No One Is Picking Vols to Win?

#26
#26
I think mizzou is a good team but I do not believe they are close to being on the level that many are hyping them up to be on.
 
#27
#27
so sick of hearing "freshman" he can't do no worst then Worley...sick of seeing wide open WR's not being hit and 3 down passes being thrown to guys not even pass the first down marker....Go Vols!!
 
#28
#28
TN will play with a chip on the shoulder today. I expect a "W". Vols 32 - Misery 17

CBJ will have the boys tuned up for this one.
 
#29
#29
AJeray4TN said:
You're right, not a single person picking Mizzou actually does this for a living. You're the only one that sees the truth!
Give me a break DUDE I'm hoping you're just a HOMER, and not truly as NAIVE as you sound.
The Vols absolutely have the ability to win, and I hope they do. But this idea that had we not played Bama and Oregon on the road that people would be saying "TENNESSEE IS BACK" is IDIOTIC.
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LOTS of ABSOLUTES and LABELS in this DIATRIBE ...dripping with sarcasm and condescension:disappointed::disappointed: GLAD YOU ON THAT WALL KEEPING IT REAL FOR ALL OF US!!! :salute: :salute: :good!:
 
#30
#30
DiderotsGhost said:
I haven't found any major sportswriter picking UT to win this game over Mizzou. I can't even find anyone that has us keeping it close (i.e. within a touchdown). It almost seems as if we were being given a better shot to beat Alabama by the media.

CBS Sports picks
ESPN Blogger Picks
Stewart Mandel at Sports Illustrated

I'm normally the last guy to be a "homer." But I can't for the life of me understand why no one thinks we have a shot.

We beat South Carolina. Mizzou lost to South Carolina, without Connor Shaw for the first half. South Carolina played one of the most horrendous half of football it's had in several years, and still beat Mizzou.

We nearly beat Georgia. Mizzou beat UGA handily, but UGA also turned the ball over 4 times against Mizzou. Without winning the TO battle decisively, UGA probably wins that game. And of course, UGA was banged up after the UT game, as well.

Mizzou's most impressive win, by far, was versus Florida. Honestly, though, I don't think Florida is very good without a healthy Jeff Driskel. The backup QB may have beat us, but that had a lot to do with our defense being too slow to get to the corner (our big weakness this year).

I'm not dogging Mizzou. They've had a great season, but I'm just not seeing how beating up on two injury-plagued teams makes Mizzou the "second best team in the SEC." I've watched Missouri a few times this year, and frankly, I'd put them below Bama, LSU, A&M, Auburn, and South Carolina at the very least.

Mizzou deserves to be the favorites, I'll give them that. But these teams are way more evenly matched than the media seems to believe. Maybe the media ends up being right and we have our butts handed to us, but unless we decisively lose the turnover battle, it seems more likely to be a close game to me.

I think our guys come out with a chip on their shoulder and win this one! I can't remember us being such huge underdogs for no good reason since the 2001 Florida game.

GO VOLS!
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I'll be pulling like hell for UT today just like I do every day. But I think I can come up with a few good reasons:

1. Mizzou is the #9 team in the country, we're a .500 team nowhere near the top 25
2. We've lost on the road to 3 top 10 teams so far by a combined score of 135-41
3. A true freshman QB will be making his first collegiate start for us
4. The game is on the road, at night, in a more hostile environment than a day game would likely be, for a young avg talented team, that doesn't play well on the road.... see #2
5. Mizzou's defense is very good. Only Bama allows as few yards per rushing attempt as them... Approx 3.4 yds. Our strength is running the ball... not a good matchup
6. They have the nation's sack leader in Sam. He has 15 tackles for loss. He is only one of very many strong, physical, aggressive playmakers on a very good defense.
7. Our defense was horrific last week. Their QB can makes plays with his arm and feet and we do not matchup even remotely well with a huge WR corps

I gotta few more but the wife's calling me to fix the kitchen garbage disposal. That'll have to do
 
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#31
#31
DiderotsGhost said:
How many times has Mizzou played Oregon and Bama this season?

Honestly, this is one reason why many "upsets" happen. Because the vast majority of people are too stupid to analyze anything beyond W-L records.

A team that plays 9 top 25 teams and goes 4-5 against them is often better than a team that plays 3 top 25 teams and goes 0-3. Yet, it's rare for a 7-5 team to be ranked above a 9-3 team, even when the latter has 4 quality wins and the former has 0. In college football, we punish teams for losing, rather than rewarding them for winning. It's a flawed way of analyzing the game.

Not saying UT will win (though I am picking us). I think both teams are very evenly matched. But the idea that Mizzou is a "top 10" team is based solely off of a much simpler schedule. If the Vols played Mizzou's schedule, we'd be 6-2 and probably in the top 15. All the pundits would be screaming about how "TENNESSEE IS BACK!" But because we played Alabama and Oregon, we're "mediocre."
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Very good points!

Here is my problem with the way polls and pundits view our system. If a poll is right, the higher ranked team should beat the lower ranked team more often than not, right? So, if polls work, the number 6 team in the country should lose to teams 1-5 and could still be the 6th best team. In essence, polls dont allow for a correction from what they actually should predict to begin with as there is no way the current system allows for a 5 loss top ten team. Until a system exists that corrects for that bias we have a polling system that is a beauty pageant based on how people feel watching games.
 
