Scheduling

#26
#26
Our schedule has been way to tough considering the shape our program was in. No need to play four top ten teams every year. :no:
 
#27
#27
OrangeByBirth said:
I'm disappointed in what I see in upcoming schedules.

The "Battle of Bristol" was set to be a great kickoff game in 2016. It would be fever pitch in college football. It still will be a big game but now the schedule is to follow a gridiron classic featuring Applachian State at Neyland a week earlier. YUCK!

The rest of the 2016 non-conference schedule will include Ohio (not "State") and Tennessee Tech. More YUCK.

2017 will see traditional powerhouses Southern Miss (a decent team), Indiana State, and U Mass. 2018 already includes games that will bring ETSU down to Knoxville and Charlotte (whatever that means ... probably UNCC). Also in 2018, the Vols will face West Va in a game AT Charlotte.

Ga State is already featured for 2019.

The only power conference games scheduled are not in Neyland! Bristol Motor Speedway and B o A Stadium will host the only 2 real games scheduled.

I know the SEC is a conference of survival. I also recognize that the playoff system values strength of schedule. As a ticket holder, I also value the games I pay to attend!

END OF RANT
Go Big Orange!
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I do believe in having one good OOC game a yr. In the age we live in now many power conference teams are going away from home and home games with some of the better teams. Take for instance. They are in a kickoff game somewhere every yr. Couldn't tell you the last time they had a home and home like UT had in Oregon, OK,UCLA, ND etc. No matter who or where their neutral site game is they will have the home crowd advantage, something you don't have when you go on the road to Norman or South Bend. Personally I love the home and homes with the more elite teams. A kickoff game every 3-4 yes would be great. Do a home and home back to back yes, do a kickoff game then do another home and home. But with more of those neutral site games getting added every year the less we probably see of it.
 
#28
#28
Boca Vol said:
Or beat Vandy and go to a bowl game...big deal!

Scheduling 4 cupcakes just to make it easier to get to 6 wins doesn't mean the program is getting better. Personally, I like to see where we stand. You can't tell me that you won't have a bit more pride when beating OU vs. UT-Martin.
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yeah i have more pride if we beat OU vs UT-Martin but I feel worse if we lose to OU and it costs us another win on the season...especially if that means we would be bowl eligible or not...hopefully we are past that stage now but when you realize that in college football perception becomes reality then you will understand...we may agree that a 5-7 UT team may not be any better or worse than a 7-6 team who goes to a bowl but the rest of the nation, along with the rankings and overall perception of where you are at as a program will never agree...wins are wins and losses are losses at the end of the day
 
#29
#29
I don't mind being a dissenting voice ...

... though I can see some merit in how the scheduling is shifting ... I want to play the best teams and beat them. If we don't beat them, there is no shame in girding loins, rolling up sleeves and giving your all in striving against the best.

The downside to my approach is that you don't get to give enough p.t. to reserves, and there might be more chance of injury.
 
#30
#30
orangebloodgmc said:
I don't mind being a dissenting voice ...

... though I can see some merit in how the scheduling is shifting ... I want to play the best teams and beat them. If we don't beat them, there is no shame in girding loins, rolling up sleeves and giving your all in striving against the best.

The downside to my approach is that you don't get to give enough p.t. to reserves, and there might be more chance of injury.
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I understand your point but on the flip side, Our/any coach gets fired over # of wins.

My previous post stands, I am all for every game being a tough game - as long as we are not held to the same standard as teams with a cupcake % schedule.
 
#32
#32
All home games are a lot of fun. I come for the 7 games so the entire weekend makes each visit a 'mini' vacation. The sights and sounds surrounding Neyland offset a weaker opponent. Opening game visit to the bookstore, a trip to Turkey Creek for Alumni Hall, and a couple of visits to favorite old restaurants are part of the yearly VOL experience. I have quit going to any away games although some are closer to home than Neyland. That experience has greatly diminished for me over the years.
 
