Games to have back by Decade

[TheDirector]

I would like to have the 1973 Georgia game back. If replay would have existed, we don't lose the 1987 Alabama game. How about the 2 ties in 1990, maybe our most talented roster ever. How about the ND loss in 2004?

Agreed! That 1990 team was loaded!

Also don't forget Bama blocking the FG in 1990 and those lucky SOBs had the ball roll backwards 30yds so they were almost in FG range themselves. Then they ran a couple plays and kicked the game winner as time expired. Did I mention I hate Alabama?

 

[Orange.]

I was at the ND game. Incredible game, except for that pesky scoreboard.

Another incredible game from that year: 45-3 over Florida!

 

[BernardKingGOAT]

Hate to be that guy but he didn’t play well against Vandy, part of that was cause of the weather so we just ran it down their throat, he went wild against Clemson in the bowl game.

I know we ran it most of the time in that game. He played well enough. Completed one massively impressive pass.

I don't know what you mean by "hate to be that guy".

 

[GVF]

If I had been born into English royalty...

I was born into Scottish royalty of the 1200's....but far too long after they were ousted and run out. So, it basically carries the weight of a broken bidet.

 

[ZZ13]

All those games where we fumbled at or near the goal line going in for a score. Gosh, there are so many of them.

 

[Brave Volunteer]

If we could change the outcome of one game by decade, this would be the game, in my opinion. Beware its a long read:

1910s
1916 Tennessee vs Kentucky
-If the Vols win this game, we finish the season undefeated. This would have given Tennessee its second undefeated season in three years as well as made John Bender the fourth Tennessee coach to have an undefeated season. The vols would have retroactively claimed this season as national champions.
-Vols went 8-0-1 but could have gone 9-0 (SIAA Champs and claimed National Champs)

1920s
1927 Tennessee vs Vandy
-If the vols win this game, Neyland gets his first undefeated football season in Year 2. The Vol were already SoCon champs, but an undefeated season would’ve made the Vols unanimous national champions. No other teams were undefeated that year.
-Vols went 8-0-1 but could have gone 9-0 (SoCon Champs and claimed National Champs)

1930s
1939 Tennessee vs USC Rose Bowl
-If the vols win this game, Neyland gets his second consecutive undefeated season. The Vols win streak becomes 34 straight wins from 1937-1940. The Vols would have been the only other undefeated team in the country with Texas A&M. Tennessee would have rightfully claimed national champions this season and would have had a 3 peat of natties from 1938-1940.
-Vols went 10-1 but could have gone 11-0 (SEC Champs and claimed National Champs)

1940s
1940 Tennessee vs Boston College Sugar Bowl
-If the Vols win this game, Neyland has another shot at an undefeated season. The Vols would have been undefeated and would have had a unanimous retroactive claim to the national championship.
-Vols went 10-1 but could have gone 11-0 (SEC Champs and claimed National Champs)

1950s
1950 Tennessee vs MS State
-If the vols win this game, Neyland gets another undefeated season. The vols would have been the SEC champions instead of Kentucky and would have played OU in the Sugar Bowl instead of Texas in the Cotton Bowl. Kentucky beat OU in the Sugar Bowl that year and we beat Kentucky, so there is a great chance we would have won to be undefeated. Either way a perfect 11-0 record in the regular season would have given us a more stable claim than our current claim of national champs.
-Vols went 11-1 but could have gone 11-0 in the regular season and been AP champs before the bowl game (SEC Champs and Unanimous National Champs)

1960s
1967 Tennessee vs UCLA
-If the vols win this game, Dickey gets a unanimous national title in 1967. The Vols would have been the only team to have a perfect 10-0 regular season, making them the national champs in the final pre-bowl AP national champion ranking.
-Vols went 9-2 but could have gone 10-1 (SEC Champs and Unanimous National Champs)

1970s
1970 Tennessee vs Auburn
-If the vols win this game, we are undefeated in the regular season and win our 3rd SEC title in 4 years. We also would have played in the Orange Bowl against Nebraska for the AP national championship.
-This would also have given the Vols a conference title in every decade from 1910 to 2000.
-Vols went 11-1 but could have gone 11-0 regular season and played for the Natty in the Orange Bowl (SEC Champs and played in the Natty)

1980s
1989 Tennessee vs Alabama
-If the vols win this game, we finish the regular season undefeated and win the SEC outright. This would have placed us in the Sugar Bowl against Miami for the AP national championship. Also, would have given Johnny Majors his sole natty appearance at Tennessee.
-Vols went 11-1 but could have gone 11-0 in the regular season and played for the Natty in the Sugar Bowl (SEC Champs and played in the Natty)

1990s
Toss up: 1993 Tennessee vs Florida or 1995 Tennessee vs Florida
-If the vols win either of these games it’s the same outcome. A win in either of these games would have made the vols the SEC East champion and placed us in the SEC title game against teams we had already played earlier in the season. We would have been in the national title game season with a win vs Florida in both seasons. In 1993, Heath Shuler probably would have won the Heisman and in 1995 Peyton would have had a great shot at it with an undefeated pre bowl season and SEC title as a sophomore. I don’t think Tennessee would have won the national title in either season, but we would have won the SEC and played for the natty and possibly had a Heisman winner.
-1993 vols went 10-2 but could have gone 11-1 (SEC East title, played in SEC title, and played in Natty)
-1995 vols went 11-1 but could have gone 12-1 (SEC East title, played in SEC title, and played in Natty)

