My annual why are we playing them post

#1

airvols

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#1
I continue to say we are stupid to play them every year. We will get them in the SEC Championship anyway, if we ever get that good. No I’m not afraid to play them, no you don’t just get better and beat them, no traditional rivals don’t need to stay that way for good. No your manhood is not challenged because you believe there is a better, smarter way to approach the schedule. This game puts us at a disadvantage, both in divisional standings, bowl standing and recruiting. Steve Spurrier was right about traditional rivals, you simply make it easier for you divisional opponents. All you trolls that want to call everyone that believes this as some kind of traitor, I say fake news! If that had been Ole Miss yesterday and we were 4-3 coming out of the game the season already looks better. Rant over!
 
#6
#6
No disagreement here. I mean if we are masochists, let's just notify the league that we agree to play the 2 best teams from the West every year instead of one. This doesn't hurt us in the West, but it is a huge disadvantage for our chances of winning our division. A fair system would rotate non divisional foes equally.
 
#7
#7
No disagreement here. I mean if we are masochists, let's just notify the league that we agree to play the 2 best teams from the West every year instead of one. This doesn't hurt us in the West, but it is a huge disadvantage for our chances of winning our division. A fair system would rotate non divisional foes equally.
And if they did that, we'd still play Alabama every 3 years or so which is actually a lot more often than the rest of the East is playing them now under the current system every 6-7 years.
 
#10
#10
How many Vol fans would rather to go to a 9 game SEC schedule?

Keep the gumps and rotate two other west teams home and home.

Add 2 P5 OCC home and home and have 1 pay game to start the season in Neyland.
 
#12
#12
How many Vol fans would rather to go to a 9 game SEC schedule?

Keep the gumps and rotate two other west teams home and home.

Add 2 P5 OCC home and home and have 1 pay game to start the season in Neyland.
I think that's probably the sort of solution that will satisfy TN, AL, UGA and Auburn. No way I'd schedule 2 P5s though with a 9 game SEC schedule.
 
#13
#13
No disagreement here. I mean if we are masochists, let's just notify the league that we agree to play the 2 best teams from the West every year instead of one. This doesn't hurt us in the West, but it is a huge disadvantage for our chances of winning our division. A fair system would rotate non divisional foes equally.

Exactly!!!!! Every team in the East should rotate two games with each team in the West through a complete cycle. If you disagree, you obviously haven't lived through this Bammer series since 1970 like I have. While I remember all the great UT wins, they are quite small in number compared to ever growing number of losses, especially the beat downs of the past 12 years. It's hard to believe that after we won in 1970, we actually were leading them in the all-time series record. Now it is no where close as I've endured now three prolonged losing streaks to the filthy dirty stinking Tide. I am convinced if Alabama was Georgia's annual opponent, we would hear their fans complaining about a competitive disadvantage and I wouldn't blame them. This despite their annual opponent being Auburn. Same goes for Florida.
 
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#15
#15
Most Vol fans love the tradition of everything that is the T. Part of the T and college tradition not just because of the two schools but college football tradition. If I mention Red River showdown, 3rd Saturday in October, Cocktail Party, do I need to say the schools?

Bama won’t forever be at this level and you saw no talk of this pre 2008. Bama wondered in the wilderness save one year from Bear to Saban, their sin will find them out and off to the wilderness they will go. They won’t be content with anyone after Saban. Heck, they lose a game and some want him fired.
 
#16
#16
Why though?

I like playing them every year, but I can also remember when we used to play Auburn, Ole Miss and Georgia Tech every year too, and the program didn't fall apart when we stopped.
I don't have any problem with shaking up the schedule. I DO have a problem accepting status quo as forever.
Otoh, I am old enough remember some glory days and know the world is cyclic. We'll be back.
We each obviously bring our own perspective but I would rather quit being a fan than admit to my Murfreesboro SIL adoptee bammer fan that I don't want to play them because they're too good. Idk
 
#17
#17
Most Vol fans love the tradition of everything that is the T. Part of the T and college tradition not just because of the two schools but college football tradition. If I mention Red River showdown, 3rd Saturday in October, Cocktail Party, do I need to say the schools?