#33
#33
MasterShake Vol8 said:
yeah i have more pride if we beat OU vs UT-Martin but I feel worse if we lose to OU and it costs us another win on the season...especially if that means we would be bowl eligible or not...hopefully we are past that stage now but when you realize that in college football perception becomes reality then you will understand...we may agree that a 5-7 UT team may not be any better or worse than a 7-6 team who goes to a bowl but the rest of the nation, along with the rankings and overall perception of where you are at as a program will never agree...wins are wins and losses are losses at the end of the day
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No one really cares about or debates 5-7, 6-6, or 7-5 teams. Who really cares if you go 6-6 when your wins are: UT-Martin, Ark. St., UTC, App. State, UK, & Vandy? Those are 6 less than stellar wins, but that's a bowl eligible team.

Like you said, hopefully UT is past this stage but outside of the Taxslayer Bowl can you name the teams that won the other lower tier bowls? Most can't and don't care.
 
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#34
#34
chargervol said:
If we play a few "cupcake" games, we will be exactly where other top teams are?

Why does everyone keep saying "Look at Xs record" but want us to play much tougher ooc games?

I'm ok with the toughest schedule OR not being expected to have a record equal with team X but pick one.
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I think you missed the point. UT typically plays 3 cupcake games and 1 good OOC. I like that. UT should be able to keep that type of schedule and have a good record.

Most people overlook other SEC teams and their OOC opponents, namely USCe, UGA, and UF because they play those teams every year.
 
#35
#35
I can name every team in the SEC that won a bowl game...from the top all the way to the bottom. I can also name the few teams ahead of us in total bowl wins as well. It is all about pecking order and winning bowl games is one of albeit many things that goes into that.
 
#36
#36
and the Taxslayer Bowl...aka the Gator Bowl...is not a lower tiered bowl...now that the bowl games are all in a huge tiered system only the last two bowls involving SEC teams are lower than the others...the Gator, Liberty, Music City, and Belk are all the same so its even a bigger deal to make a bowl cause you could be slotted against a good team depending on what the SEC wants to do with you
 
#37
#37
MasterShake Vol8 said:
and the Taxslayer Bowl...aka the Gator Bowl...is not a lower tiered bowl...now that the bowl games are all in a huge tiered system only the last two bowls involving SEC teams are lower than the others...the Gator, Liberty, Music City, and Belk are all the same so its even a bigger deal to make a bowl cause you could be slotted against a good team depending on what the SEC wants to do with you
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It's all perspective, I guess. When you're talking about bowl games for 6-6, 7-5 teams...they're lower tiered on the national scale.

The Taxslayer/Gator Bowl hasn't been a marquis game for a long, long time. It's been behind the:

BCS/ Playoff
Sugar
Citrus
Outback
Peach
Then Gator
 
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#38
#38
Boca Vol said:
No one really cares about or debates 5-7, 6-6, or 7-5 teams. Who really cares if you go 6-6 when your wins are: UT-Martin, Ark. St., UTC, App. State, UK, & Vandy? Those are 6 less than stellar wins, but that's a bowl eligible team.

Like you said, hopefully UT is past this stage but outside of the Taxslayer Bowl can you name the teams that won the other lower tier bowls? Most can't and don't care.
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If 2016 we are only looking at anything even close to 6 wins - cupcakes are going to the the LEAST of our (or CBJs) problems.

If, on the other hand, a cupcake or two more than usual for OOC games gets us to 11-1 for the reg season and into the final 8, we can get all the OOC play we need in January. And you will be thanking your lucky stars that no one listened to you and scheduled some grindfest in September that got 2 of our star starters injured, resulting in a 9-3 season.
 
#39
#39
Gandalf said:
If 2016 we are only looking at anything even close to 6 wins - cupcakes are going to the the LEAST of our (or CBJs) problems.

