If you could change any UT football game outcomes that we could have/should have won, what would they be?

#26
#26

If I had to pick one, that would be it. I had to help two friends surreptitiously replace sheetrock in their apartment after they kicked through a wall when we got back after the game. And believe me, none of us knew much about hanging sheetrock. Most losses can be dealt with but that was construction. Painful.
 
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#29
#29
2001 LSU
2004 Notre Dame
2009 Alabama
2010 LSU
2015 Oklahoma
2016 South Carolina
2016 Vanderbilt
 
#30
#30
1951 NC was tainted by the bowl game loss to Maryland, even though the Vols were named NC before the Bowl game
 
#32
#32
This is for the way they most severely affected our season, our program trajectory, prestige , our fanbase, whatever you choose?

My top list with reasons listed
1939 - USC - Broke our unbeaten, unscored on streak
1940 - Boston College - cost us undefeated season and consensus NC
1950 - Miss. State - cost us consensus NC
1956 - Baylor - cost us consensus NC
1965 - Ole Miss - cost us major bowl and chance at NC
1966 - Bama - cost us chance at NC
1967 - Oklahoma - cost us chance at consensus NC
1968 - Texas - could have elevated our program to elite in eyes of media instead of Bama
1969 - Ole Miss - cost us chance at NC
1970 - Auburn - cost us chance at NC
1971 - Bama - cost us chance at NC
1980 - UGA - had the game won twice and our fumble gave them their only NC in modern history
1983 - Ole Miss - cost us a major bowl vs Texas
1985 - Florida - cheating gators cost us a chance at NC
1987 - Boston College - cost us a chance at major bowl
1989 - Bama - cost us chance at NC
1990 - Bama/N. Dame - cost us chance at NC
1992 - Arky/SC - either cost us 3 game lead over Fla in initial SEC title game
1993 - Florida - cost us major bowl/SEC title
1995 - Florida - cost us major bowl/SEC title/chance at NC
1996 - Memphis - cost us major bowl
1997 - Nebraska - cost us chance at NC
1999 - Arkansas - cost us SEC title/chance at NC
2000 - Florida - cost us SEC title
2001 - LSU - cost us SEC title/chance at NC
2003 - Auburn - cost us major bowl/chance at SEC title
2004 - N. Dame - cost us major bowl and hurt QB
2004 - Auburn - cost us SEC title and major bowl
2006 - Florida/LSU - cost us SEC title/major bowl/chance at NC
2007 - LSU - cost us SEC title/major bowl
2014 - Florida - missed opportunity to overtake Florida rebuilding
2015 - Oklahoma/Florida/Bama - missed opportunity to "be back"
2016 - Vanderbilt - cost us the Sugar Bowl
I don’t get 1940 and 1997. The loss to Boston College in the sugar bowl had no impact on the national championship, as the title was awarded prior to bowl games being played. In 1997, once Michigan won the Rose Bowl, Tennessee had no shot at the title. They could have beaten Nebraska by 70 and still would have finished 2nd to Michigan in both polls.
 
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#34
#34
The only one on here that in retrospect I am glad we didn't win is 1995 Florida. Better for them to take that beating from Nebraska than us. That Husker team is still the greatest ever imo. Florida was really good and Nebraska beat them in the Fiesta Bowl like they were Austin Peay.
Winning the SEC is winning the SEC
 
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#35
#35
I don’t get 1940 and 1997. The loss to Boston College in the sugar bowl had no impact on the national championship, as the title was awarded prior to bowl games being played. In 1997, once Michigan won the Rose Bowl, Tennessee had no shot at the title. They could have beaten Nebraska by 70 and still would have finished 2nd to Michigan in both polls.
The Bowl Alliance was contracted to name its winner the NC
 
#37
#37
Winning the SEC is winning the SEC
I know winning the conference has great worth, and I'm not necessarily disagreeing with you but that was a legendary skull fracking Florida took. People still talk about it, in this rare instance I'm not sure winning the conference was worth it.
 
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#40
#40
The only one on here that in retrospect I am glad we didn't win is 1995 Florida. Better for them to take that beating from Nebraska than us. That Husker team is still the greatest ever imo. Florida was really good and Nebraska beat them in the Fiesta Bowl like they were Austin Peay.
I'd have to go with 01 Miami. The team just had so much NFL talent on it. The 95 Huskers vs 01 Miami would be like two semi trucks hitting head on, would be a great game to watch.
 
