Bad look for the playoff committee so far [updated]

[VolsSportsFan]

What good is getting embarrassed in a game you didn't belong in?

Also now don’t belong? Before the game this place was whining about our seeding and bragging about how we’d kick their ass. We got a bunch of loud talkers and raisin sacks around here.

 

[TheFlash1971]

Basically we have 2 more blowouts to come yet. ASU and Boise State at some point will get drubbed like we did. Every year will be the same. 4 -5 really good teams and rest of the field basically playing to see exactly how they match up.

 

[SayUWantAreVOLution]

Id rather had played and won in the pop tart bowl then get blown out this bad! I did say I was just happy to be in this thing but not with a showing like this I’m not

If you want to run with the big dogs, you have to jump off the porch and get your butt kicked a few times. If you can't handle that, you'll always be on the porch bullying the really little dogs and pretending you're a big dog.

UT made it to the "jump off the porch and fight with the big dogs" level and we earned the right to get our butt kicked.

Somewhere there may be a message or call between Saban and Urban with them laughing, "Josh found out it's not so easy at the next level, eh?"

It's not. It's not supposed to be easy at all to be in the upper echelon of a sport.

If you like it easy, that's your right. We could win the Pop Tart Bowl consistently and strut about it, but that's not who UT is.

 

[ERICtheBERRY]

It's not really surprising that all the home teams won. A home game is still really important especially so in a playoff atmosphere.

I'm not shocked we lost but I am a little surprised we got absolutely dominated in all facets of the game. I'm disappointed but it is what it is.

 

[LegionnaireOfTheMiserable]

So you believe Indiana and SMU are better than Ole Miss and Alabama. I don't.

I didn’t believe Vanderbilt and Oklahoma were better than Alabama,

 

[delvol]

If you want to run with the big dogs, you have to jump off the porch and get your butt kicked a few times. If you can't handle that, you'll always be on the porch bullying the really little dogs and pretending you're a big dog.

UT made it to the "jump off the porch and fight with the big dogs" level and we earned the right to get our butt kicked.

Somewhere there may be a message or call between Saban and Urban with them laughing, "Josh found out it's not so easy at the next level, eh?"

It's not. It's not supposed to be easy at all to be in the upper echelon of a sport.

If you like it easy, that's your right. We could win the Pop Tart Bowl consistently and strut about it, but that's not who UT is.

Agreed. The benefit of getting your ass kicked here is that you're getting better and will eventually start doing the ass kicking.

 

[VolsSportsFan]

If you want to run with the big dogs, you have to jump off the porch and get your butt kicked a few times. If you can't handle that, you'll always be on the porch bullying the really little dogs and pretending you're a big dog.

UT made it to the "jump off the porch and fight with the big dogs" level and we earned the right to get our butt kicked.

Somewhere there may be a message or call between Saban and Urban with them laughing, "Josh found out it's not so easy at the next level, eh?"

It's not. It's not supposed to be easy at all to be in the upper echelon of a sport.

If you like it easy, that's your right. We could win the Pop Tart Bowl consistently and strut about it, but that's not who UT is.

I honestly don’t understand the mentality of rather wanting to win a bowl than playing for a chance at the championship and risk getting boat raced. What’s the point? For your fee fees? That’s like wanting to win the NIT instead of losing in the first round of the NCAAT.

Plus if we had been left out and won the Citrus or Gator Bowl the same people would then say it proved we deserved the playoff spot.

So sounds like people want to keep the ability to complain but when it’s time to put up or shut up, they don’t like that part.

 

[SayUWantAreVOLution]

I honestly don’t understand the mentality of rather wanting to win a bowl than playing for a chance at the championship and risk getting boat raced. What’s the point? For your fee fees? That’s like wanting to win the NIT instead of losing in the first round of the NCAAT.

Plus if we had been left out and won the Citrus or Gator Bowl the same people would then say it proved we deserved the playoff spot.

So sounds like people want to keep the ability to complain but when it’s time to put up or shut up, they don’t like that part.

There are people who value winning more than excelling. They feel better beating lesser competition than having the chance to compete with better competition.

I like winning. It feels better than losing.

I like competing. It feels even better than winning.

 

[m1al]

Nobody saw this coming? Seriously?

When you proclaim some "noble" reason to "improve" something, but in reality it's just so some a$$holes can make more money, don't be surprised when the results are far from stellar....

 

[UTFranklinVol]

Also now don’t belong? Before the game this place was whining about our seeding and bragging about how we’d kick their ass. We got a bunch of loud talkers and raisin sacks around here.

The team showed us all that whining about higher seeds was a fools errand. We the fans were clearly wrong about our team.

I go back to the thread I started several weeks ago. We may have been selected but we were never a playoff worthy team. Too many glaring problems.

Maybe Nico and his wide receivers will be better with another year under their belts.

 

[UTFranklinVol]

I honestly don’t understand the mentality of rather wanting to win a bowl than playing for a chance at the championship and risk getting boat raced. What’s the point? For your fee fees? That’s like wanting to win the NIT instead of losing in the first round of the NCAAT.

Plus if we had been left out and won the Citrus or Gator Bowl the same people would then say it proved we deserved the playoff spot.

So sounds like people want to keep the ability to complain but when it’s time to put up or shut up, they don’t like that part.

In our world perception is everything. You have to manage how your team is perceived by the media, other fan bases and most importantly recruits and donors. If you get invited to the grown up table and proceed to sh!t yourself you won't be invited back to the table next time. It's better to fly under the radar until you know you can put on a good show. The end result will be much better for the strength and brand name of the program.

