Maybe I misunderstood your 1st sentence:
"It matters because, among other reasons, they play football games to win and be ranked with the goal being #1."
My bad.
I disagree based on last season's performance and what we had coming back. Last year 2 of our 4 losses were to playoff teams where we had a late 4th quarter lead. It definitely wasn't all hype. We would be ranked (and would deserve to be) if we had just taken care of business at SC.
For the sake of argument, let's imagine that we move up to # 22 in the polls. Then in the SECCG we beat Auburn/Alabama. That moves us up to maybe #17, Does this have us in the Play offs?
How do we get to the ultimate goal, to be #1 when we already have 3 losses?
For the sake of argument, let's imagine that we move up to # 22 in the polls. Then in the SECCG we beat Auburn/Alabama. That moves us up to maybe #17, Does this have us in the Play offs?
How do we get to the ultimate goal, to be #1 when we already have 3 losses?
No worries.
It does matter because the players fans, school administration, etc cares where they are ranked. Higher ranking drives media attention, fan attention, high school player attention (recruiting),box office sales, t-shirt sales, etc.
For the sake of argument, let's imagine that we move up to # 22 in the polls. Then in the SECCG we beat Auburn/Alabama. That moves us up to maybe #17, Does this have us in the Play offs?
How do we get to the ultimate goal, to be #1 when we already have 3 losses?
Not if you're ranked in the 20's when you were expected to contend for the playoffs. Don't get me wrong, I'd rather UT be ranked than not ranked but UT is still a 3 loss team.
In the wake of last night's events. That loss to South Carolina was the worst to our program since December 2001. Absolutely inexcusable. That's not me banging on Butch because every coach has an inexcusable loss. Even Nick Saban.
North Carolina being ranked is an embarrassment to this poll. They have 3 losses and all to unranked teams.
Polls have and always will be silly. Who really believes Troy, Western Mich, Utah, etc would beat TN or almost any other SEC team.