Fulmer on the 90’s & 00’s with playoffs, NIL, portal

#1
#1fulmerite

#1fulmerite

Only losers dislike winners
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#1
Interesting take on his thoughts:

www.knoxnews.com

How Phillip Fulmer could've won more Tennessee national titles with playoff, NIL, transfer portal

Phillip Fulmer would’ve coached eight Tennessee teams in a 12-team playoff if that format had existed back then. Here's how he would've handled it.
www.knoxnews.com

Even if the playoffs had been around, he would have had to keep the team together and still faced those daunting Nebraska teams. Not to mention Florida for a second time (most likely) had we advanced in the playoffs. However, I disagree that we would have beaten that talent laden Miami team of ‘01.

Curious though, how many of you posters would have traded the ‘98 NC for eight playoff spots or runs?
 
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#3
#3
95, 97, 2001, 2003 he has a team in the playoffs. Now he was the king if bonehead mistakes during the game, so winning 2-3 playoff would have been huge for his and maybe his longevity in the program.
 
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#6
#6
Jackcrevol said:
You dont think Fulmer was elite?

Spurrier won 1 NC also, fwiw.
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Not without Cutcliffe he wasn't. Spurrier's head to head record settles any reasonable comparison of coaching acumen between those two. I think Fulmer was a good/very good coach, but not elite. When people think of the greatest coaches in the history of the game Fulmer isn't there, Neyland is, but Fulmer is in that second tier with alot of other good coaches.
 
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#8
#8
VOLfrombama said:
95, 97, 2001, 2003 he has a team in the playoffs. Now he was the king if bonehead mistakes during the game, so winning 2-3 playoff would have been huge for his and maybe his longevity in the program.
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Why not 96? He finished the regular season 10-1 and ranked in the top 10, even after the bowl loss to Nebraska. Tennessee absolutely would've been one of the 12.
 
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#10
#10
#1fulmerite said:
Interesting take on his thoughts:

www.knoxnews.com

How Phillip Fulmer could've won more Tennessee national titles with playoff, NIL, transfer portal

Phillip Fulmer would’ve coached eight Tennessee teams in a 12-team playoff if that format had existed back then. Here's how he would've handled it.
www.knoxnews.com

Even if the playoffs had been around, he would have had to keep the team together and still faced those daunting Nebraska teams. Not to mention Florida for a second time (most likely) had we advanced in the playoffs. However, I disagree that we would have beaten that talent laden Miami team of ‘01.

Curious though, how many of you posters would have traded the ‘98 NC for eight playoff spots or runs?
Click to expand...
I don't see us winning any playoff at all with fulmer in those years, especially against Nebraska and the U, FSU99, UF, Michigan, etc
 
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#12
#12
I think we still would have won the national championship in 1998 with a 4 team playoff. In reality, we beat FSU, the #2 team. The #3 and #4 teams that year were UCLA and Kansas State. Both of those teams had bad defenses, especially UCLA’s defense against the run. Miami ran for well over 300 yards in their game against UCLA. Our o-line and the Travis boys would have had a field day against UCLA. Michael Bishop, KSU’s QB, was also turnover prone. UT was like +13 in turnovers that year, and usually capitalized off those turnovers. Turnovers were the main reasons we beat Florida, Auburn, and Arkansas that year. If we’re talking about a 12 team playoff, I’d have to see the seeds because I don’t remember all of the other teams ranked high off the top of my head. I know Ohio State was up there. So was Florida, Wisconsin, Arizona, and even Tulane. So lots of variables in a 12 team playoff. You can’t determine who UT would have faced nor can you anticipate key injuries.
 
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#13
#13
Brave Volunteer said:
Why not 96? He finished the regular season 10-1 and ranked in the top 10, even after the bowl loss to Nebraska. Tennessee absolutely would've been one of the 12.
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In 1996, we lost to Florida and Memphis. We finished the season 9-2. You’re thinking of 1997 when we lost to Nebraska. However, we still might have made the playoffs in 1996 at 9-2. I don’t remember who all of the other highly ranked teams were. I remember Ohio State and Arizona State were up there, but that’s all I can really think of right now.
 
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#15
#15
207 others said:
Oh man, the Syracuse, UF, arkansas, somewhat close auburn game, and having weak west #23 MSU for the sec game, we were lucky!!
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Syracuse and Arkansas maybe… but nothing really lucky about beating Florida.
 
#16
#16
unfrozencvmanvol said:
Not without Cutcliffe he wasn't. Spurrier's head to head record settles any reasonable comparison of coaching acumen between those two. I think Fulmer was a good/very good coach, but not elite. When people think of the greatest coaches in the history of the game Fulmer isn't there, Neyland is, but Fulmer is in that second tier with alot of other good coaches.
Click to expand...
This. I did the math on a napkin one day. Without Cutcliffe, Fulmer was a sub .600 (or barely above) coach against Power 5 opponents.
 
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#18
#18
cbrown said:
This. I did the math on a napkin one day. Without Cutcliffe, Fulmer was a sub .600 (or barely above) coach against Power 5 opponents.
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Yeah… There clearly was a difference. Randy Sanders was actually an ok play caller, but there was clearly a presence that was missing without Cutcliffe. There was a slight narrative that Cut’s success was all about the Mannings but then he stepped back in as OC in 06 and 07 and Erik Ainge transformed from a deer in headlights to a high level QB.
 
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#19
#19
Playoffs would have benefited Florida and FSU more than Tennessee IMO.

However, Nebraska would have been a tall order to overcome for these teams in 1994, 1995, and 1997.

It is hard to find a year that we make it outside of 1998. We would have been in the playoffs in 1995 but we would NOT have beaten Nebraska.
 
#21
#21
TNbuc2 said:
The only thing I remember about that game was the DEFENSE, and especially Al Wilson. Seems the few times we beat them during those years were great football games. Some games we lost to them during that time were not.
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Yep, defense wins championships. Every few years people get it in their heads that it doesn't matter anymore but it always comes back with a vengeance.
 
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#22
#22
GAVol said:
Yeah… There clearly was a difference. Randy Sanders was actually an ok play caller, but there was clearly a presence that was missing without Cutcliffe. There was a slight narrative that Cut’s success was all about the Mannings but then he stepped back in as OC in 06 and 07 and Erik Ainge transformed from a deer in headlights to a high level QB.
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Not that I was there to see it but I think Fulmer meddled in Sanders' business more than he did with Cutcliffe.
 
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#23
#23
207 others said:
Oh man, the Syracuse, UF, arkansas, somewhat close auburn game, and having weak west #23 MSU for the sec game, we were lucky!!
Click to expand...
Yes, we were lucky in the 98 championship. And I would add facing the #2 QB for FSU in the title game. But almost every championship winner is lucky at some point along the way.
 
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#25
#25
onevol74 said:
What was Fulmer’s record against Spurrier, Saban, Meyer, Paterno, Richt to name a few? No, Fulmer was not elite. He was good against average coaches.
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It wasn't good. Take Richt off that list and I believe he has four combined wins against the other four.
 
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