The Rearview 4-13

“Non Factor”—i.e., does not matter, irrelevant.

These are the only words that were spoken yesterday morning during ESPN’s two hours of College Game Day regarding the Tennessee Volunteers 2008 football season.

I tuned in yesterday primarily because there wasn’t anything else going on, and it was going to be nice to get an early dose of college football, even if it was a manufactured situation, at one of our biggest rivals home fields.

But as I watched and listened, it became evident to me that many of the issues that we debate all the time around here are not lost on the national scene. Not only were we described as a non factor, that was also the last time we were mentioned in nearly 4 hours of broadcast time (2 hours of Game Day & 2 hours of spring football game).

Some of you will just say this is part of the ESPN conspiracy to single handily extinguish the UT sports program. Others will say this validates how far this program has fallen. And yet there will be some that will simply believe that they have no idea what they are talking about.

I, for one, did take a few things from that comment. Not least of which, it’s true. For all intents and purposes, we are irrelevant, nationally speaking. There are football reasons why this is true for this season. But as I compare what is going on at some rival schools to what is going on here, I understand why the comment was made, and more importantly why they meant it.

1. New QB, new offensive coaching staff. Primary football reason number 1 why we are considered irrelevant, and rightfully so. When was the last time you saw an SEC team have a new QB and a new Offensive Coaching staff come in, in year one, and win the conference? Seriously, I don’t know.

2. There’s no buzz. There’s no tangible reason for anyone outside this program to take notice of Tennessee. New offensive staff not withstanding, it’s ho hum “work like heck to get better” on the hill.

3. Our rivals are better. And before you tell me about 3-1 against GA, I agree with you. But, it is also why this point is still valid. We’ve beaten GA 3 of the past 4, and no one cares. We’ve beaten them badly twice in a row, and no one cares. We’ve beaten them twice in a row in Athens, and no one cares. Those games’ outcomes are viewed as flukes. There is a reason for that.

4. That reason is the eyeball test over the course of the entire season. The past two years, despite the big wins over GA, we simply haven’t finished strong. That case was made against Florida, Air Force and Penn St in 2006. That case was made in virtually every second half of 2007, not to mention the beatings that were Florida, Alabama and Cal. How can a team handle GA and struggle so mightily with comparably talented teams and inferior teams? Answer: No consistency week to week.

5. Florida, Alabama and Cal. No one has forgotten those. In fact, they remember those three games and have to be reminded that we played for the SEC title last season.

6. Perception. Like it or not, perception is reality in college football. Perception is that FL and GA did more to lose the SEC East last season than we did to win it. I don’t agree with that, but I understand it. Perception says that we were a couple of field goals away from a 5 loss season. Perception says 59-20 and 41-17 matter a lot more than last second wins against KY and SC.

7. Be relevant later in the season. For the last three years, our season was put in catch up mode after the 3rd game (that’s 9 games of hoping someone else makes a mistake to get you back in contention, not exactly riveting TV). Like it or not, at some point (I’ve said this so much, I don’t know that I believe any thing else) we have to make it out of September controlling our own destiny. Beating FL immediately makes every other conf. game on our schedule more important, in conf. and nationally. Losing that game simply turns you in to a potential stumbling block for the real contenders. How many times have you heard the past couple of seasons “if they can get past Tennessee….”? Newsflash: that’s not to mean that if Tennessee wins that game we’re in position to gain anything, rather, the team that played us lost something. And that’s further evidenced by the fact that we haven’t won anything in….

8. 10 years. Nothing else really to say here.

9. A lot of people outside this program hold David Cutcliffe in high regard. His departure, more so than Clawson’s entrance, have people believing we took a step back coaching wise, though not of our own doing. This presents a huge challenge, and opportunity, to Dave Clawson and this offensive staff.

10. Last and certainly not least, players. While I’ve said, and will maintain, that overall our talent level has gotten better the last two years, it’s no secret that up front on both sides of the ball, talented depth is down from past years. GA and FL both have better personnel than we do, man for man. Does that mean we can’t compete with them right now? No, as I’ve said, we have enough talent at the right spots right now to compete with both of them. But we don’t have anyone on the roster right now that has created the kind of buzz Percy Harvin, Tim Tebow, Knowshon Moreno or Matt Stafford has created for our competition. How do we do that? It has to be created. It can’t be manufactured or forced on you. It has to happen in games that matter. The good news is we have a few guys that can do that for us. They just have to go do it.

The message is clear to me, and I hope it’s clear to folks like David Clawson, Stan Drayton, Latrell Scott, Gerald Jones, Jon Crompton, Eric Berry, D. Morley, Ahmad Paige, Lucas Taylor, Arian Foster, Lennon Creer, Rico McCoy, Dan Williams, Demonte Bolden and Coach Fulmer among others. You have obviously been challenged. You have an opportunity. The only question you have to answer is: Are YOU a non-factor?

We’ll find out starting in Pasadena, CA. Until then, Go Vols.