#63
#63
Catbone said:
What will it take for you to no longer be a fan and stop following Tennessee Football? (Like you were before Tennessee got good)
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You cant stand that you two are diametrically opposed. He is the Catbone Antithesis!

j/k

His unbridled optimism is annoying at times.
 
#64
#64
TNinSC said:
Undefeated season? I still think we'll lose to UF and Bama. Sorry. We've come along way. A looking way. But until I SEE it, I can't believe it. Had to much blind faith and I've had my heart broken too many times over the past decade.
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What on earth would lead you to believe Tennessee would be any good most of the last DECADE?

Hate to say it but you were delusional in the past. This year you're also delusional but the other way.

This is really the first year you should have any faith we're going undefeated. Its the first time we're in the preseason top 10 in a decade.
 
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#70
#70
Iam4utalways said:
I've heard never expect a bad team to win or a good team to lose. I just figured it would work out, and that was the earliest chance.

When we played OU I was unaware of the Belt. Only since getting on VN was I
schooled about the Belt. Thanks Freak.

Your right I may want to did into it.
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What is the belt?
Edit: nvm
 
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#72
#72
jkleno said:
Trashing A&M is much easier typed than done. Long western road trips are tough wins.
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I agree. The VOLS better take A & M seriously because Trevor Knight, formerly of OK, transferred and is now their starting QB. Yes, our D will be better I'm just saying don't over-look them and keep the pedal to the metal & don't let up until the game is over.
 
#73
#73
Volunteer Pride said:
I have the magazine, he has us playing TCU in the Sugar Bowl
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Also, be careful about trashing other teams, not saying you are, but TCU came from 31 points down at half to come back and beat Oregon in the Alamo Bowl. No need to give other teams, who ever they are, any extra motivation.
 
#74
#74
Stoked said:
Disappointing if so. CBJ may not have a better roster again then he does this year. So much talent, depth, and experience. Unless we have a crazy number of injuries which isn't uncommon for us. <--- even if so we have plenty of backups to where the talent level won't be much of a drop across the board.
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Absolutely. Unless significant injuries happen, 9-3 will be a failure. This team is one of the most talented in the country.
 
#75
#75
JettVol said:
Incorrect. The 2001 University of Miami Hurricanes ran the table, and only had one game within in single digits.

albeit they were all being paid I think.
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1995 Nebraska smoked everybody. Nobody came within single digits of them. Greatest CFB team of all time.
 
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