ESPN: Vols have the most lopsided schedule in the SEC

#51
#51
2007 was the BCS...two different things. i think it will be harder for a 2 loss team to get in. but a 2 loss SEC champion....yeah, there's a path for that team.

you can't have 4 undefeated conf champions...but you might have a questionable ACC or Big 12 team or one of those teams (possibly undefeated) loses it's conf title game....

so yeah, there's a way that it could happen.
 
#52
#52
that's the BCS not a play off committee.

and for all those saying 10-2 wouldn't get it in....i'll just say this...10-2, winning the SEC title game.....11-2....

i think there's probably a path for that team to get in the play off. it would depend greatly on the other teams it'd be competing with for a spot mind you....but there's a path for that team to get in, certainly.

And it would likely take a season as messy as the one that got the 10-2 LSU there in 2007.
 
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#54
#54
2007 was the BCS...two different things. i think it will be harder for a 2 loss team to get in. but a 2 loss SEC champion....yeah, there's a path for that team.

you can't have 4 undefeated conf champions...but you might have a questionable ACC or Big 12 team or one of those teams (possibly undefeated) loses it's conf title game....

so yeah, there's a way that it could happen.

I don't disagree that there's possibility...it's just the slimness of it being able to play out as such. You're most likely not going to have an 11-2 SEC team get in over 12-1 conference winners, though. Unless a crazy season happens or both of those losses were something like overtime to the teams currently ranked #1 and #2.
 
#55
#55
10-2 division winner in the SEC is probably a top 10 team. probably not been part of the top 4 at all that year.

so yes, they would need help. starting with probably beating a higher ranked opponent in the title game.

then you probably only really need 1 domino to fall to grab a spot.
 
#56
#56
that's the BCS not a play off committee.

and for all those saying 10-2 wouldn't get it in....i'll just say this...10-2, winning the SEC title game.....11-2....

i think there's probably a path for that team to get in the play off. it would depend greatly on the other teams it'd be competing with for a spot mind you....but there's a path for that team to get in, certainly.


I included it because it was part of the question. Stanford, last season, wasn't that far from the promiseLand. There are a lot of changes going on that will strengthen SOS in power 5 conferences. 9 conference games becoming the norm will. The big ten legislating no FCS schools starting this season is another.

Overall national perception of divisions within conferences do exist. It doesn't take football fans long to draw the difference between the Big Ten East/West, Pac12 North/South. The same is true in the SEC.
 
#58
#58
Lol I'd rather play Miss state and Arkansas in the West and have a better chance at winning the East but that's just me I guess. Because if we win those and then win the SEC championship, we are an auto bid into the playoffs anyway so dont give me the SoS crap
 
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#59
#59
Except for FSU, it's very comparable to our schedule. We play four of the same teams. Appy State, Ohio, and VA Tech are better than Wofford, Memphis, and GA Southern. Florida is our LSU. ARK, MSU, and Auburn are only slightly better than SC, MO, and KY.

I don't believe that to be true.

LSU is better than Florida this year.

Arkansas and Auburn are better than SC and MO (both teams are replacing staffs and in flux - both have more talent as well). Mississippi State is also much better than Kentucky.

I also feel that you're minimizing the Florida State game. FSU is a championship contender this year.
 
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#60
#60
It is bull**** that the SEC has a hardon for Tennessee to play Florida and Georgia back to back. They did it for yrs early on and seem to come back to it again. Does Florida play Tennessee and Ga back to back? Does Ga ever play Florida and Tennessee back to back? Does Alabama play LSU and Auburn back to back?

Thei issue is those are the two main contenders in the division. If you have a key a player out a couple weeks, the entire division is lost cause you're not catching them down 2 games in the division. It's bull****.
 
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#61
#61
ESPN: Tennessee Vols football has 'most lopsided' schedule in SEC in 2016

So a lot of people think having our 4 toughest games (Florida, at Georgia, at A&M, and Alabama) in 4 consecutive weeks at the beginning of the season is a disadvantage.

I disagree.

I believe having all those games early in the season and in consecutive weeks is to our advantage. We're now a veteran team with the most returning starters in the SEC. Playing our toughest opponents early gives us the advantage since we have more returning talent with lots of experience. A lot of these other teams will be breaking in lots of new starters that we won't. This continuity is greater advantage for us early in the season than in late November.

In addition, winning builds momentum. If we beat Florida, the momentum from that win could power us to a better than expected performance the following weeks.

All in all, I love the way the schedule falls for us.

God help UF, UGA, A&M, and Bama they have to play us when we'll be on a roll!!!
 
#62
#62
ESPN: Tennessee Vols football has 'most lopsided' schedule in SEC in 2016

So a lot of people think having our 4 toughest games (Florida, at Georgia, at A&M, and Alabama) in 4 consecutive weeks at the beginning of the season is a disadvantage.

I disagree.

I believe having all those games early in the season and in consecutive weeks is to our advantage. We're now a veteran team with the most returning starters in the SEC. Playing our toughest opponents early gives us the advantage since we have more returning talent with lots of experience. A lot of these other teams will be breaking in lots of new starters that we won't. This continuity is greater advantage for us early in the season than in late November.

In addition, winning builds momentum. If we beat Florida, the momentum from that win could power us to a better than expected performance the following weeks.

All in all, I love the way the schedule falls for us.

I agree about playing the games early. Another advantage is that we're less likely to be missing key players to injury early in the season.
 
#65
#65
So the question becomes since Tennessee has only an early 4 game schedule, how is that going to sell with the SOS street creed you're not getting in the polls? Iowa had to be perfect. NC never recovered.

The playoff committee doesn't get cranked up until the vols start the back third of a weak schedule. How does Butch keep his team and the committee interested?

A more balanced schedule would certainly be preferable, but there is a significant benefit to a front loaded schedule. It's easier to recover from an early season loss than one at the end - AL and OH St are fair examples of that. OSU rode the top of the CFP on a series of easy wins until MI St came to town. AL got away with the Ole Miss loss because it was early, and probably because AL also had a harder schedule than OSU. But when it comes to the SEC, nobody has an easy SOS regardless of how the games are arranged.
 
#66
#66
I don't believe that to be true.

LSU is better than Florida this year.

Arkansas and Auburn are better than SC and MO (both teams are replacing staffs and in flux - both have more talent as well). Mississippi State is also much better than Kentucky.

I also feel that you're minimizing the Florida State game. FSU is a championship contender this year.

Some teams may look better on paper, but we'll have to see when they actually start playing games how that works out. The FL, MO, and SC seasons probably upset some preseason predictions last year. GA, MO, and SC are all in flux - like FL was last year.
 
#67
#67
i get what you're saying, but I think you're overthinking it. I see no way that a road game in Athens against a rival could be a trap game. It's not as if we'll be overlooking them.

After what happened to King Tut last year we have VN posters concerned 120 won't be up to play UGA at Athens?!?!?!?! My only concern is Hurd turns around at the goal line and reruns over their defense rather than scoring as often as able. 120 will show off in Athens for one of their own, this will be a message game.
 
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