97 vs 98 Vols

#102
#102
The 1997 team was more a talented team than 98. But the 98 team was scrappy and determined. The 98 team reminded me a lot of the 85 team, in that they found ways to win and never expected to lose. Both teams were very prideful. Not knocking 97 at all, that was a great group of guys that just couldn’t get the Florida monkey off their back. The 97 was super loaded with talent. GBO
 
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#103
#103
newyorkvol said:
Tom Osborne last game. Ahman Green. Prove manning shouldn’t have won heisman and reinforce Woodson/Michigan. That game was over before it started.
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Oh I forgot Peyton missed all those tackles. Michigan played ONE Game (as usual) and you think woodson deserved the heistman off that one game? He didn't even have 20 solo tackles on the season. Total Buffalo chips.
 
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#105
#105
JohnWardForever said:
Oh I forgot Peyton missed all those tackles. Michigan played ONE Game (as usual) and you think woodson deserved the heistman off that one game? He didn't even have 20 solo tackles on the season. Total Buffalo chips.
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Sorry. Bad post. I was pointing out that there was no way Tennessee was winning that day. Too many counter narratives.
 
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#107
#107
If it hasn’t been said … all those stud guys on D especially were a year older and better in 98. #27 was a very good player in 97 , 98 he was 10-15 lbs muscle heavier and the best D player in the nation. Plus Little was coming off knee surgery in 97 and really wasn’t 100% all year and playing out of position at LB.
 
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#110
#110
hUTch2002 said:
That and Outzen beat a damn good #4 Florida team just fine. He was way more mobile than Weinke. If they beat Florida they were good enough to beat us. I do think Ohio State might’ve been slightly better but Weinke being out didn’t have as much impact as people think.
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A lot of people think that the 98 Ohio State was the best team that season . They just happened to get upset by Michigan State. A MSU team coached by this little unknown guy at the time.
 
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#111
#111
Just wish we had a Playoff system in the 90s. We would have gotten in 5 times from 95-2001 and who knows what could have happened
 
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#112
#112
Volumnus 2011 said:
Is it really that simple? Do you think 97 Vols could have won a bowl game at the end of the season against Nebraska or Michigan if the stakes were higher?
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It’s that simple. Tennessee was the 2nd best team in the country. Just could not beat Florida. In 98 when we beat Florida, we all knew we had basically won the National Championship.
 
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#113
#113
Volumnus 2011 said:
Happy Off-season!

The anniversary of our 98 natty was yesterday (Jan 4th) and it got me to thinking. Why did the 98 team win the title and the 97 team didn't? I was in the opening decade of my life in 98, so I only only vaguely remember what it was like to watch it on TV live. This also means I don't have a strong grasp on the differences in rosters between the two seasons, or the strength of the opponents those years. I know that Florida State played a backup QB, which may have made a difference, especially since Wienke was a great college players and Outzen threw a pick 6, which might have been the difference by the end of the game.

I went to whatifsports.com, which is a simulator, and I simulated the 97 team against the 98 team. I simulated the game five times, and the 97 team won all five games, and honestly it wasn't particularly close (screenshots attached). I know it's just a simulator, but...

So, enlighten me. What were the main differences between 97 and 98, and how was the 98 team able to do what the 97 team couldn't.
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Volunteers should have won nattys in 1997 and 1999 as well.
 
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#115
#115
ATLVols said:
It’s that simple. Tennessee was the 2nd best team in the country. Just could not beat Florida. In 98 when we beat Florida, we all knew we had basically won the National Championship.
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Except in 97 the Vols weren’t the second best team. Nebraska and Florida proved that.

We needed a miracle play to beat Arkansas so I wouldn’t say we all knew we would win the title once we beat Florida in 98. Florida was early in the season, the first SEC game. All beating UF guaranteed is we were in the driver’s seat to Atlanta at that point but Florida was in that same position the year before until they lost twice to put us in Atlanta against Auburn. We were also very fortunate Miss St upset Arkansas so we didn’t have to play the Hogs again.
 
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#116
#116
Retrospectively, the 1997 season was a rare season. The level of football was better than any other in the 90s IMHO. I would take the top four regular season teams: Nebraska, Michigan, Tennessee, and FSU against any of the teams that decade other than maybe 95 Nebraska. Last year was the same way. I’d take the top 6 teams from last year against anyone in the top four this year and never lose. Our best season was one year off. Last years team was so much better than what we have to watch or not watch tomorrow night.
 
