9 wins 3 years in a row!

[Thunder Good-Oil]

Here's a memory stat for you guys from 50 years ago:

The Rose, Cotton, Orange and Sugar were the 4 major bowls. There were always about 3-4 teams among the 8 playing in them that had a shot at the Natty. Sometimes, a split one. Among the few, the most impressive win for it. The bowls in the next tier were the Gator, Bluebonnet, Sun, Fiesta and Liberty. The Fiesta was somewhat new at the time, pairing the WAC champion and an 8 or 9 win team from one of the bigger conferences. Keep in mind, teams were playing 11 and 10 game schedules. The last tier were the Peach and Tangerine, usually pairing a 7 win power league team and a small Division 1A team.

22 teams made bowls

Rose, Cotton, Orange, and Sugar were once THE New Years Day bowls and were where the Big 10, Pac 8/10, Southwest Conference, Big 8, and SEC champions were invited. The SEC often got screwed in the national champion voting. The winner of Oklahoma and Nebraska usually got the Orange Bowl invite and often had an easy path to the National Championship. It was more like the Big 2 plus 6 mediocres.

Then the Gator was once the clearly 5th best bowl game and was the New Years Eve game. Weird that it was SEC versus SEC in Dickey’s last game.

Then the Fiesta came along and kind of bought their way into being the 5th New Years Day bowl game.

After the NYD bowl games, most of the rest weren’t even on TV.

 

[BernardKingGOAT]

Rose, Cotton, Orange, and Sugar were once THE New Years Day bowls and were where the Big 10, Pac 8/10, Southwest Conference, Big 8, and SEC champions were invited. The SEC often got screwed in the national champion voting. The winner of Oklahoma and Nebraska usually got the Orange Bowl invite and often had an easy path to the National Championship. It was more like the Big 2 plus 6 mediocres.

Then the Gator was once the clearly 5th best bowl game and was the New Years Eve game. Weird that it was SEC versus SEC in Dickey’s last game.

Then the Fiesta came along and kind of bought their way into being the 5th New Years Day bowl game.

After the NYD bowl games, most of the rest weren’t even on TV.

I remember watching UT on TV in both the Liberty and Astro-Bluebonnet bowls in 1971 and 1972. You're probably talking about earlier. I even remember the first Fiesta bowl being on TV the week before Christmas, mid-week in mid-afternoon

 

[aRmo]

2nd Time under CJH that we have went undefeated at Home during the regular season.

 

[temptn]

 

[GVF]

Some of the people in here just got on the bus, or have terrible memories. It's been a LONG time since we were this good, better sit back and enjoy.

When you run the SEC guantlet and post 9 wins three straight, especially after being sent to wander in the desert, that is called success.

 

[Thunder Good-Oil]

I remember watching UT on TV in both the Liberty and Astro-Bluebonnet bowls in 1971 and 1972. You're probably talking about earlier. I even remember the first Fiesta bowl being on TV the week before Christmas, mid-week in mid-afternoon

I remember watching the 1969 Cotton Bowl, the 1971 Sugar Bowl, and the 1979 Astro-Bluebonnet Bowl. But not the two you mentioned. I listened to one on the radio.

 

[Carl Pickens]

We win the Mark Richt award!

I guess you’d prefer the Jeremy Pruitt award

 

[mudhen]

I guess you’d prefer the Jeremy Pruitt award

 

[mudhen]

Lord, where is your sense humor?

 

[VawlDave]

Reading some of the comments made during the live game threads about Heupel is actually insane. The degree and speed with which he's turned around Tennessee football is wild to think about considering where it was. It seemed like just yesterday we had a handful of players on scholarship, a mass exodus to the portal, and what we thought were going to be program crushing sanctions thanks to Pruitt. It seemed like just yesterday I was watching Butch at his lowest wondering if I'd ever enjoy watching Tennessee football again. Regardless of how this year ends, I'm very thankful for where we are. It's great to be a Tennessee Vol.