#41
#41
I'd have to go with 01 Miami. The team just had so much NFL talent on it. The 95 Huskers vs 01 Miami would be like two semi trucks hitting head on, would be a great game to watch.
I remember watching the 1997 bowl game against Nebraska and noticing how enormous their players looked compared to ours. Then when they started introducing the lineups, I noticed every starting lineman listed for Nebraska was "red shirt Sr, redshirt Sr, redshirt Jr, Senior, Senior, etc. Right then and there I knew we were in trouble. I read somewhere where Fulmer said Nebraska brought their entire weight room with them on 18 wheelers to workout that week.
 
#42
#42
99 Florida hurt like hell. If Jamal has gone the right way, that wouldn’t have happened. That team was beyond stout.
 
#43
#43
I remember watching the 1997 bowl game against Nebraska and noticing how enormous their players looked compared to ours. Then when they started introducing the lineups, I noticed every starting lineman listed for Nebraska was "red shirt Sr, redshirt Sr, redshirt Jr, Senior, Senior, etc. Right then and there I knew we were in trouble. I read somewhere where Fulmer said Nebraska brought their entire weight room with them on 18 wheelers to workout that week.
If I remember correctly Coach O did the same in 2019.
 
#44
#44
I'd have to go with 01 Miami. The team just had so much NFL talent on it. The 95 Huskers vs 01 Miami would be like two semi trucks hitting head on, would be a great game to watch.
I've never seen a team as physically dominant as 95' Nebraska on the lines of scrimmage. They just looked like they were like 2 or 3 classifications over everyone they played. That's what gives them the edge to me. 01' Miami was certainly good too though.
 
#45
#45
This is for the way they most severely affected our season, our program trajectory, prestige , our fanbase, whatever you choose?

My top list with reasons listed
1939 - USC - Broke our unbeaten, unscored on streak
1940 - Boston College - cost us undefeated season and consensus NC
1950 - Miss. State - cost us consensus NC
1956 - Baylor - cost us consensus NC
1965 - Ole Miss - cost us major bowl and chance at NC
1966 - Bama - cost us chance at NC
1967 - Oklahoma - cost us chance at consensus NC
1968 - Texas - could have elevated our program to elite in eyes of media instead of Bama
1969 - Ole Miss - cost us chance at NC
1970 - Auburn - cost us chance at NC
1971 - Bama - cost us chance at NC
1980 - UGA - had the game won twice and our fumble gave them their only NC in modern history
1983 - Ole Miss - cost us a major bowl vs Texas
1985 - Florida - cheating gators cost us a chance at NC
1987 - Boston College - cost us a chance at major bowl
1989 - Bama - cost us chance at NC
1990 - Bama/N. Dame - cost us chance at NC
1992 - Arky/SC - either cost us 3 game lead over Fla in initial SEC title game
1993 - Florida - cost us major bowl/SEC title
1995 - Florida - cost us major bowl/SEC title/chance at NC
1996 - Memphis - cost us major bowl
1997 - Nebraska - cost us chance at NC
1999 - Arkansas - cost us SEC title/chance at NC
2000 - Florida - cost us SEC title
2001 - LSU - cost us SEC title/chance at NC
2003 - Auburn - cost us major bowl/chance at SEC title
2004 - N. Dame - cost us major bowl and hurt QB
2004 - Auburn - cost us SEC title and major bowl
2006 - Florida/LSU - cost us SEC title/major bowl/chance at NC
2007 - LSU - cost us SEC title/major bowl
2014 - Florida - missed opportunity to overtake Florida rebuilding
2015 - Oklahoma/Florida/Bama - missed opportunity to "be back"
2016 - Vanderbilt - cost us the Sugar Bowl
Easy, 2001 . . .
 
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#46
#46
As others have said....LSU 2001. Knocked out QB and RB - backups (and a few timely fumbles) beat us. I was there. Couldn't believe it.

Thanks for the due-diligence on all these games - didn't know UT was so close so many times!! Good Grief! :-(
 
#47
#47
2001 SECCG against LSU is the easy answer, but that 2006 team was a very good team and could have gone on to do great things. That one point loss to Florida because of a blown call by the refs, and the LSU game that Ainge didn't play in really shafted us.
 
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#49
#49
Took my answer. To me, you could argue this was the start of the fall of UT. We win that game and play for NC, you never know what different trajectory we take.
Should be everyone’s most recent answer. That’s the only real game of consequence in 20 years and we blew it.
 
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#50
#50
2001 SECCG against LSU is the easy answer, but that 2006 team was a very good team and could have gone on to do great things. That one point loss to Florida because of a blown call by the refs, and the LSU game that Ainge didn't play in really shafted us.
I like to say because I believe it and because it ticks people off, but if we beat Florida we’re potentially looking at a BCS title game. The entire way we approach the season changes from that point on .
 

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