A Historical Perspective of TN Championship Football

#1
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UneducatedGuess

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#1
A lot of folks keep referring the Glory Days of Tennessee football as the 1990s and 2000s. So, I thought I would pull up the stats that mattered to folks: Championships. I combed all the way back to the Majors hire (1977) so that I could compare and contrast. We are talking 40 years here.

SEC East Division Championships (8):

Majors: Majors was around pre-SEC divisions

Fulmer: '97, '01, '03, '04, '07
It took Fulmer 5 years to win the SEC East
TN won the SEC East an average of once every 3.3 years

SEC Championships (5*): ' 85, '89*, '90, '97, '98

Majors (3*): '85, '90, '89* (3 way tie with Auburn and Bama)
It took Majors 9 years to win the SEC
TN won the SEC an average of once every 5 years

Fulmer (2): '97, '98
It took Fulmer 5 years to win the SEC
TN won the SEC an average of once every 8 years

NCAA Championships (1): '98
Majors: 0
Fulmer: '98
It took Fulmer 6 years to win the National Championship
TN won the national championship an average of once every 16 years

TL: DR
  • Over the past 40 years we've won the SEC 5 times.
  • Since the split of divisions 24 years ago we've won the SEC East 5 times.
  • Next year is Butch's 5th year. If he can win the East then he is tracking with the "glory days" of Phil Fulmer and ahead of Johnny Majors
  • If TN wins out, it will be TN's best record in the past 12 seasons.

Don't let the facts impact your opinion of Butch. But they are what they are.:hi:
 
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#2
#2
Nice post OP , Tennessee has a rich and storied football tradition . This is exactly why I get pissed when I hear the sports media and Johnny come lately schools attempt to minimize UT. Destroy candy!
 
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#3
#3
In before negavols bring up the Butch ceiling and ensuing drop off, with no evidence for their forecast

Great post
 
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#5
#5
Maybe it's just me but I don't get the obsession with winning the East if you have NO CHANCE to win the SEC championship.

Going to Atlanta and getting clobbered by Alabama wouldn't have made this season anymore enjoyable. If anything it would have simply made me more disappointed.

At Tennessee we should only count SEC championships not SEC East division titles.
 
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#6
#6
Dobbs 4 Heisman said:
Maybe it's just me but I don't get the obsession with winning the East if you have NO CHANCE to win the SEC championship.

Going to Atlanta and getting clobbered by Alabama wouldn't have made this season anymore enjoyable. If anything it would have simply made me more disappointed.

At Tennessee we should only count SEC championships not SEC East division titles.
Click to expand...

How can you count SEC titles without winning the division first?
 
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#7
#7
Dobbs 4 Heisman said:
Maybe it's just me but I don't get the obsession with winning the East if you have NO CHANCE to win the SEC championship.

Going to Atlanta and getting clobbered by Alabama wouldn't have made this season anymore enjoyable. If anything it would have simply made me more disappointed.

At Tennessee we should only count SEC championships not SEC East division titles.
Click to expand...

I get what your sayin and understand completely, but anytime you can compete in the Championship game you take it!! Especially if it means getting another shot at Bama..... But I do understand what your sayin.
 
#9
#9
Great, level-headed post. I think the "glory days," while indeed great, seem greater in our memory. If we had this message board in the 1990s, you would probably find Tennessee fans were every bit as miserable as they are today and complaining throughout all of it. That you can be sure of!
 
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#10
#10
It's also helpful to see our records over the last 20 years to put this season in context.

If we could somehow beat Vandy and win our bowl, it is clearly our best year since 2004, and I think that's impressive because I don't recall a season that came even remotely close to this one in terms of injuries.

2016 8 3
2015 9 4
2014 7 6
2013 5 7
2012 5 7
2011 5 7
2010 6 7
2009 7 6
2008 5 7
2007 10 4
2006 9 4
2005 5 6
2004 10 3
2003 10 3
2002 8 5
2001 11 2
2000 8 4
1999 9 3
1998 13 0
1997 11 2
 
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#11
#11
awesome post man. good talking point to contrast average number of wins, as the other thread about wins got murky with the additional games that have been added over the years. championships.... so where have these lofty "expectations" come from that expect sec/national championships every other year come from?? seems i see many comment that "butch just doesn't understand the expectations here" but it seems like they themselves don't understand expectations. again, yall are expecting something that's never been done here ever- with regularity.
 
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#12
#12
Dobbs 4 Heisman said:
Maybe it's just me but I don't get the obsession with winning the East if you have NO CHANCE to win the SEC championship.

Going to Atlanta and getting clobbered by Alabama wouldn't have made this season anymore enjoyable. If anything it would have simply made me more disappointed.

At Tennessee we should only count SEC championships not SEC East division titles.
Click to expand...

I get where you are coming from but I disagree. Being afraid of a lopsided win in the SEC CG isn't an excuse to not go for winning the East in my opinion. So lets give away the SEC East title for a second year over a fear of not enjoying it??? Our injured defense has given up about 1300 yards to UK and Mizzu the last two games. So going by what you say and we go to the Sugar Bowl and likely face Oklahoma, do you really expect the same defense to slow them down? They could easily hang 60 on us. Would that make it more enjoyable??
I really don't get this settle for something less mentality. Do you think it will help or hurt recruiting to not be SEC east champs? Sure whoever represented the east is more than likely going to loose to Alabama, but I would rather go down fighting with everything I have than to simply give up.
 
