And then there were 4...

[VolGirl81]

I don’t see Clemson losing, they have ND, Louisville, Miami and USCjr left. Only ND is an away game. They play UNC for ACC championship most likely. Someone could catch them, but I don’t think so.

 

[Big Orange stuck in Bama]

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, you're brief time in the sun has ended.

Go Vols!

All I am saying is if UT starts looking ahead and not at the next, a team such as Kentucky could upset us. It feels great to be undefeated and I want to keep it that way

 

[Firebirdparts]

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.

No. You are so wrong. If Tennessee loses one game, it should be extremely obvious that they lose either to #1 GA, to the SEC champion, or else UT is the SEC champion. They have a good chance of getting in.

 

[TnVol!]

Beat Kentucky!!!

 

[VFL-82-JP]

All I am saying is if UT starts looking ahead and not at the next, a team such as Kentucky could upset us. It feels great to be undefeated and I want to keep it that way

Yeah, I get you.

But our coaches and players aren't in this thread. They're focused one game at a time. Leaving us fans free to think a bit more broadly.

 

[VolCalls]

A one loss Clemson team is not getting into the playoffs over a one loss SEC team, you’re very wrong.

Agreed. History has shown an SEC one-loss team is almost always viewed much more favorably than a one-loss team from any other conference. Even an 11-1 Ohio State was left out last year in favor of Georgia.

 

[JFreak]

No. You are so wrong. If Tennessee loses one game, it should be extremely obvious that they lose either to #1 GA, to the SEC champion, or else UT is the SEC champion. They have a good chance of getting in.

Not so fast. If we lose to UGA in regular season and season ends with 3 1-loss SEC teams (UT, Bama, UGA) there is a non-zero chance that we get left out. If our loss is in the SEC championship then we're in. This assumes Clemson goes undefeated (likely) and you have an undefeated B10 team (likely).

 

[peerless98]

IMO, if the Vols or UGA get to the SECCG undefeated, they get in the playoffs win or lose. If Vols or GA are undefeated and win, I think the other gets in assuming they only have 1 loss.

 

[VFL-82-JP]

IMO, if the Vols or UGA get to the SECCG undefeated, they get in the playoffs win or lose. If Vols or GA are undefeated and win, I think the other gets in assuming they only have 1 loss.

I think that's quite possibly exactly the formula...as long as:

(a) Kansas State continues to whup that TCU butt tonight; and
(b) We, UGa, Clemson, and the winner of Ohio St / Michigan win out in all the other regular season games (in which we will all likely be favored).

 

[JFreak]

I think that's quite possibly exactly the formula...as long as:

(a) Kansas State continues to whup that TCU butt tonight; and
(b) We, UGa, Clemson, and the winner of Ohio St / Michigan win out in all the other regular season games (in which we will all likely be favored).

You left Bama out.. if Bama wins out and thus wins the SEC championship they are definitely in ahead of us.

 

[VFL-82-JP]

You left Bama out.. if Bama wins out and thus wins the SEC championship they are definitely in ahead of us.

No, I didn't. I was responding to Peerless, who laid out two possibilities. And those two possibilities incorporated the case of a one-loss Bama (or any other one-loss SEC West champ) winning the SEC CG and getting into the playoffs, along with the SEC East team they beat in Atlanta. Go back and read what he wrote, you'll see. That was the context of my reply.

 

[HuntlandVolinColo]

 

[VFL-82-JP]

By the way...

...for those who have been asking, "are we relevant again? are we back?"

This...this thread...this conversation...specifically, tracking the progress of other undefeated and one-loss teams from across all the major conferences...this is the clearest sign one could look for to know a program is back.

When you're this incorporated into the national conversation at the level of the playoffs, you're definitely relevant.

We are relevant. We're back.

Go Vols!

 

[HuntlandVolinColo]

Clemson will get challenged in ACC championship game and maybe SCAR but Louisville, Miami and ND look like wins for sure.

 

[Vol in Buckeye Land]

Even if they lose a game, I think they’ll still get in as a one loss ACC champion.

 

[HuntlandVolinColo]

By the way...

...for those who have been asking, "are we relevant again? are we back?"

This...this thread...this conversation...specifically, tracking the progress of other undefeated and one-loss teams from across all the major conferences...this is the clearest sign one could look for to know a program is back.

