Tennessee continues to play the best from the West

[VonVol]

This thread starting to get a Waffle House feel to it.

 

[NWGVol]

For those who think it's unfair to Tennessee to have to play Bama every year, what about the the other 6 teams in the west that have to play them as well?

For the last several years, it's been even more unfair to them considering how much stronger the entire west has been.

Get to where we want to be and it won't be fair to Bama or anyone else to have to play us.

 

[Wylo]

I agree with this.

Ditto

 

[LocoVol]

Expand the playoffs to 16 so sos is not as big a punishment. I would hate to see it go away but I do get tired of other teams cruising to undefeated and 1 loss seasons with avg or bad sos!

 

[AM64]

Tennessee Continues To Play The Best of the West | Rocky Top Insider


That adds up to a 122-24 cumulative total record for Tennessee’s Western opponents since 2011. But perhaps crazier is their record coming into the game against UT. Outside of an Arkansas team that stumbled out of the gates in 2015, but still found a way to beat the Vols, Tennessee has played the hottest teams. Those teams have come into the game against UT with a combined record of 63-6, with three of those six losses coming from Arkansas last year.

And while the Vols were noticeably more competitive in 2015, the West still holds a 371-144 total scoring edge against UT since 2011.

Tennessee’s taken great steps early in 2016 to take early control of the East. And while an Eastern Division crown would certainly be a nice step for this program, the Vols will ultimately have to have some success against the West for this team to go beyond that. And just as it’s been since 2011, they’ll have to go through the best and the hottest to make that a reality.

Doesn't matter who takes over at LSU or what happens there during the off season; they will be contending for the SECw next year because we play them. They may only be good for one year, but it will happen.

 

[West Coast Vol]

I think the long-term, historic rivalry with Bama is great and I don't want to see it go away.

IMO, the more logical approach to even the playing field in terms of qualifying for the conference championship is to base it solely on our record against East Division opponents. The West and East representative in the conference championship game should be based on either record within their division.

 

[AM64]

I totally understand but just imagine when Saban retires.. then it would suck to lose the rivalry. Think long term, Saban can't possibly be there more than 4-5 more years. He'll be 65 this month! Does anyone see Saban coaching into his 70s? He's made enough money for the next 4 generations of his family and I'm sure he's wise enough to understand what the stress of the job can do to an old heart.

I say we keep biting the bullet, weather the storm. Butch may be around for a very long time to come, and it may come to pass that THEY think its unfair they have to play Tennessee every year :rock:

Then the compromise is that only division games determine the division champ. The division teams all play each other, and not counting the cross division games nullifies the luck of the draw and tradition with respect to the west teams.

 

[AM64]

it is easy to say, oh, you should want to play and beat the best every year. Fact is, playing bama every year is a major disadvantage for us. It's a long season: this idea that any team is going to play 11-12 good games and beat everybody is silly--rarely happens. Your schedule means something. I mean, it's hard to have a good year if you are playing florida, georgia and bama every season, plus one other good west opponent plus, some year, a good non-conference foe like OU or Oregon. You are going to lose games. I like playing a tough schedule--but not an impossible schedule.

The one other thing the SEC as a whole could do to shoot itself in the foot with regard to NC aspirations is to go to a nine conference game schedule. That works against conferences with more evenly distributed talent, and the PAC learned it the hard way last year. Throw in a boatload of patsies like the ACC and little10 have, and it's a whole different ballgame for them.

 

[Crazy Ivan]

For those who think it's unfair to Tennessee to have to play Bama every year, what about the the other 6 teams in the west that have to play them as well?

For the last several years, it's been even more unfair to them considering how much stronger the entire west has been.

Nobody is complaining about having to play Bama for the sake of playing Bama. That's not an issue. Only how playing Bama vs not playing Bama can affect who wins the East, especially in a season where the East team that plays Bama also has to play a West team that is considered the 2nd best team in the SEC. And both UGA and UF avoids playing both of them this season.

Get to where we want to be and it won't be fair to Bama or anyone else to have to play us.

I can't wait.

 

[Behr]

Hell, let's swap Florida for Miss. St and make sure we don't get Bama and Fl in the same year. Or better yet, let's move to the AAC. Only have to worry about Houston for maybe one more year, maybe not even that.

Can't believe there is even a discussion about rotating Bama. F that.

 

[AM64]

I don't think that's a defeatist attitude at all to suggest that playing the best team/program every year, when your in division opponents don't have that burden, is inherently unfair to the Vols. I'd be willing that Butch and the boys would much,much rather be hosting either Auburn or Mississippi State a week from Saturday in Neyland rather than the perennial #1 team in the country. I honestly don't feel particularly strongly about it either way, but it's Fade's comment wasn't unreasonable at all IMO.

First, I'd hate not playing AL every year, but there is a new reality these days. In the old days we had bowl games and bragging rights - good ole AP and UPI telling us who was best - just a lot of hocus pocus and bias. Bowl games were fewer and spread among the "deserving". Winning or losing to an AL made a difference; but if that was the only blot on the season, it was usually sustainable - a difference in which bowl.

But we couldn't leave well enough along - had to have a champion, so now the new reality is that a loss along the way does matter - significantly - ask the 2015 PAC representative to the playoffs. With that new reality, you have to ask whether you really want to play the top of the SECw every year or maybe relax with MS St for a change.