Does anyone here think we were honestly the "best" team in 98?

[VolsSportsFan]

Didn't Nebraska's 1997 co-national championship (the one that beat the snot out of us in Miami) beat Missouri on a last second TD where one Nebraska WR kicked it and it happened to go right to another Nebraska WR? That was WAY more lucky than our Arkansas "luck".

What about LSU 2 years ago....they were lucky we couldn't seal the deal in Atlanta.

 

[Godfatha]

How can you look at that team and say we weren't the best. Look at the talent on the team. Look at the schedule. Syracuse w/McNabb was strong. The SEC was strong. We needed luck, but so does every N C at some point. We were a defensive team. We won ugly games. I would take our team and put them up against almost any of the NC teams in the past 20 years and expect a good game. The only exception might be the Nebraska teams of the 90's.
Posted via VolNation Mobile

 

[tidwell]

The phrasing of this question kills me. It's almost like the original poster guy was going to be surprised by anything other than, "No, I didn't."

 

[VolsRule]

UT had a couple of lucky wins in 98 (Florida, Syracuse and Arkansas) but all title teams get a little luck. Look at Florida the last few years---they needed a bunch of teams to lose to get to the title game after their loss to Auburn / Miss and everything happened exactly like they wanted.

 

[JustWinKiffie]

I've said this on every board I've posted on, FSU stopped Nebraska with the exact same type of athlete that UT possessed at about the same time! Our problem was John Chavis! Chavis couldn't keep Air Force from running the frickin' option on Tennessee!

 

[KingNick865]

I've said this on every board I've posted on, FSU stopped Nebraska with the exact same type of athlete that UT possessed at about the same time! Our problem was John Chavis! Chavis couldn't keep Air Force from running the frickin' option on Tennessee!

The option is one of the toughest offenses to defend. Air Force runs it exceptionally well. Well, ran it exceptionally well with Fisher DeBerry. I don't know if Calhoun runs it or not.

 

[SGMVols]

What about LSU 2 years ago....they were lucky we couldn't seal the deal in Atlanta.

Even with that, they were still extremely lucky to sneak into the #2 spot in the BCS to make it to the NC game with 2 losses (both to teams who lost 5 games that year). IIRC, they were somewhere around #7 the week of the SECCG and needed several teams in front of them to lose.

 

[Cartervol]

Yes they were the best "team". Maybe not as talented as some but the best team yes. Only one to go undefeated also. Even the best teams need a little luck to go undefeated. I don't think you can take anything away from that team. The record and what they did speaks for itself.

 

[Tampavolz]

The option is one of the toughest offenses to defend. Air Force runs it exceptionally well. Well, ran it exceptionally well with Fisher DeBerry. I don't know if Calhoun runs it or not.

Please continue to defend how tough Air Force was running the option with their amazing one half and one star athletes :crazy:

 

[KingNick865]

Please continue to defend how tough Air Force was running the option with their amazing one half and one star athletes :crazy:

The option is great for crappy teams who don't have a lot of size. It also requires a great deal of concentration and discipline to run, which is why the service academies seem to be the one's who use the offense most of the time.

This is why you see Navy go 8-4 or 9-3 all the time, even though they can't get any more than a 2 star player.

 

[SavageOrangeJug]

Do you see that shiny trophy in front of Phil? That says we were the best team in 1998. Nobody can ever take that away from us. One hundred years from now, that trophy will still say, we were the best. The record books will say the same thing.

End of story.