If, on the other hand, a cupcake or two more than usual for OOC games gets us to 11-1 for the reg season and into the final 8, we can get all the OOC play we need in January. And you will be thanking your lucky stars that no one listened to you and scheduled some grindfest in September that got 2 of our star starters injured, resulting in a 9-3 season.
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WTF are you talking about? I wasn't responsible for scheduling ND, Cal, UCLA, OU, Oregon, etc. over the past few decades. I am, however, glad they've been on the schedule.
 
#40
#40
yep..almost preference really...I just thought it was really stupid to play elite teams like Oregon, Oklahoma, even UCLA, and Cal...those 4 alone have accounted for 6 losses we could have avoided...and I am not saying replace those teams with a joke...but replace them with a more likely win...there are plenty of NCST's, Washington's, Colorado's, WF's...most of the Big 10...that would look fine on paper, yet yield a win as well...now times are changing back and it is not going to be as big of a problem but IMO a bowl game, no matter how bad, should come before a regular season game at the beginning of the year that does nothing more than knock you down a peg for the tough season to come
 
#41
#41
MasterShake Vol8 said:
yep..almost preference really...I just thought it was really stupid to play elite teams like Oregon, Oklahoma, even UCLA, and Cal...those 4 alone have accounted for 6 losses we could have avoided...and I am not saying replace those teams with a joke...but replace them with a more likely win...there are plenty of NCST's, Washington's, Colorado's, WF's...most of the Big 10...that would look fine on paper, yet yield a win as well...now times are changing back and it is not going to be as big of a problem but IMO a bowl game, no matter how bad, should come before a regular season game at the beginning of the year that does nothing more than knock you down a peg for the tough season to come
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UCLA in 2008-9 were an absolute joke as was Cal in '07. The only team we've schedule that was "elite" was Oregon.
 
#42
#42
The problem with trying to fine-tune the difficulty level of OOC Power 5 games is this: the games are typically scheduled several years in advance, and teams wax and wane.

The relatively easy ACC team you scheduled six years ago turns out to be on a serious roll when it's time to actually play them. Or vice-versa: you lay on a hot commodity out-of-conference game four years out, only to find them a dud when game time cycles around.

Prime example: that "absolute joke" Cal team Boca Vol mentioned was, on the day we played them in Sep '07, the reigning Pac-10 Co-Champion, with a 10-3 season at their back and a Holiday Bowl win over A&M as their previous game. They sure didn't look like a train wreck when we met them on the field.

So if you're the Head Coach, you lay on games that should be challenging but winnable, and entertaining, perhaps games with some neat back story or element (like Va Tech in Bristol!), then hope that they don't become too much of a bear OR pushover in the interim. :)

As long as we keep getting top-5 talent and using it well, there shouldn't be any team in the country that's too much to handle. ;)
 
#43
#43
VFL-82-JP said:
The problem with trying to fine-tune the difficulty level of OOC Power 5 games is this: the games are typically scheduled several years in advance, and teams wax and wane.

The relatively easy ACC team you scheduled six years ago turns out to be on a serious roll when it's time to actually play them. Or vice-versa: you lay on a hot commodity out-of-conference game four years out, only to find them a dud when game time cycles around.

Prime example: that "absolute joke" Cal team Boca Vol mentioned was, on the day we played them in Sep '07, the reigning Pac-10 Co-Champion, with a 10-3 season at their back and a Holiday Bowl win over A&M as their previous game. They sure didn't look like a train wreck when we met them on the field.

So if you're the Head Coach, you lay on games that should be challenging but winnable, and entertaining, perhaps games with some neat back story or element (like Va Tech in Bristol!), then hope that they don't become too much of a bear OR pushover in the interim. :)

As long as we keep getting top-5 talent and using it well, there shouldn't be any team in the country that's too much to handle. ;)
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Very well said. You can only play the games on the schedule. You can't read too much into them when they're scheduled other than the marquis value because of the fact they're usually scheduled so far in advance.

Look at OU last season...they wound up 8-5. Now that game seems winnable whereas no one really thought UT could win in Norman.
 