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#13
#13
UneducatedGuess said:
A lot of folks keep referring the Glory Days of Tennessee football as the 1990s and 2000s. So, I thought I would pull up the stats that mattered to folks: Championships. I combed all the way back to the Majors hire (1977) so that I could compare and contrast. We are talking 40 years here.

SEC East Division Championships (8):

Majors: Majors was around pre-SEC divisions

Fulmer: '97, '01, '03, '04, '07
It took Fulmer 5 years to win the SEC East
TN won the SEC East an average of once every 3.3 years

SEC Championships (5*): ' 85, '89*, '90, '97, '98

Majors (3*): '85, '90, '89* (3 way tie with Auburn and Bama)
It took Majors 9 years to win the SEC
TN won the SEC an average of once every 5 years

Fulmer (2): '97, '98
It took Fulmer 5 years to win the SEC
TN won the SEC an average of once every 8 years

NCAA Championships (1): '98
Majors: 0
Fulmer: '98
It took Fulmer 6 years to win the National Championship
TN won the national championship an average of once every 16 years

TL: DR
  • Over the past 40 years we've won the SEC 5 times.
  • Since the split of divisions 24 years ago we've won the SEC East 5 times.
  • Next year is Butch's 5th year. If he can win the East then he is tracking with the "glory days" of Phil Fulmer and ahead of Johnny Majors
  • If TN wins out, it will be TN's best record in the past 12 seasons.

Don't let the facts impact your opinion of Butch. But they are what they are.:hi:
Click to expand...

You need to correct your facts above, in the Majors era the SEC was one division with one champion. The SEC didn't split into east and west until 1992. So your point is somewhat skewed because you didn't have an east champ until 1992.
 
#16
#16
SayNoToJorts said:
In before negavols bring up the Butch ceiling and ensuing drop off, with no evidence for their forecast

Great post
Click to expand...

You're right we don't know because he bailed at his previous 2 stops before he saw a recruiting class through until he got to Tennessee. But if were basing on that tell me what developments have you seen on the offensive side of the ball in terms of player development. I mean hes supposedly an offensive genius and has his hand print all over it. So how has Dobbs developed over the last 4 years? How about the OL? WRs?
 
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#17
#17
Dobbs 4 Heisman said:
Maybe it's just me but I don't get the obsession with winning the East if you have NO CHANCE to win the SEC championship.

Going to Atlanta and getting clobbered by Alabama wouldn't have made this season anymore enjoyable. If anything it would have simply made me more disappointed.

At Tennessee we should only count SEC championships not SEC East division titles.
Click to expand...

1. You can't win 100% of the games you don't play.

2. Winning the East would help tremendously with recruiting.

3. We can't win the SEC championship now if we don't win the East.
 
#18
#18
Why yes I'd day ol Botch is Johnny Majors and Phillip Fulmer come again. Hooray for mediocrity and NO Champions in ANY Years (except Life).
 
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#19
#19
midtnvol2 said:
You need to correct your facts above, in the Majors era the SEC was one division with one champion. The SEC didn't split into east and west until 1992. So your point is somewhat skewed because you didn't have an east champ until 1992.
Click to expand...

Pretty sure I stated that up front.
 
#20
#20
I remember the good Ole days when Fulmer was coach, and the negavols used to say that division "titles" were imaginary and worthless. What mattered was in this order: 1. National Championship, or 2. Conference Championship, or 3. Top Ten finish, or 4. Bowl win.
 
#21
#21
I always thought the General won a national title in '51. Kill the maxims, they don't mean anything ya'll.
 
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#22
#22
Dobbs 4 Heisman said:
Maybe it's just me but I don't get the obsession with winning the East if you have NO CHANCE to win the SEC championship.

Going to Atlanta and getting clobbered by Alabama wouldn't have made this season anymore enjoyable. If anything it would have simply made me more disappointed.

At Tennessee we should only count SEC championships not SEC East division titles.
Click to expand...

Dude you are the most bipolar poster on this board.
 
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#24
#24
UneducatedGuess said:
A lot of folks keep referring the Glory Days of Tennessee football as the 1990s and 2000s. So, I thought I would pull up the stats that mattered to folks: Championships. I combed all the way back to the Majors hire (1977) so that I could compare and contrast. We are talking 40 years here.

SEC East Division Championships (8):

Majors: Majors was around pre-SEC divisions

Fulmer: '97, '01, '03, '04, '07
It took Fulmer 5 years to win the SEC East
TN won the SEC East an average of once every 3.3 years

SEC Championships (5*): ' 85, '89*, '90, '97, '98

Majors (3*): '85, '90, '89* (3 way tie with Auburn and Bama)
It took Majors 9 years to win the SEC
TN won the SEC an average of once every 5 years

Fulmer (2): '97, '98
It took Fulmer 5 years to win the SEC
TN won the SEC an average of once every 8 years

NCAA Championships (1): '98
Majors: 0
Fulmer: '98
It took Fulmer 6 years to win the National Championship
TN won the national championship an average of once every 16 years

TL: DR
  • Over the past 40 years we've won the SEC 5 times.
  • Since the split of divisions 24 years ago we've won the SEC East 5 times.
  • Next year is Butch's 5th year. If he can win the East then he is tracking with the "glory days" of Phil Fulmer and ahead of Johnny Majors
  • If TN wins out, it will be TN's best record in the past 12 seasons.

Don't let the facts impact your opinion of Butch. But they are what they are.:hi:
Click to expand...


Great post!!!!!!!
 
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