#118
#118
loosecannon said:
Retrospectively, the 1997 season was a rare season. The level of football was better than any other in the 90s IMHO. I would take the top four regular season teams: Nebraska, Michigan, Tennessee, and FSU against any of the teams that decade other than maybe 95 Nebraska. Last year was the same way. I’d take the top 6 teams from last year against anyone in the top four this year and never lose. Our best season was one year off. Last years team was so much better than what we have to watch or not watch tomorrow night.
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I think the first time in 98 that I really thought we had a legit shot at being champions was when we beat Georgia. The week prior we had lost Jamal Lewis to injury and Georgia looked very impressive, beating LSU. I didn't think we had a prayer against Georgia but our defense dominated them. Ill never forget hearing Larry Munson say "theyre just better than we are!" LOL! That's when it finally dawned on me that "hey, we are a really good football team!"
 
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#119
#119
newyorkvol said:
Tom Osborne last game. Ahman Green. Prove manning shouldn’t have won heisman and reinforce Woodson/Michigan. That game was over before it started.
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When you get beat by 25 points, you got your azz whooped and it's best just to admit it rather than drag out a conspiracy theory narrative. I think all fans including ours have picked up some bad habits from Bama fans over the years. Bama has never lost a game that wasn't the result of some conspiracy/cheating against them. Suffice it to say, don't be like the Bammers.
 
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#120
#120
The 1997 team was more talented than the 1998 team on offense, but, for some reason, had some games where either the offense or the defense, had some problems . The 1998 team had a lot of breaks go their way and were able to pull a few games out of the bag. It would have been nice to have back to back Championships but it didn’t happen.
 
#121
#121
unfrozencvmanvol said:
There are always efforts by haters to discredit whatever team wins the national championship. The truth is almost every team that has won it has had some twist in the course of the season which could be construed as good fortune. The Outzen thing is one such hater narrative. He didn't suck by any means as you point out, and injuries are part of the game. We won, the national champion was clad in big orange that year, end of story.
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No Lewis or Wilson for UT in that game. We had injuries too.
 
#122
#122
OrangeInKy said:
The 2001 team was maybe as good as that one, IMO, which is why the game that shall not be spoken of still makes me so angry.
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UT lost at home to a Freshman QB and a 1st year head coach. The 2001 team roster-wise was solid except for LB and part of the OL and DB group. But they were lazy as hell at times. Go look at the scores that year.
 
#123
#123
Volumnus 2011 said:
Happy Off-season!

The anniversary of our 98 natty was yesterday (Jan 4th) and it got me to thinking. Why did the 98 team win the title and the 97 team didn't? I was in the opening decade of my life in 98, so I only only vaguely remember what it was like to watch it on TV live. This also means I don't have a strong grasp on the differences in rosters between the two seasons, or the strength of the opponents those years. I know that Florida State played a backup QB, which may have made a difference, especially since Wienke was a great college players and Outzen threw a pick 6, which might have been the difference by the end of the game.

I went to whatifsports.com, which is a simulator, and I simulated the 97 team against the 98 team. I simulated the game five times, and the 97 team won all five games, and honestly it wasn't particularly close (screenshots attached). I know it's just a simulator, but...

So, enlighten me. What were the main differences between 97 and 98, and how was the 98 team able to do what the 97 team couldn't.
Click to expand...
I thought preseason 99 was the best
 
#124
#124
Offset Eye said:
UT lost at home to a Freshman QB and a 1st year head coach. The 2001 team roster-wise was solid except for LB and part of the OL and DB group. But they were lazy as hell at times. Go look at the scores that year.
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I lived it and remember it all. I was at 7 of them. I don’t have to look at scores. I would maintain that talent-wise, they were right there with 1999. They also went down to Gainesville and won in spite of being 17 point dogs. Barely beating a team doesn’t diminish anything, nor does that Georgia loss you refer to. It was still a very, very good team loaded with studs, and I was mainly referring to the talent level.
 
#125
#125
PEPPERJAX said:
No Lewis or Wilson for UT in that game. We had injuries too.
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Maybe I’m misreading your post, but are you saying that Al Wilson didn’t play against FSU in the Fiesta bowl? If so, that’s not correct, he absolutely played and was a beast all game. Both Dwayne Goodrich and Jeff Coleman were injured in the first half and missed the remainder of the game.
 
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