#44
#44
HuntlandVolinColo said:
I'd rather play one neutral site game in a recruiting hotbed such as Charlotte, Nashville, Atlanta, Dallas, Memphis, etc than a home and home series. Our fans travel better than 95% of the teams. Plus we get face twice as many Power 5 opponents with a one game rotation.
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We'll never play a neutral game with the Liberty Bowl as the site anymore.
 
#45
#45
VFL-82-JP said:
The problem with trying to fine-tune the difficulty level of OOC Power 5 games is this: the games are typically scheduled several years in advance, and teams wax and wane.

The relatively easy ACC team you scheduled six years ago turns out to be on a serious roll when it's time to actually play them. Or vice-versa: you lay on a hot commodity out-of-conference game four years out, only to find them a dud when game time cycles around.

Prime example: that "absolute joke" Cal team Boca Vol mentioned was, on the day we played them in Sep '07, the reigning Pac-10 Co-Champion, with a 10-3 season at their back and a Holiday Bowl win over A&M as their previous game. They sure didn't look like a train wreck when we met them on the field.

So if you're the Head Coach, you lay on games that should be challenging but winnable, and entertaining, perhaps games with some neat back story or element (like Va Tech in Bristol!), then hope that they don't become too much of a bear OR pushover in the interim. :)

As long as we keep getting top-5 talent and using it well, there shouldn't be any team in the country that's too much to handle. ;)
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And I'm also not sure - with the direction Virginia Tech has been trending the last few years - what condition that program is going to be in when UT plays them in 2016:

2010 Virginia Tech 11–3
2011 Virginia Tech 11–3
2012 Virginia Tech 7-6 (6-6 regular season)
2013 Virginia Tech 8–5 (8-4 regular season)
2014 Virginia Tech 7–6 (6-6 regular season...yes they did beat OSU early in the year, but they also lost 6-3 in 2OT to a then 2-win Wake Forest team)
 
#46
#46
Boca Vol said:
It's all perspective, I guess. When you're talking about bowl games for 6-6, 7-5 teams...they're lower tiered on the national scale.

The Taxslayer/Gator Bowl hasn't been a marquis game for a long, long time. It's been behind the:

BCS/ Playoff
Sugar
Citrus
Outback
Peach
Then Gator
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Plus, the Peach is part of the playoff rotation now.


So now the tiers with the new setup now more seem to be trending in the long term more towards:

  • Playoffs bowls (the national championship game and two of the Sugar, Peach, Cotton, Fiesta, Orange, Rose)

  • Non-playoffs, "New Years 6" bowls (the four other bowls that didn't host a first round game)



    (quite a big gap to Non-CFP bowls)

  • Citrus Bowl

  • The pool of bowl games - just what I'm calling the middle pool of games that the front offices decide (Outback Bowl, Music City Bowl, Gator Bowl, Liberty Bowl,
    Texas Bowl, Belk Bowl)
  • Birmingham Bowl

  • Advocare V100 (previously Independence) Bowl
 
#47
#47
Boca Vol said:
UCLA in 2008-9 were an absolute joke as was Cal in '07. The only team we've schedule that was "elite" was Oregon.
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Cal had some really good teams and highly ranked when we played them. UCLA didn't have one of their teams but still is a good name on the schedule. Plus we did a home and home with Mia when they were really good. But regardless I would rather see one big name OOC game a yr like UT has done since I have I began watching them . Even if it's not an elite team it looks better than four UT-Martin type teams. Ala has played in a kickoff game for yrs and at least the perception was it was a name opponent. And none of those teams were anymore than average at best that particular yr. But yet still had the perception of playing a good football name. Like I posted earlier I prefer the home and home than those neutral site games but it seems to be the way college football is going. I guarantee Saban would never schedule a home and home with an Oregon, Oklahoma or somebody like that.
 
#49
#49
I thought we were gonna open the 2017 season against Georgia Tech in the new Falcons stadium ??
 
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