Poll

[Lane Train 4]

Would you rather have made the playoffs and lost to TCU or gone to the Orange Bowl and beat Clemson?

 

[TennesseeTarheel]

I think, from a recruiting standpoint, ending with a win is better.

 

[jarhead]

Hmm...

 

[Noni]

Winning the Orange Bowl. Being another team who barely lost to TCU would have been a painful way to end the season.

 

[Pride85]

To me it is a no-brainer. Ending with a with a bowl win and an 11-2 record are paramount to us.

 

[Sudden Impact]

With the win, it gave us more of a showcase of Tennessee Brand Football
Anytime you can Celebrate a win on National TV with CJH running the narrative as to the brand of football we play is a plus.
It is free advertisement for Recruiting
CJH does a great sell job --- a loss in CFP is like going to a dance with somebody and coming home without them. Well maybe next year.

 

[Mccage]

No I didn't want tó lose to TCU.or marry my wife's sister .

 

[LadyVolette]

I think how it happened was the best case scenario, all things considered

 

[VolInDayton]

You compete to win championships. I would never turn down a spot in the playoffs. There's a reason players opt out of NY6 bowls, but not the college football playoff. An Orange Bowl win was still a great way to end the best season of the last 20 years.

 

[Ratvol]

Beating Clemson in Miami. For recruiting reasons plus 11-2 sounds much better than 10-3.
AND forcing Dabo to flip burgers. Priceless

Go VOLS

 

[TMvol10]

Lost to TCU because for that to have even happened it would have meant we wouldn’t have lost to SC and finished the season 11-1. Going to the playoffs is the ultimate goal. The win over Clemson was awesome. It was an absolute blast to watch us beat them down and see little Dabo get what he deserves. But the only reason we were in that game to begin with, was the loss to SC. So give me an SC win and a playoff birth over the orange bowl.

 

[savannahfan]

AS MY GRANDDADDY USE TO SAY "AND WHICH HAD YOU REATHER DO,,, OR RIDE A BICYCLE"??

 

[NATHAN05]

I'm only going to say the TCU route because I'm assuming we're going with this year's unfolding so that means we would (in a dream world) beaten USCe and won the SEC Championship allowing us to stay in the top 4. Thus a 12-2 record after the TCU loss.......im ok with this.

(Although I enjoyed the Orange bowl very much and loved watching Clemson fans looked stunned leaving the stadium)

 

[VFL-82-JP]

We wouldn't have lost to TCU, so I can't answer your hypothetical question.

 

[AdoptedVOL]

I ALWAYS want to see a team play on the biggest stage and NEVER care about fantasy polls. But I'm a bit odd.

 

[Ned Ray McWorkher]

Win Orange Bowl.

But I think Michigan would have been the opponent if South Carolina was a win. TCU would have been fourth, and UT/Michigan would have been 2/3 in the final poll.

 

[madbamahater]

Vols beat both Michigan and TCU, so making the playoffs is what your goal should be. Anything else falls short.

Next best thing?...beating Clemson in Orange Bowl. Tennessee owed Clemson an ass whoopin and handed it to them. Vols used to cherry pick talent from the Carolinas back in the day and need to get back to that. South and North Carolina are talent rich states, historically for running backs and defensive players (tough football players).

Clemson was always like a little step brother, until we started sucking. Then Clemson raided the Tennessee coaching staff when Fulmer was canned and started building the foundation to what they became the last decade, while Tennessee was down and out and openly negative recruited against Tennessee in the region, including getting some top prospects from our state. To hell with Clemson and its my hope the Vols have started their downfall....have to capitalize on the Orange Bowl victory and get some top recruiters to comb through South Carolina for talent, like Tennessee has done historically....

Remember, always remember where Dabo is from. It's just in his blood. Remember where Dabo is from, don't let him fool you...

 

[Sudden Impact]

Too many ifs in the conversation. If Tennessee had made the Playoffs what is it to say that they would have played TCU. They would have been probably matched up against GA or Michigan.
So the Clemson win in the Orange Bowl would have been the best scenerio. Beating a Conference Champion is better for us at this time.

When it goes to the 12 team playoff format, it is my understanding the the Conference Champions get the top 4 byes. For example, Clemson would have been a 4 Seed vs a 7 seed.

This is bogus and if it is the case why even have a CFP Committee.

 

[first time caller]

Tough question...life was good after the Orange Bowl win. But I would hesitantly take a close loss to TCU.

 

[ftsandersvol]

Hypothetically losing a game should never be a poll option.