ESPN Rates Tennessee third best team in 1998…

#51
#51
I read it. It sounds like some teams lost some games and Tennessee lucked into the BCS Natty…(we lost 0 games and the writer is giving excuses to good teams who lost games at the end of their schedule). By the philosophy given here, Hooker was the real Heisman and we are the real champions of 2022 because we were well on our way before some garbage incident late in the season.
 
#52
#52
unfrozencvmanvol said:
2001 Miami are in there to me in terms of the NFL talent and raw athletic potential they had. They are a clear top 3 to 5 all-time team I think. That said I don't think 2001 Miami was the absolute unit as a functioning team that 1995 Nebraska was. 1995 Nebraska really didn't play a close game. That Florida team they beat 62-24 for the title was incredibly good (beat our 11-1 team by 25) and would have won the national championship pretty easily 9 out of 10 years. 1995 Nebraska made them look like absolute garbage. Obviously a lot of this is subjective but in my lifetime my vote would be for those Huskers.
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I have to throw 2019 LSU into the mix. IMO they beat every champion the past 20 years. They would’ve beaten the last 2 UGA title teams by 2 scores.
 
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#53
#53
unfrozencvmanvol said:
Wasn't Tulane undefeated? Clearly we were better than them but I thought that was the year they went undefeated as well.
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You're right, they were. I forgot about them but, honestly, didn't even consider them as a factor. They didn't play a ranked team all season.
 
#55
#55
ck250 said:
FSU being without Chris Weinke was the difference in that game. They were actually down to their 3rd string Qb. Jamal Lewis wasn’t as big of a loss for us because Travis Henry was his back up. We had a great team that year and a lot of luck along the way. Glad we won.
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I disagree. People act like Chris Weinke was an All-American quarterback. He was literally a 50% passer with no mobility. I vividly remember the leadup to the game and ESPN hyping up Marcus Outzen as well as gushing over how unstoppable Peter Warrick was. Did it hurt them not having Weinke? Of course, but I don't think it was the difference in the game. Also, FSU was favored in that game by almost a touchdown without Weinke.
 
#56
#56
Bigorangefan79 said:
Still to this day the teams I hate the most in all of college football are 1. Kansas State and 2. Ohio State. The reason being the last two months of that season ESPN did absolutely nothing but trash Tennessee and praise those two teams. Seriously, Kansas State could have lost their last five games and we could have won every game 100-0 and somehow we would still be #3 to ESPN.
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ESPN didn't "absolutely" trash us🤭
 
#57
#57
deatojl said:
I disagree. People act like Chris Weinke was an All-American quarterback. He was literally a 50% passer with no mobility. I vividly remember the leadup to the game and ESPN hyping up Marcus Outzen as well as gushing over how unstoppable Peter Warrick was. Did it hurt them not having Weinke? Of course, but I don't think it was the difference in the game. Also, FSU was favored in that game by almost a touchdown without Weinke.
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deatojl said:
I disagree. People act like Chris Weinke was an All-American quarterback. He was literally a 50% passer with no mobility. I vividly remember the leadup to the game and ESPN hyping up Marcus Outzen as well as gushing over how unstoppable Peter Warrick was. Did it hurt them not having Weinke? Of course, but I don't think it was the difference in the game. Also, FSU was favored in that game by almost a touchdown without Weinke.
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I don't remember ESPN hyping up Outzen. I remember they said he was their 3rd string QB a lot
 
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#58
#58
Hairy Vols said:
I was only 8 when we on the championship so someone please tell me… what there any confusion about who the best was? They said we were THIRD in the AP and pretty much that Ohio State was robbed… and to top it off Kansas State was better. Am I missing something? Lol. I’m posting this to ask, for anyone who was older when we won the Championship have they ever heard this before?
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Tennessee was, is and always will be the champion. Anything else said is just an opinion of someone with a computer.
 
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#60
#60
RDU VOL#14 said:
I have to throw 2019 LSU into the mix. IMO they beat every champion the past 20 years. They would’ve beaten the last 2 UGA title teams by 2 scores.
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I'm not so sure they would have beaten UGA's last 2 teams that badly. The year LSU won it, UGA had NO offense, like their offense sucked. James Coley was their OC. UGA's defense that year stopped LSU about every other drive, they just couldn't score. The last two UGA teams have had better offenses (especially last year) and their defense was just as good (2022) or better in 2021. I would rank LSU 2019 in my Top 3 to 5 CFB all time teams though in my 45 years of fandom though. It's very subjective though. I think I would go 1. Nebraska 1995; 2. Miami 2001; 3. LSU 2019.
 
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#61
#61
Hulavol said:
That ‘98 team also had heart…. and Al Wilson.
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And Billy Ratliff! I talked to Darwin Walker at the Senior Bowl and Darwin visibly teared up when talking about Ratliff. He said, "I love Billy Ratliff". Quite a few players with huge hearts on that team. They refused to lose.
 
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#62
#62
kptvol1 said:
I read it. It sounds like some teams lost some games and Tennessee lucked into the BCS Natty…(we lost 0 games and the writer is giving excuses to good teams who lost games at the end of their schedule). By the philosophy given here, Hooker was the real Heisman and we are the real champions of 2022 because we were well on our way before some garbage incident late in the season.
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Agreed with all. Now, dont get me wrong we started out ranked 15/16 and moved our way up with some teams losing above us obviously but we won that natty fair and square just like every team since the trophy's inception. Now, did we have a couple of amazing break that I am thankful to have witnessed in person? Absolutely with Florida's wide left and stumble-n-fumble, but every natty team has some breaks that just go their way. No, that team was an ACTUAL team that played together as a unit. There were no "all-stars" in the sense of a Peyton Manning, Cam Newton, or other teams that are carried by stars. This team was a bunch of head hunting, big boy in the trenches, athletic, ground and pound guys that were hungry for a natty.
 
