And then there were 4...

#1
VFL-82-JP

VFL-82-JP

Bleedin' Orange...
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#1
Okay, technically 6. But two of those are gone for sure before the regular season ends.

Tennessee / Georgia
Ohio State / Michigan
Clemson
TCU

Barring a significant upset, that could very well be the four undefeated conference champs, and the playoff slate.

"No, but Bama will get in ahead of TCU, and maybe ahead of Clemson, too."

Possible. But only if Bama is the SEC champ, meaning the list above has been whittled to 3, giving them an opening. If Bama loses a second game, to us or the Dawgs in Atlanta, they're out. No 2-loss team has ever made the CFP.

"No, but the Vols could lose to UGa and still get in at 11-1."

Possible. But a 13-0 Clemson and a 13-0 TCU are going to have a super strong case, too.

There's a lot of football to play. We, just like every one of the teams in that list up there, just gotta win out and we're guaranteed a post-season of competing for championships.

It's nice to be in the race still, 7 games into the season.

Go Vols!
 
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#2
#2
VFL-82-JP said:
Okay, technically 6. But two of those are gone for sure before the regular season ends.

Tennessee / Georgia
Ohio State / Michigan
Clemson
TCU

Barring a significant upset, that could very well be the four undefeated conference champs, and the playoff slate.

"No, but Bama will get in ahead of TCU, and maybe ahead of Clemson, too."

Possible. But only if Bama is the SEC champ, meaning the list above has been whittled to 3, giving them an opening. If Bama loses a second game, to us or the Dawgs in Atlanta, they're out. No 2-loss team has ever made the CFP.

"No, but the Vols could lose to UGa and still get in at 11-1."

Possible. But a 13-0 Clemson and a 13-0 TCU are going to have a super strong case, too.

There's a lot of football to play. We, just like every one of the teams in that list up there, just gotta win out and we're guaranteed a post-season of competing for championships.

It's nice to be in the race still, 7 games into the season.

Go Vols!
Click to expand...
Clemson won’t lose so and neither will the winner of OSU/UM. The SEC champ will be in, assuming 1 loss or less. That’ll leave 1 spot for Big 12 champ, Pac 12 champ, OSU/UM loser or UT/UGA/SEC champ game loser. I think TCU will lose and the B12 and P12 will be left out again. If I’m right then I think the UGA/UT winner is likely in even if they lose the SECCG. The loser could still be in but they would probably need OSU to beat UM or else a 1-loss OSU might get in over 1-loss UT or UGA.
 
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#3
#3
If TCU goes undefeated-
Clemson
Ohio State/Michigan
TCU
SEC champion

If TCU drops a game-
Clemson
Ohio State/Michigan
SEC champion
SEC runner up OR Big 12 champion

As it stands now, I think Tennessee has to at least make Atlanta to have a shot.

But we’re going undefeated, so these what ifs don’t matter.
 
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#4
#4
VFL-82-JP said:
Okay, technically 6. But two of those are gone for sure before the regular season ends.

Tennessee / Georgia
Ohio State / Michigan
Clemson
TCU

Barring a significant upset, that could very well be the four undefeated conference champs, and the playoff slate.

"No, but Bama will get in ahead of TCU, and maybe ahead of Clemson, too."

Possible. But only if Bama is the SEC champ, meaning the list above has been whittled to 3, giving them an opening. If Bama loses a second game, to us or the Dawgs in Atlanta, they're out. No 2-loss team has ever made the CFP.

"No, but the Vols could lose to UGa and still get in at 11-1."

Possible. But a 13-0 Clemson and a 13-0 TCU are going to have a super strong case, too.

There's a lot of football to play. We, just like every one of the teams in that list up there, just gotta win out and we're guaranteed a post-season of competing for championships.

It's nice to be in the race still, 7 games into the season.

Go Vols!
Click to expand...

Man it feels so great to be having this conversation
 
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#5
#5
Y'all are gonna hate me, but if we end up with 1 regular season loss this could be a replay of 2004 where the best team (Auburn that year) doesn't even get a chance to compete for the championship. We would be on the outside looking in as Clemson will be undefeated ACC champ and OSU will be undefeated B10 champ. Moot point though because WGWTFA at Sanford Stadium.
 
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#9
#9
1world1love said:
It’s not clear to me that Clemson won’t lose a game. They don’t look all that convincing. And TCU has to beat somebody twice.
Click to expand...
They'll be favored by at least 14 points in every remaining game. Very likely they go undefeated.
 
#10
#10
VFL-82-JP said:
Okay, technically 6. But two of those are gone for sure before the regular season ends.

Tennessee / Georgia
Ohio State / Michigan
Clemson
TCU

Barring a significant upset, that could very well be the four undefeated conference champs, and the playoff slate.

"No, but Bama will get in ahead of TCU, and maybe ahead of Clemson, too."

Possible. But only if Bama is the SEC champ, meaning the list above has been whittled to 3, giving them an opening. If Bama loses a second game, to us or the Dawgs in Atlanta, they're out. No 2-loss team has ever made the CFP.

"No, but the Vols could lose to UGa and still get in at 11-1."

Possible. But a 13-0 Clemson and a 13-0 TCU are going to have a super strong case, too.

There's a lot of football to play. We, just like every one of the teams in that list up there, just gotta win out and we're guaranteed a post-season of competing for championships.

It's nice to be in the race still, 7 games into the season.

