I'm not trying to be the voice of optimism, but the gap has narrowed dramatically

#1
KnoxRealtorVOL

KnoxRealtorVOL

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#1
What I mean is the gap between your Power 5, top-dawg, big boy football teams, and the bottom of the barrel, low level of football, G5 and lower teams.

10 years ago FCS App State beat Michigan. The CFB world turned upside down. Today, #13 Iowa lost to FCS NDSU, and I'm willing to bet half of the posters here don't even know about it.

#2 Clemson should have lost to Troy last week. #9 Tennessee should have lost to App State in Week 1. Mississippi State lost to South Alabama in Week 1, at the same time KY lost to Southern Miss, Arkansas (who beat TCU) should have lost to LA Tech in Week 1. Last week Nicholls State gave #9 UGA all they wanted, and again, no one is even discussing it now.

3 years ago we all laughed at Derek Mason because his Commodores barely squeaked out a win against UMass. Florida played UMass to start their season, the score was 7-10 late in the 4th. No one batted an eye.

My point is this: Big time players are realizing they can go to smaller schools and still get NFL contracts. Smaller schools are full of 4-year starters and we're putting them up against true freshmen in the SEC and other Power 5 conferences. Everywhere we look, "booster games" are no longer the walks in the park they used to be. The pups have grown fangs essentially, and if you sleepwalk they know how to bite.

We still know nothing about our team. A lot of good football teams have had needed luck on their side to stay undefeated this season, including us. Some other good football teams have been less fortunate. Regardless of who you play, wins have gotten dramatically harder to come by than in recent years.

Be thankful for 3-0.
 
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#3
#3
Football is becoming basketball on grass. Speed and schemes can now match up with more talented teams. Rules now favor offense as well.
 
#10
#10
Definitely some stronger mid majors nowadays...as you mentioned, Iowa got bit today and I posted that in another thread only to have posters question the relevance...

One thing for sure, we don't have a dominate OL so playing anyone who has at least a few quick, athletic defensive linemen is going to give us some problems...

Seems like this is our first year with a shot at going 4-0 in a while...definitely not pretty but we are a work in progress
 
#13
#13
App state is garbage and Miami put them in their place. Ohio is garbage and somebody will put them in their place. Stop making excuses.
 
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#15
#15
I want to reiterate this point again:

The pups have grown fangs essentially, and if you sleepwalk they know how to bite
Click to expand...


We have been caught sleepwalking twice this year. Miami didn't sleepwalk against App State today.
 
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#19
#19
Wylo said:
App state is garbage and Miami put them in their place. Ohio is garbage and somebody will put them in their place. Stop making excuses.
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That's fine. We already beat both of them. If we go 0-4 the next month then come back and complain. A win is a win and I get concerns but we will know what this team is made of in the next month. Right now all that matters is Florida.
 
#20
#20
I agree, I researched ohio around Tuesday and started worrying about them. We'll see how Texas State plays tonight but another example is ASU last night against Texas San Antonio....they controlled the game until the fourth quarter.

At the same time I am definitely disappointed about this team not living up to the hype too, as highly touted as we have been we have an uncanny way of playing to the level of our competition and that dates back to last season.
 
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#21
#21
chatt-townVOL said:
We are worse than Miami is a fact?
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Well since Miami is in a different conference there is only one way to logically measure that and its a common opponent. Tennessee played App state and needed an overtime miracle fumble recovery and a jittery FG kicker to win at home. Miami went into App states house and completely owned them from start to finish. So by using the only thing we can use to compare the two, yes Miami is better than Tennessee.
 
#23
#23
goooooovols said:
I agree, I researched ohio around Tuesday and started worrying about them. We'll see how Texas State plays tonight but another example is ASU last night against Texas San Antonio....they controlled the game until the fourth quarter.

At the same time I am definitely disappointed about this team not living up to the hype too, as highly touted as we have been we have an uncanny way of playing to the level of our competition and that dates back to last season.
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Yup. That's another one. Arizona State barely survived UTSA last night.

Also,

-Week 1 Furman gave Michigan State all they wanted
-Week 1 Houston dismantling Oklahoma could be in this conversation
-Week 1 Western Michigan beat Northwestern
-Week 2 East Carolina beat NC State


The list goes on and on and on.

I understand all the snarky responses, but this is hard data I'm using to support my theory. The data is tough to dispute.
 
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#24
#24
I didn't take the OP as making excuses for the Vols. The bottom line is that very few teams can walk through the "cupcakes" on their schedule. The playing field is much more level than it was a few years ago, and it's moving more so in that direction each year. As youth and high school football becomes bigger and bigger business, more and more athletes are being developed. The big boys can't identify and take them all with the current scholarship limitations.
 
#25
#25
chatt-townVOL said:
Yup. That's another one. Arizona State barely survived UTSA last night.

Also,

-Week 1 Furman gave Michigan State all they wanted
-Week 1 Houston dismantling Oklahoma could be in this conversation
-Week 1 Western Michigan beat Northwestern
-Week 2 East Carolina beat NC State


The list goes on and on and on.

I understand all the snarky responses, but this is hard data I'm using to support my theory. The data is tough to dispute.
Click to expand...

The only reason people are complaining about being 3-0 for the first time in 12 years and having the longest win streak in 17 years is the upcoming Florida game.

This fan base can't stomach another loss.

Your point is valid, and there's plenty of exceptions to the rule as well. Valid nonetheless.

I've said it before: watching Tennessee football during the fall is a gift. 99.9% of us are not personally affected by anything that happens on the field. It's a spectacle that's fun to watch. Why not just enjoy the ride?
 
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