cupcake games

#27
#27
As others have said, games like this give us a chance to play a lot of players. Many of our starters took almost every snap in the Pitt game. It's a long season and we don't want to wear them out. We have a lot of younger players who might be capable of helping us later in the season. But they need playing time in a real game to gain experience and show the coaches they can be trusted. I really look forward to a game like this, even though it's for different reasons than when it's Pitt or UF.
 
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#28
#28
The more cupcakes the better imo. We play in the SEC. We play a really tough schedule every year. I know some think we should play tough OOC opponents but I disagree. With the playoff system now, strength of schedule doesn’t really factor in as much as it’s used to. I am all in favor of doing like UK does. Schedule extremely weak OOC opponents every year.
 
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#35
#35
Wins, especially big ones no matter who against, builds confidence and increases morale.

The downside is if you pull a TA&M/Michigan and lose to Appy State you lose that confidence and morale tanks.
 
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#36
#36
Pretty awesome feeling like this again….isn’t it.

Heck I bet most of us have looked over the schedule and decided which games were already wins or most likely wins…….feels good.

Heck we really haven’t been able to do that in quite some time.
 
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#38
#38
tennesseekilt said:
I don't know about the rest of you, but this week sort of feels like a bye week to me or at least a glorified scrimmage. And we have THREE on the schedule like this, plus an actual bye week. It's a tale as old as time, I know, and I also understand the SEC is tough, but I would much prefer to watch the team play a lower-tier power conference school where a win is at least respectable on paper than see another 40-50-point no-win beatdown over a no-name school. Other than to fill a slot and pay money to small schools, what's the point?

/end rant
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Conference is plenty tough. These easy games are perfect opportunity to get a look at younger players, subs, etc and get guys a rest to stay healthy. You said you understand the conference is tough but you really don’t. I doubt many on the board understand the grind of a whole season. More power teams you play the more likely you have a significant injury to a significant player.
 
#39
#39
Gandalf said:
What is the point?
giphy.gif

Thats the point - and cupcake or not, a team is judged on the number of wins. As we saw this last week, not all cupcakes go down so easily.
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Then let's move to the MAC and tear 'em up.
 
#40
#40
FLVOL_79 said:
Wins, especially big ones no matter who against, builds confidence and increases morale.

The downside is if you pull a TA&M/Michigan and lose to Appy State you lose that confidence and morale tanks.
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If Hurd didn't recover that fumble in the end zone we'd be on that list.
 
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#41
#41
tennesseekilt said:
I don't know about the rest of you, but this week sort of feels like a bye week to me or at least a glorified scrimmage. And we have THREE on the schedule like this, plus an actual bye week. It's a tale as old as time, I know, and I also understand the SEC is tough, but I would much prefer to watch the team play a lower-tier power conference school where a win is at least respectable on paper than see another 40-50-point no-win beatdown over a no-name school. Other than to fill a slot and pay money to small schools, what's the point?

/end rant
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UT has typically done a nice job of scheduling one good out of conference opponent mixed in with three cupcakes. This year is no exception with Pitt, Balls Tate (lol), Akron, and UT Martin. The point is we play a tough slate every year and need to have some gimme games. Just about every other team in the SEC does the same thing.
 
#42
#42
ESPN FPI ranks the Vols as having the fifth hardest schedule in all of college football this year. This is including the few "breather" games some nags are denigrating as cupcake games.
 
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#43
#43
volfan4evr said:
Anytime the VOLS take the field, I want to see them play. Don't care who they play. I still like seeing the younger guys play and develop.
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Agreed and more than likely tho your self esteem and perspective on life isn't determined by what college students do/don't do
 
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#45
#45
tennesseekilt said:
I don't know about the rest of you, but this week sort of feels like a bye week to me or at least a glorified scrimmage. And we have THREE on the schedule like this, plus an actual bye week. It's a tale as old as time, I know, and I also understand the SEC is tough, but I would much prefer to watch the team play a lower-tier power conference school where a win is at least respectable on paper than see another 40-50-point no-win beatdown over a no-name school. Other than to fill a slot and pay money to small schools, what's the point?

/end rant
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Given how far "mid-major" schools have come (see App State and Marshall, among others), I'm a big believer in scheduling bottom-feeder power 5 programs. They're no more difficult to beat than most of these FCS schools, but the win "looks" better. Like Mississippi State beating Arizona. Arizona is awful. But beating them looks better than beating Marshall, App State, Miami (Oh), Bowling Green, Georgia Southern, Western Michigan, etc., even though the latter schools are probably as good or better. Plus, your team is more likely to get up for the power 5 team.

Tennessee is doing this next year by playing Virginia. I know a lot of fans are unhappy because we cancelled BYU for it, but games like that are smart scheduling. Virginia is a P5 school with a bigger name, but probably weaker than many if not most FCS schools. Danny White is doing what I've long thought Tennessee should do. He gets it. Now schedule teams like Maryland, Indiana, Georgia Tech, Duke, Oregon State, Arizona, and Kansas instead of UT Martin, Akron, Tennessee Tech, etc.
 
#49
#49
tennesseekilt said:
I don't know about the rest of you, but this week sort of feels like a bye week to me or at least a glorified scrimmage. And we have THREE on the schedule like this, plus an actual bye week. It's a tale as old as time, I know, and I also understand the SEC is tough, but I would much prefer to watch the team play a lower-tier power conference school where a win is at least respectable on paper than see another 40-50-point no-win beatdown over a no-name school. Other than to fill a slot and pay money to small schools, what's the point?

/end rant
Click to expand...
We should be scheduleding more bad power 5 teams. Ind, IL, Cal, VA. Bad teams all over the place. Why schedule Akron? Anyone?
 
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