#63
#63
Hairy Vols said:
I was only 8 when we on the championship so someone please tell me… what there any confusion about who the best was? They said we were THIRD in the AP and pretty much that Ohio State was robbed… and to top it off Kansas State was better. Am I missing something? Lol. I’m posting this to ask, for anyone who was older when we won the Championship have they ever heard this before?
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Ohio State, Tennessee, and Florida State had the most talent that year. We actually caught a bad break with both UCLA and KState losing on the last weekend. We would have had a much easier time against either. FSU was loaded with NFL talent.

Many thought Ohio State was more talented (though not more deserving, given the loss) at the time, but that was before the BCS and CFP displayed the SEC's superiority to the world. Sure, we knew it, but they didn't.

Ultimately, though, there was no controversy. There was one undefeated team. Hell, everyone other than Tennessee and Ohio State finished with 2 losses. KState lost their bowl game to Purdue. UCLA lost the Rose Bowl to Wisconsin. That Tennessee team just wasn't going to be denied. They were a team of destiny.
 
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#64
#64
Hairy Vols said:
I was only 8 when we on the championship so someone please tell me… what there any confusion about who the best was? They said we were THIRD in the AP and pretty much that Ohio State was robbed… and to top it off Kansas State was better. Am I missing something? Lol. I’m posting this to ask, for anyone who was older when we won the Championship have they ever heard this before?
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Matters not. We won it on the field. Trophy is ours. No discussion needed or wanted.
 
#65
#65
Who authored/contributed to this ESPeNis blather? They deserve the pointed tip of your ire.
 
#66
#66
unfrozencvmanvol said:
I'm not so sure they would have beaten UGA's last 2 teams that badly. The year LSU won it, UGA had NO offense, like their offense sucked. James Coley was their OC. UGA's defense that year stopped LSU about every other drive, they just couldn't score. The last two UGA teams have had better offenses (especially last year) and their defense was just as good (2022) or better in 2021. I would rank LSU 2019 in my Top 3 to 5 CFB all time teams though in my 45 years of fandom though. It's very subjective though. I think I would go 1. Nebraska 1995; 2. Miami 2001; 3. LSU 2019.
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I’ll correct myself, I think LSU was 7-10 points better than UGA’s last 2 teams. Yes their offense was improved, but that same LSU defense shutdown Jalen Hurts and Trevor Lawrence in the CFP. Not to derail the thread, but if we take a closer look at UGA’s titles the past 2 years, they’ve been very fortunate to have won 1 title, let alone 2 . I have my doubts that they beat Bama if their 2 Wideouts don’t go down w/ ACL’s. They should’ve lost to Ohio State last year, but Ohio State choked and there is a questionable non-targeting call where Harrison got knocked out . Yes UGA is elite, but they’re definitely not world beaters that LSU was in 2019 or Bama was in 2020. LSU 2019 vs Bama 2020, that would’ve been a helluva game.
 
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#67
#67
Ghost of Archvol said:
Nah, not lucky. We made our own luck that year and beat whoever lined up against us.

Luck would be a ‘97 Michigan. Pansy schedule and had to play a non top 5 Wash St for the national title? That ‘97 Nebraska team would have mopped the floor with them.
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Of all the teams in 1997 you think Michigan was the lucky one? Nebraska was the beneficiary of one the luckiest plays in college football history. If not for that play, they would have lost to a 7-5 Missouri team.
 
#70
#70
RDU VOL#14 said:
I’ll correct myself, I think LSU was 7-10 points better than UGA’s last 2 teams. Yes their offense was improved, but that same LSU defense shutdown Jalen Hurts and Trevor Lawrence in the CFP. Not to derail the thread, but if we take a closer look at UGA’s titles the past 2 years, they’ve been very fortunate to have won 1 title, let alone 2 . I have my doubts that they beat Bama if their 2 Wideouts don’t go down w/ ACL’s. They should’ve lost to Ohio State last year, but Ohio State choked and there is a questionable non-targeting call where Harrison got knocked out . Yes UGA is elite, but they’re definitely not world beaters that LSU was in 2019 or Bama was in 2020. LSU 2019 vs Bama 2020, that would’ve been a helluva game.
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In keeping with the theme of much of this thread, there is almost always some luck involved in winning a national championship, and the last two years were no exception.
 
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#71
#71
Think we need to scrap this stupid playoff system we have and go back to the old ratings system so ESPN can vote tOSU #1 every year and everybody else can fight for 2nd.
 
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#72
#72
ck250 said:
FSU being without Chris Weinke was the difference in that game. They were actually down to their 3rd string Qb. Jamal Lewis wasn’t as big of a loss for us because Travis Henry was his back up. We had a great team that year and a lot of luck along the way. Glad we won.
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FSU beat everyone else besides us without weinke. I think we would have won a closer game had he played. We chilled the second half and still won easily.
 
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#74
#74
Hairy Vols said:
I was only 8 when we on the championship so someone please tell me… what there any confusion about who the best was? They said we were THIRD in the AP and pretty much that Ohio State was robbed… and to top it off Kansas State was better. Am I missing something? Lol. I’m posting this to ask, for anyone who was older when we won the Championship have they ever heard this before?
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While we weren't #1 until the very end of the regular season, we were the only undefeated team left standing at the end. Ohio State was never even ahead of us as I recall. I know for a fact that both Michigan and Miami were ahead of us until right up to the end because I had coworkers that were Michigan and Miami fans. We were talking smack all year. I won.
 
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