 

[VolsSportsFan]

In our world perception is everything. You have to manage how your team is perceived by the media, other fan bases and most importantly recruits and donors. If you get invited to the grown up table and proceed to sh!t yourself you won't be invited back to the table next time. It's better to fly under the radar until you know you can put on a good show. The end result will be much better for the strength and brand name of the program.

I think that's quite a loser way to look at it. I'm not calling you a loser, I think that mentality is weak though.

If we didn't go to the playoff but won the Gator Bowl by 4 TDs over Duke...nobody but UT fans give a s***. The media won't care, other fans won't care. We won the Citrus Bowl going away last year and it was a yawn. Hell we won the Orange Bowl the year before and also a yawn. Being in the CFP regardless of outcome >>>>>>>> a meaningless bowl game in terms of perception of the program and clout.

I mean if next year we don't make the playoff but win the Citrus Bowl by 4 TDs over a mid range B10, is that an improvement? I think not.

 

[VolsSportsFan]

There are people who value winning more than excelling. They feel better beating lesser competition than having the chance to compete with better competition.

I like winning. It feels better than losing.

I like competing. It feels even better than winning.

I want to play and beat the best. If we lose in that scenario, so be it. But winning over some chump team in a lesser bowl is kind of like eating a donut. Yeah it was good but ultimately unfufilling and no real value.

 

[iBleedOrangeWhite]

This. Yes, win your conference and you are in. I have no problem at all with Clemson being there, or Arizona State. But all it should get you is a spot. While this is at 12 teams, the four best teams should get the byes even if three of them are all in the same conference or something like that. ASU shouldn't be a 4 seed after winning a so-so conference and losing by 10 points to a 5-7 team. You want a 4 with that schedule, go 13-0.

To be fair, they lost that game with their backup QB, Jeff Sims. Not sure if you remember his years at GT or NEB but he isn’t exactly a prolific passer. They win that game by 10 if Leavitt is able to go. ASU simply doesn’t have the depth to overcome that yet, but they will IF Dillingham doesn’t get swooned by an NFL club within the next year or two.

 

[iBleedOrangeWhite]

There goal was to make sure the SEC didn't dominate. The only way to do that was:
1. put only 3 SEC teams in. There should have been 5
2. Send Tennessee to Ohio St. If Tennessee wins send them 2000 miles from home to play Oregon
3. Give Notre Dame and Penn St. gimmes in round 1. Penn St. now plays Boise State

The fix was in in their first release with 4 out of top 5 from the Big10. Complete pathetic bias.

Your conspiracy is forgetting Texas who gets the two lowest ranked teams in the entire field in back to back rounds. (Clemson #16, ASU #12)

 

[LickSkillet]

If you want to run with the big dogs, you have to jump off the porch and get your butt kicked a few times. If you can't handle that, you'll always be on the porch bullying the really little dogs and pretending you're a big dog.

UT made it to the "jump off the porch and fight with the big dogs" level and we earned the right to get our butt kicked.

Somewhere there may be a message or call between Saban and Urban with them laughing, "Josh found out it's not so easy at the next level, eh?"

It's not. It's not supposed to be easy at all to be in the upper echelon of a sport.

If you like it easy, that's your right. We could win the Pop Tart Bowl consistently and strut about it, but that's not who UT is.

This is an odd mentality in the NIL era. Porches and dogs and “butt whoopins” and all that old school noise is gone. Buy better. Be better. Play better. That’s it.

 

[SayUWantAreVOLution]

This is an odd mentality in the NIL era. Porches and dogs and “butt whoopins” and all that old school noise is gone. Buy better. Be better. Play better. That’s it.

Michael Vick is coaching college now, so buying your fighting dogs might be making a comeback?

But yeah, locker room speeches are probably headed in the direction of "Let's win one for the collective....."

 

[dwc13]

I don't really want the CFP to become the Big Ten/SEC invitational, but I think any objective person could see no reason to give two invites to the ACC. Quint Kessenich, who simultaneously covers lax for ESPN and has an absolutely lax name, said it pretty well. I'm having a hard time seeing SMU as better than the fourth-best team in the ACC. In fairness, I'd love to see a return to smaller conferences and far less of this unbalanced scheduling crap. And at the least, there need to be real divisions so you can have comparable schedules to differentiate teams at the top of conferences for CFP-invites.

I like non-blue blood programs having an opportunity in the CFP even though I'm an Ohio State and Nebraska alum. Really glad Boise State finally has an opportunity to compete on the big stage; there were a few seasons I think BSU could have competed with any team in the country but didn't get the opportunity because it wasn't in the 'right' conference. FWIW, I don't have an issue with the CFP Committee placing 2 ACC teams in the playoffs this year. Yes, SMU played poorly against Penn State and to a lesser extent, so did Clemson in its game against Texas, but who knows how Alabama or South Carolina might have done playing on the road against those teams. The bottom line is every team had the opportunity to control its own destiny by winning all of its regular season games. Only Oregon made good on that opportunity. You lose games you (probably) had no business losing, you take your chances.

ACC officials gifted Miami 2 or 3 conference wins with some highly questionable late game calls and the Canes still didn't make the ACC Championship Game. So SMU doesn't have to apologize for making the ACC CG and losing to Clemson on a last second FG. Yes, SMU ducked the better teams in the ACC but that's on the conference for creating the schedule, not SMU. I agree with unbalanced scheduling being a problem, but given the current size of conferences a balanced schedule isn't an option. Ohio State was the only Big Ten school that played the conference's other 3 CFP participants (Oregon, Penn State, Indiana). Yup, unbalanced, lol. The problem with divisions is when one is so much stronger than the other, as has been the case in the SEC (West), Big Ten (East) and ACC (Atlantic) for years. The 2nd best team in the stronger division is usually left out of the conference championship game, while the winner of the weaker division might be undefeated (in conference games) heading into the CCG.