2000s
2001 Tennessee vs LSU SEC title game
-If the vols win this game, we are SEC champs and play for the national title against Miami. Tennessee would have won 3 out of 5 SEC titles, prevented Saban from winning one, and been in the BCS national title game for the second time in 5 years. The vols probably lose the natty but would have put Fulmer in a higher league of coach and given the Vols an SEC title in 3 straight decades as well as a conference title in every decade except the 70s stretching from the 1910s to the 2000s.
-Vols went 11-2 but could have gone 12-1 (SEC Champs and played in the Natty)

2010s
2015 Tennessee vs Florida
-If the Vols win this game, we win the SEC East and play in the SEC title for the first time in 8 years. The vols would have played a Bama team they barely lost to earlier in the season for the SEC title. This would have marked 3 straight decades of winning the East and playing in the SEC championship.
-Vols went 9-4 but could have gone 10-4 (SEC East Champs and played in SEC title)

2020s
2024 Tennessee vs Arkansas
-If the vols win this game, we would have finished the regular season 11-1 and played in the SEC championship against an injured Texas team. At worst, a loss to Texas in the SEC title game would have given the Vols Texas’s playoff schedule. This would have consisted of playing Clemson at home, Arizona State in the Peach Bowl, and Ohio State in the semis in Dallas.
-Vols went 10-3 but could have gone 11-2 (SEC title appearance and higher playoff seed)

Surprised you picked 2024 Arkansas over 2022 South Carolina.

 

[Boca Vol]

We had a tie in 1993 until the cheaters had to forfeit 2 years later giving us the 10th win so our postseason that year would have been affected by that tie. I would like to have that 1993 Bama game back more than any other game in the 90s. Everyone in the stadium knew David Palmer was going to keep the ball when he came in for the 2 point conversion and we stuffed the middle and let that idiot run wide. Thanks for ruining my day! Man I hate Alabama!

How would the post season been affected in that season? Just curious. I don't remember the bowl tie-ins/ rules back then.

 

[Unconditional Surrender]

Never have understood these nut kick threads.

 

[Boca Vol]

Never have understood these nut kick threads.

What doesn't kill you makes you stronger?

 

[GBO2011]

Surprised you picked 2024 Arkansas over 2022 South Carolina.

Agreed. 2024 we would have made it further in the playoffs than in real life but still lost in the semis, 2022 i think we would have had a shot at a national championship, we would have had to get through Georgia though.

 

[TheDirector]

How would the post season been affected in that season? Just curious. I don't remember the bowl tie-ins/ rules back then.

It's confusing but the Op said that we were 10-2 at the end of the season and would have been 11-1 if we had beat Florida in the regular season. My point was at the end of the season our official record was 9-2-1 not 10-2. We didn't get that forfeit win back until a year or 2 later. We would have also played another game in the SEC Championship before bowl season. We would have gone to the Sugar Bowl as the SEC Champ tie in. Don't remember enough to say whether an 11-1-1 record would have got us a NC but doubtful. Several teams had only 1 loss and no ties that year.

I may be missed something but I think that's correct

 

[Orange.]

If we could change the outcome of one game by decade,

 

[Boca Vol]

It's confusing but the Op said that we were 10-2 at the end of the season and would have been 11-1 if we had beat Florida in the regular season. My point was at the end of the season our official record was 9-2-1 not 10-2. We didn't get that forfeit win back until a year or 2 later. We would have also played another game in the SEC Championship before bowl season. We would have gone to the Sugar Bowl as the SEC Champ tie in. Don't remember enough to say whether an 11-1-1 record would have got us a NC but doubtful. Several teams had only 1 loss and no ties that year.

I may be missed something but I think that's correct

The Alabama tie wouldn’t have mattered since UF beat UT head to head. I think UFs only losses were to Auburn & FSU.

 

[IfDickeyStayed]

It's confusing but the Op said that we were 10-2 at the end of the season and would have been 11-1 if we had beat Florida in the regular season. My point was at the end of the season our official record was 9-2-1 not 10-2. We didn't get that forfeit win back until a year or 2 later. We would have also played another game in the SEC Championship before bowl season. We would have gone to the Sugar Bowl as the SEC Champ tie in. Don't remember enough to say whether an 11-1-1 record would have got us a NC but doubtful. Several teams had only 1 loss and no ties that year.

I may be missed something but I think that's correct

In 1993, if we had beaten Florida, our pre-SEC title record would have been 10-0-1. We would have played Bama again in the SEC title game, and if we had won, our pre-bowl record would have been 11-0-1. I think this would have put us in the national title Orange Bowl against Nebraska instead of Florida State, who was 11-1. I also think this would have given Heath Shuler the Heisman over Charlie Ward.