The Florida and Vanderbilt games MATTER

#26
#26
let’s be real, if we lose to Fla AND Vandy, staff is in trouble. I know the roster is very young and losing two very good SEC corners after first game was bad. Spend $ in the portal for corners, safety and fast LB. Gotta get a dog to PK too. 90 has deer in headlights look in big games. We MUST adjust defensive scheme on third down. Good things to come, just gotta finish this season. GBO!
 
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#28
#28
JMSqb11 said:
For us to win in the swamp, it will take moving a traditional early season game to the end of the season so Florida can get run through and fire their coach, have players opt out, and an interim with one foot out the door. Such an accomplishment!
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Is it beating the Tebow era Gators? No. Is breaking a 22 year streak a thing we need to do? Yep. It's certainly not 22 Bama, but it matters.
 
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#33
#33
This season is truly emblematic of how NIL and the portal, especially in light of the playoffs, continue to change the sport as we know it.

First, for all SEC teams and their equivalent elsewhere, making the playoffs is the floor, not the ceiling. If you have a regime that cannot get that done at least once in three years, the regime will be replaced.

Second, it is going to kill the bowl games. Look at what happens with half the players on a given team opting out to play a Citrus or Outback Bowl. They don't want to get hurt on the cusp of portal free agency. Don't blame them. Its just that such a bowl game is not worth risk of injury compared to minimal benefit to their careers. The non-playoff bowls are doomed.

Third, programs like UF, or Penn State, or LSU, have to fire their coaches mid-season now to ensure that interested alternatives see the open seat and overtures can be made now. Especially so that recruits and potential transfers can be told what to expect in terms of both NIL $ and NFL preparation.
 
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#34
#34
lawgator1 said:
This season is truly emblematic of how NIL and the portal, especially in light of the playoffs, continue to change the sport as we know it.

First, for all SEC teams and their equivalent elsewhere, making the playoffs is the floor, not the ceiling. If you have a regime that cannot get that done at least once in three years, the regime will be replaced.

Second, it is going to kill the bowl games. Look at what happens with half the players on a given team opting out to play a Citrus or Outback Bowl. They don't want to get hurt on the cusp of portal free agency. Don't blame them. Its just that such a bowl game is not worth risk of injury compared to minimal benefit to their careers. The non-playoff bowls are doomed.

Third, programs like UF, or Penn State, or LSU, have to fire their coaches mid-season now to ensure that interested alternatives see the open seat and overtures can be made now. Especially so that recruits and potential transfers can be told what to expect in terms of both NIL $ and NFL preparation.
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I think we are also close to players opting out once playoffs are out of reach too.
 
#35
#35
lawgator1 said:
This season is truly emblematic of how NIL and the portal, especially in light of the playoffs, continue to change the sport as we know it.

First, for all SEC teams and their equivalent elsewhere, making the playoffs is the floor, not the ceiling. If you have a regime that cannot get that done at least once in three years, the regime will be replaced.

Second, it is going to kill the bowl games. Look at what happens with half the players on a given team opting out to play a Citrus or Outback Bowl. They don't want to get hurt on the cusp of portal free agency. Don't blame them. Its just that such a bowl game is not worth risk of injury compared to minimal benefit to their careers. The non-playoff bowls are doomed.

Third, programs like UF, or Penn State, or LSU, have to fire their coaches mid-season now to ensure that interested alternatives see the open seat and overtures can be made now. Especially so that recruits and potential transfers can be told what to expect in terms of both NIL $ and NFL preparation.
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So true. went to Citrus in Jan of 2024 and it was a ghost town . I live here in Orlando Area and that bowl was always good for 55K plus in the seats. their 43K count for 24 was suspect for sure too.
 
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#37
#37
Beating Florida will always matter to Tennessee. It doesn’t matter how good or bad Florida is. I’m pretty sure they celebrated all those wins over us when we were down. Beating Vanderbilt will likely give us a top 20 win and end their playoff hopes if they still only have 2 losses entering that game. Finishing off the season strong might also have recruiting implications. Some of our recruits might start looking elsewhere if we limp to the finish line.
 
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#39
#39
Voltopia said:
Does it matter to us? Sure.

Does it matter to the young men playing in a system where the only thing the sports media machine cares about or gives attention is the playoffs? I guess we'll find out.
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If you have watched Florida play any, they are still playing very hard. Not successful but with great effort. I will be surprised if Tennessee players don’t play with great effort. Might still lose, but I doubt effort an issue except for 23 but not sure we see him anymore.
 
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#42
#42
JMSqb11 said:
I'll be honest, spoiling Vandy's season won't matter to anyone if we are in the same boat this time next year. We are Tennessee. The fact our season accomplishment comes down to spoiling Vandy's season is downright awful.
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This. The season is a wash since we will not make playoffs. While preseason prognostications had us 9-3 or 8-4, they went out the window after seeing Joey Vs. Syracuse and UGA.

But, Our D has been poor and the team hasn’t improved imo. Add in the fact that Boo couldn’t care less and the coaching blunders- It’s been a strange season.

I want TN to win @ FL and Vs. Vandy, but I see 8-4 or 7-5. There is a lot of negativity around the program and I’m concerned about the locker room, too.
 
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#43
#43
Those games do matter. But you can't deny they don't matter as much now that we're eliminated from playoff contention. I'm also finding it hard to care much about which bowl we might play in. The veteran players on most teams aren't really that excited about bowls once they are out of the playoffs. Some who are pro prospects don't even participate. I'm wondering how many of the lesser bowls aren't going to survive the next few years. I guess attendance and ratings will determine that.

I've been a Vol fan since 1965. I attended my first game in '66 (Alabama vs. Tennessee). I never would have foreseen college football becoming what it has in the last few years (NIL money, portals, bowl games losing significance). I hope it's all for the better in the long run.

I know some here will invite me to leave if I feel that way and that's ok. I really feel more like the game has left me though.
 
#45
#45
JMSqb11 said:
For us to win in the swamp, it will take moving a traditional early season game to the end of the season so Florida can get run through and fire their coach, have players opt out, and an interim with one foot out the door. Such an accomplishment!
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It took a move of the game in 2001 to the end of the season in order for us to win down there. We had lost 6 in a row there up to that time
 
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#48
#48
BernardKingGOAT said:
It took a move of the game in 2001 to the end of the season in order for us to win down there. We had lost 6 in a row there up to that time
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We didn’t win down there because of 9/11 pushing the game.

We would definitely count moving the game this year as a big reason for winning considering Florida had to get the crap beat out of them all season long for them fire swamp rat Napier, players opting out, and an interim with one foot out the door.

Let’s not act like Florida in 2001 was some mid tier team under Spurrier
 
#49
#49
JMSqb11 said:
We didn’t win down there because of 9/11 pushing the game.

We would definitely count moving the game this year as a big reason for winning considering Florida had to get the crap beat out of them all season long for them fire swamp rat Napier, players opting out, and an interim with one foot out the door.

Let’s not act like Florida in 2001 was some mid tier team under Spurrier
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No, of course they weren't mid tier. Georgia just barely beat them at a neutral site because Florida still has loads of talent regardless of the funk Napier had them prior to his firing
 
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#50
#50
BernardKingGOAT said:
No, of course they weren't mid tier. Georgia just barely beat them at a neutral site because Florida still has loads of talent regardless of the funk Napier had them prior to his firing
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And since the game vs Georgia, one of their starting receivers opted out among others.

I think it’s very likely they lose out the season.
 
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