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#35
#35
Heard a stat this morning on college game day: teams coming off a loss on the road in Alabama were 1-12 against an SEC team on the road the next week. Let's hope it's 2-12 after tonight
 
#36
#36
VolsSportsFan said:
I think we win, but it's not like picking Mizzou is silly or anything.
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No. It's the smart pick. It's just that normally you can find at least SOMEBODY calling the upset just so they can look smart in case it happens. It's weird that NOONE is picking UT to win this game considering how close I expect this game to be.
 
#37
#37
Off topic, but anyone notice how the ESPN Gameday 'regulars' shut out Finebaum during the roundtable discussion this AM? He kept trying to interject why Bama deserves #1 just by the 'eye' test and all of them shut him out. He finally said 'crowded here today' when he could not get a comment in. Thought that was funny, he must have little respect from the on air crew.
 
#38
#38
Its going to make it that much sweeter when we bust them in the mouth and leave Columbia with a W
 
#40
#40
ncvol17 said:
Off topic, but anyone notice how the ESPN Gameday 'regulars' shut out Finebaum during the roundtable discussion this AM? He kept trying to interject why Bama deserves #1 just by the 'eye' test and all of them shut him out. He finally said 'crowded here today' when he could not get a comment in. Thought that was funny, he must have little respect from the on air crew.
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Haha I saw that. No idea why ESPN feels like they need him as part of Gameday.
 
#41
#41
VolsSportsFan said:
I think we win, but it's not like picking Mizzou is silly or anything.
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Yeah. A 1loss Mizzou team, #9 ranked, at home, vs a .500 team, with a freshman QB, who's avg loss on the road this year is by 32 Pts. Don't think it's a stretch to go with Mizzou.
 
#42
#42
butchna said:
LOTS of ABSOLUTES and LABELS in this DIATRIBE ...dripping with sarcasm and condescension:disappointed::disappointed: GLAD YOU ON THAT WALL KEEPING IT REAL FOR ALL OF US!!! :salute: :salute: :good!:
Click to expand...

That's a big font. Fun.
 
#44
#44
Funny thread: Why WOULD anyone pick UT? Missouri has beaten georgia and florida at home, and is playing us at home. We'd be significant underdogs at Neyland, much less in Columbia.
 
#46
#46
Boca Vol said:
UT has won 3 SEC road games in the last 6 seasons! 2 against Vandy and 1 against UK.

Until UT proves otherwise, the smart pick is the home team. UT can take a huge step forward tonight.
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Why is this so hard for the homers to understand. We have been terrible on the road n played 2 really good teams but the fla game showed our coaches have a lot to learn also. Yes mizz is the easy pick so that's what they do..

Also they r not homo over Dobbs like VN n the last 1000 threads
.. Omg its been unreal..lol

We shall see who wins soon
 
#47
#47
DiderotsGhost said:
I haven't found any major sportswriter picking UT to win this game over Mizzou. I can't even find anyone that has us keeping it close (i.e. within a touchdown). It almost seems as if we were being given a better shot to beat Alabama by the media.

CBS Sports picks
ESPN Blogger Picks
Stewart Mandel at Sports Illustrated

I'm normally the last guy to be a "homer." But I can't for the life of me understand why no one thinks we have a shot.

We beat South Carolina. Mizzou lost to South Carolina, without Connor Shaw for the first half. South Carolina played one of the most horrendous half of football it's had in several years, and still beat Mizzou.

We nearly beat Georgia. Mizzou beat UGA handily, but UGA also turned the ball over 4 times against Mizzou. Without winning the TO battle decisively, UGA probably wins that game. And of course, UGA was banged up after the UT game, as well.

Mizzou's most impressive win, by far, was versus Florida. Honestly, though, I don't think Florida is very good without a healthy Jeff Driskel. The backup QB may have beat us, but that had a lot to do with our defense being too slow to get to the corner (our big weakness this year).

I'm not dogging Mizzou. They've had a great season, but I'm just not seeing how beating up on two injury-plagued teams makes Mizzou the "second best team in the SEC." I've watched Missouri a few times this year, and frankly, I'd put them below Bama, LSU, A&M, Auburn, and South Carolina at the very least.

Mizzou deserves to be the favorites, I'll give them that. But these teams are way more evenly matched than the media seems to believe. Maybe the media ends up being right and we have our butts handed to us, but unless we decisively lose the turnover battle, it seems more likely to be a close game to me.

I think our guys come out with a chip on their shoulder and win this one! I can't remember us being such huge underdogs for no good reason since the 2001 Florida game.

GO VOLS!
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And it appears that they are correct in not picking UT, just like against Bama.
:air_kiss::furious3:
 
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#48
#48
DiderotsGhost said:
How many times has Mizzou played Oregon and Bama this season?

Honestly, this is one reason why many "upsets" happen. Because the vast majority of people are too stupid to analyze anything beyond W-L records.

A team that plays 9 top 25 teams and goes 4-5 against them is often better than a team that plays 3 top 25 teams and goes 0-3. Yet, it's rare for a 7-5 team to be ranked above a 9-3 team, even when the latter has 4 quality wins and the former has 0. In college football, we punish teams for losing, rather than rewarding them for winning. It's a flawed way of analyzing the game.

Not saying UT will win (though I am picking us). I think both teams are very evenly matched. But the idea that Mizzou is a "top 10" team is based solely off of a much simpler schedule. If the Vols played Mizzou's schedule, we'd be 6-2 and probably in the top 15. All the pundits would be screaming about how "TENNESSEE IS BACK!" But because we played Alabama and Oregon, we're "mediocre."
Click to expand...

Are we going to talk about this?
 
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