When you're this incorporated into the national conversation at the level of the playoffs, you're definitely relevant.

We are relevant. We're back.

Go Vols!

We used to struggle to get 20 points a game. Now it is not uncommon to get 38 points in a quarter!

 

[EverythingOrange]

UNDEFEATED TEAMS: Georgia; Ohio State; Tennessee; Clemson; Michigan; & TCU.

Beat Georgia & WE ARE IN! (Regardless of the SEC Championship Game).

Ohio State & Michigan have to play each other anyway…..

TCU is NOT a problem.

Clemson gets the waltz into the playoffs because they play in the (weak) ACC….

Things are shaping up fairly well. But, we HAVE to TAKE CARE OF BUSINESS!

Too many pollsters still have a bias against the VOLS - (even with the win over Alabama)!

 

[GetYouSomeofThat]

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, you're brief time in the sun has ended.

Go Vols!

Kentucky is a well coached football team whose season would be spectacular with a win over us. I think CJH has shown he can keep this team focused on the task at hand. However if he fails in that endeavor and the team's attitude refelcts some of the fan base...Kentucky will take advantage of that and make this game very very tough to win.

 

[VolFanNC09]

If Clemson wins out and either Ohio St/Michigan are undefeated, and TCU wins out there will be only one SEC team in the playoffs. Which means we need to take care of business. If TCU loses then the scenario's open up even if we lost to Georgia. I can see Ohio St, Clemson and 2 SEC teams in that scenario.

 

[Jeff Clark]

UNDEFEATED TEAMS: Georgia; Ohio State; Tennessee; Clemson; Michigan; & TCU.

Beat Georgia & WE ARE IN! (Regardless of the SEC Championship Game).

Ohio State & Michigan have to play each other anyway…..

TCU is NOT a problem.

Clemson gets the waltz into the playoffs because they play in the (weak) ACC….

Things are shaping up fairly well. But, we HAVE to TAKE CARE OF BUSINESS!

Too many pollsters still have a bias against the VOLS - (even with the win over Alabama)!

This has turned out to be an awesome football season. I thought Tennessee would go 9-3 but this season has exceeded all my expectations.

 

[NighthawkVol]

Clemson could absolutely lose to someone they shouldn't. They almost did yesterday. North Carolina has a shot against them in the ACCCG.

 

[Jeff Clark]

Clemson could absolutely lose to someone they shouldn't. They almost did yesterday. North Carolina has a shot against them in the ACCCG.

Yeah i think Clemson could slip up in the ACCCG and find themselves in the Orange Bowl which would probably knock Syracuse into the Cheez-It Bowl against Texas.

 

[VFL-82-JP]

So, taking it one week at a time..

Here are the matches this coming weekend involving teams with -0 on their resumes. Question: which is most likely to lose? Not necessarily likely to lose, but most likely:

• #1 Georgia vs Florida (4-3)
• #2 Ohio State @ #16 Penn State (6-1)
• #3 Tennessee vs #19 Kentucky (5-2)
• #4 Michigan vs Michigan State (3-4)
• #5 Clemson vs Bye Week (0-8)
• #8 TCU @ West Virginia (3-4)

I would probably put them in this order:

1. decent chance Penn State knocks off Ohio State. Not 50/50, not even odds, but a good enough chance Ryan Day should be sweating.
2. next I'd put UGa and Michigan on a bit of upset alert. And for the same reason--these rivalry games, sometimes you gotta throw the teams' records out the window and just acknowledge them as peers for the day.
3. at the bottom go the Vols, TCU, and Clemson. Yes, Wildkitten fans and trolls, I just said the Tennessee Volunteers have the same chance of getting beaten by you as Clemson has of getting beaten by Bye Week. Live with it, hug tight to six days' worth of dreams of rubbing it in my face after a miraculous Wildcat victory, and then come back to reality. WGWTFA.

What do you think? I mean, other than the Kentucky fans, we all know what they think.

 

[Pride85]

All I am saying is if UT starts looking ahead and not at the next, a team such as Kentucky could upset us. It feels great to be undefeated and I want to keep it that way

The fans may be looking ahead, but I absolutely guarantee the CJH, the rest of the staff and the players are not.

 

[Gandalf]

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!

I mean, how exciting and satisfying is it that we are even having this discussion after 7 games in and it’s not a joke or wishful thinking!?