Bama won’t forever be at this level and you saw no talk of this pre 2008. Bama wondered in the wilderness save one year from Bear to Saban, their sin will find them out and off to the wilderness they will go. They won’t be content with anyone after Saban. Heck, they lose a game and some want him fired.
I like the game and don't see it as a huge issue, but it's hard to argue against.
 
#18
#18
OP is so correct. Bama is just another game we don't need to play in a conference where every single W matters. This game is automatically a L for at least the next three years. 15 years in a row likely a the best. That is a no-go, IMO.

Florida plays FSU--out of conference.

UGA play Auburn, which is a similar challenge.

Why do we need to play BAMA?

In the last 12 years, what would 6-6 or 9-3 in this game get us opposed to 0-12? I know we would have had at least one SEC EAST title two years ago.
 
#19
#19
OP is so correct. Bama is just another game we don't need to play in a conference where every single W matters. This game is automatically a L for at least the next three years. 15 years in a row likely a the best. That is a no-go, IMO.

Florida plays FSU--out of conference.

UGA play Auburn, which is a similar challenge.

Why do we need to play BAMA?

In the last 12 years, what would 6-6 or 9-3 in this game get us opposed to 0-12? I know we would have had at least one SEC EAST title two years ago.
And LSU plays Fla. Historically the top 3 in the East play the top 3 in the West. So happens that Bama is on a run.
 
#20
#20
It's hard to objectively consider this a rivalry when you consider that yesterday was the most points scored by UT against Alabama since 2003. We scored more points against AL than we had since Casey Clausen was qb, and we lost by 37.
 
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#21
#21
You wanna be considered an elite program? Well you gotta play the best and not ducking rivals. No one would complain if it was UT handing out the beatings.

I always tell my employees when they are going through a tough patch, this is just one moment in time. At this moment, we have to endure the beat down we get from bama. Soon or later, it will swing in our direction and they will be on the receiving end.
 
#22
#22
You wanna be considered an elite program? Well you gotta play the best and not ducking rivals. No one would complain if it was UT handing out the beatings.
So you won't mind swapping Kentucky's Miss St game every year for our Alabama game? I say done deal. Let's notify the conference office and get this rolling.
 
#23
#23
I continue to say we are stupid to play them every year. We will get them in the SEC Championship anyway, if we ever get that good. No I’m not afraid to play them, no you don’t just get better and beat them, no traditional rivals don’t need to stay that way for good. No your manhood is not challenged because you believe there is a better, smarter way to approach the schedule. This game puts us at a disadvantage, both in divisional standings, bowl standing and recruiting. Steve Spurrier was right about traditional rivals, you simply make it easier for you divisional opponents. All you trolls that want to call everyone that believes this as some kind of traitor, I say fake news! If that had been Ole Miss yesterday and we were 4-3 coming out of the game the season already looks better. Rant over!
Agree somewhat, but we've come this far, so we may as well continue ... we are closer to beating them than not with Pruitt. Once we get our legs back under us, Bama will help us leapfrog the rest of the conference quicker than if we weren't playing them every year.
 
#24
#24
So you won't mind swapping Kentucky's Miss St game every year for our Alabama game? I say done deal. Let's notify the conference office and get this rolling.

You wanna call your program elite but you wanna run away from a rival because they keep winning?

UT beat UK 28 years in a row. Not like UK was begging to switch conferences. We showed up and got that beatdown.
 
#25
#25
It's just common sense. Schedules should be balanced to the degree that they can be. I don't care if the permanent opponent is Bama, Auburn or Arkansas.
Alabama will not always be what they are right now. When I hear this argument I cant help but wonder if we would complain if Florida of uga got that good.
 
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