Go Vols!
Click to expand...
All the discussion from Tennessee fans about playoffs is going to be a moot point if we lose one or more of our remaining regular season games. Hopefully, the tea
VFL-82-JP said:
Okay, technically 6. But two of those are gone for sure before the regular season ends.

Tennessee / Georgia
Ohio State / Michigan
Clemson
TCU

Barring a significant upset, that could very well be the four undefeated conference champs, and the playoff slate.

"No, but Bama will get in ahead of TCU, and maybe ahead of Clemson, too."

Possible. But only if Bama is the SEC champ, meaning the list above has been whittled to 3, giving them an opening. If Bama loses a second game, to us or the Dawgs in Atlanta, they're out. No 2-loss team has ever made the CFP.

"No, but the Vols could lose to UGa and still get in at 11-1."

Possible. But a 13-0 Clemson and a 13-0 TCU are going to have a super strong case, too.

There's a lot of football to play. We, just like every one of the teams in that list up there, just gotta win out and we're guaranteed a post-season of competing for championships.

It's nice to be in the race still, 7 games into the season.

Go Vols!
Click to expand...
All the talk of playoffs is premature; it will be a moot point if we lose one or more of the remaining regular season games. Hopefully, the team is more grounded and fully focused on beating Kentucky
 
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#11
#11
VolGirl81 said:
It’s early in the game, but TCU may be leaving that group of 4 tonight.
Click to expand...
Yah, quite possible.

And if TCU do lose tonight, and we're down to "only 3 can survive," that certainly opens the calculus up to 2 SEC teams in the playoffs. Either the SEC Champ (whether 13-0 or 12-1) and the SEC Runner-up (12-1), or the SEC Champ (13-0) and the 11-1 team that lost to the champ in the regular season.

I'd prefer to be the 13-0 SEC champ, lol, but being the 11-1 team in the playoffs, that would also be a special end to a wonderful season.

No matter what, we're playing with house money for the rest of the season as long as we don't throw a game to one of the SEC East also-rans (yanno, Ky-Mizzou-USCe-Vandy).

Go Vols!
 
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#14
#14
If UT doesn’t make it in the playoffs and one of these wannabes do then we burn couches and protest. Rip the goal post down again just because.
 
#16
#16
VFL-82-JP said:
Okay, technically 6. But two of those are gone for sure before the regular season ends.

Tennessee / Georgia
Ohio State / Michigan
Clemson
TCU

Barring a significant upset, that could very well be the four undefeated conference champs, and the playoff slate.

"No, but Bama will get in ahead of TCU, and maybe ahead of Clemson, too."

Possible. But only if Bama is the SEC champ, meaning the list above has been whittled to 3, giving them an opening. If Bama loses a second game, to us or the Dawgs in Atlanta, they're out. No 2-loss team has ever made the CFP.

"No, but the Vols could lose to UGa and still get in at 11-1."

Possible. But a 13-0 Clemson and a 13-0 TCU are going to have a super strong case, too.

There's a lot of football to play. We, just like every one of the teams in that list up there, just gotta win out and we're guaranteed a post-season of competing for championships.

It's nice to be in the race still, 7 games into the season.

Go Vols!
Click to expand...
Beautiful breakdown.

But I'm going to say this now.

NONE of that matters.

I don't see a better team than the Tennessee team that is clicking on all cylinders.
 
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#18
#18
rjd970 said:
TCU, Clemson, and Michigan are all sitting with at least one loss playing our schedule to date. Frustrating, but it’s the uphill climb we have every year.
Click to expand...
Agreed. The SEC pool is simply deeper, with more big fish.

That said, I do think Clemson and Michigan are good teams. But we could beat either of them, as long as we bring 90%+ of our A game.

The only teams that I don't think we have an edge on are Bama (yes, they're still dangerous even though we beat them), UGa, and Ohio State. Those are all no-holds-barred junk yard dog fights. The good news is, if those fans are smart they think of games against us exactly the same way.
 
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#23
#23
Big Orange stuck in Bama said:
7 - 0 sure looks good right now; but we have to get to 8 - 0 before we can think/worry about playoffs. A formidable opponent is up next on Saturday night. Take care of Kentucky and then get ready for the next game on the schedule.
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I do not think of Kentucky as "formidable." I think of them as a bit less challenging than Pitt, Florida, and LSU. Those three were "peer competitors." Kentucky is a half-step below that.

Which is to say, we ought to beat Kentucky fairly comfortably. I'm think two scores ahead by the end of the 3rd quarter, and it never drops below that to the end of the game.

There was a brief window in time after Florida returned to sucking and before Tennessee emerged from the darkness when Kentucky had a chance, just a sliver of a chance, at vying for the #2 spot in the East. It lasted about a year: 2021. And we slammed the door shut on them on the 6th of November, 2021.

They may not realize it, but the door has been shut ever since. And isn't opening again in their lifetimes. Tennessee, UGa, and Florida, will almost always be better than them at football; in any given year, at least two of them will be. And as long as Josh Heupel is our coach, the Vols will be one of those.

Sorry Kittens, your brief time in the sun has ended.

Go Vols!
 
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#24
#24
1world1love said:
It’s not clear to me that Clemson won’t lose a game. They don’t look all that convincing. And TCU has to beat somebody twice.
Click to expand...
They’ve already played the “hard” part of their schedule. Sometimes people say things like this and it’s ridiculous, like Ohio State wouldn’t be a middle of the road SEC team. That’s silly. Clemson, on the other hand, would be somewhere in the middle to upper middle. At best they’re on LSU’s level and would lose at least 2-3 conference games.
 
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