Phil Fulmer and AD Mike Hamilton like to brag about the Vols' football schedule which includes future games with Oregon, Oklahoma and Ohio State. But is it a good idea for the Vols to play such tough out-of-conference competition, especially so early in the season?The case for cupcakes makes good sense. The Vols are a notoriously slow-starting team that usually peaks in November (and not just because Kentucky and Vanderbilt are usual November opponents). For years, Tennessee fans longed for the Florida game to be moved back because the Vols were a better team later in the year. It makes little sense to open the year with teams that can beat the Vols - teams like California and UCLA. Why not get the Crompton kinks out against UTC instead of UCLA?
An opening cupcake also keeps spirits high for longer than four quarters. I'm expecting empty seats at the opening home game on Saturday because of post-UCLA frustrations. The Vols are out of the national polls and the laughing stock of the SEC (which is saying something with Arkansas and Mississippi State in the conference). Instead of losing to a 3rd-string quarterback across the country, the Vols could be 1-0 against an FBS team in the comfort of their own dorm rooms.
Playing tough out-of-conference teams in the season opener is like the politician who tells the truth: it might earn national respect, but it doesn't win elections. Ask Walter Mondale. Remember the National Championship season of 1998? Remember that the Vols were one generous pass interference call away from losing its opener at Syracuse? Most Tennessee fans don't, but that loss would have ruined any hopes of a national crown. The long-term costs outweigh the benefits.
The track record of opening up against a tough opponent dispells the myth that it prepares the Vols for the SEC schedule. Did losing to Cal help against Tim Tebow last year? Did beating Cal at home two years ago help the Vols against Urban Meyer a few weeks later?
Quick trivia - do you remember who the Vols opened up with the last time they beat Florida?
How many of you said UNLV?
Look around the country - Oklahoma plays UTC, Florida State plays Western Carolina, Alabama plays Western Kentucky, LSU plays Appy State, Ohio State plays Youngstown State...you get my drift.
There is no, okay not much, shame in playing a cupcake. The SEC is challenging enough without playing at UCLA, Oregon, Ohio State, etc. on top of it.
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I thought a lot about this too over the last week, and I think that the only reason Tennessee plays these games is to stay a national type team to aid in recruiting. Unfortunately, going .500 in them isn't really going to help. Sure, I think we'll beat UCLA next year in Knoxville, but we'll be at Oregon, Nebraska, and Oklahoma over the next few years and I really can't say I'm all that confident about any of those match-ups. I guess we have UConn in 2016!
Also, you don't really get rewarded for playing tough non-conference games early. In basketball, it helps with seeding in the tournament, but "good" losses at Pac-10 teams aren't bringing us better bowl games. That's why UGA got a free ticket to the Sugar Bowl last year despite a bad loss to UT. The two extra losses we had were for games they either weren't willing to play or didn't qualify for.
Which brings me to my other gripe, why doesn't the loser of the SEC title game get more respect? LSU played in the championship game and we were shuffled down to the Outback bowl. That doesn't make any sense to me either.
Glenn - you made some great points here. There really seems to be little benefit to playing these games except for recruiting, exposure and I guess keeping the fans happy (Hamilton talks about how much Vols fans enjoy traveling to these games against these opponents). I guess I just wish they were schedule for the second game instead of the first.
As far as the bowls go, they can pick whomever they want. They pick who will bring fans and ratings which sometimes benefits the Vols and sometimes does not.
I understand why the bowls pick who they do and realize that it won't change based on the current system. But if the Sugar Bowl picks SEC #1, Capital One picks SEC #2, the Outback picks SEC #3, Cotton Bowl SEC #4, etc., and we always wind up with one more loss than the other conference teams, it makes us look all the more undesirable.
Also, the SEC should work it out that the loser of the SEC championship is the SEC #2 team to make the game more meaningful. I tried to find out who went to the Capital One Bowl in 1994 when we went to the Cotton Bowl after losing to Auburn, but couldn't do so immdediately. What's the point in winning your division if you can be penalized for playing the extra game.
The only downside of playing a cupcake that I can see, really, is the highly unlikely Appy State/Michigan debacle from last year. Still, I would much rather have a couple of pre-season type games under our belt heading into the Florida game. If they want to schedule one good non-conference game, it could come a bit later.
The big difference, I think, is that most of the other conferences have cupcakes built into their [i]league[/i] schedule. We really don't have that anymore. Hell, Vandy usually gives us fits, even if we normally beat up on them.
You are right about the potential for an embarrassment, but history says that was a once in a lifetime fluke.
One more argument for opening with a cupcake - Brent Vinson. After the summer, various guys are going to be suspended for doing stupid stuff in their free time. If the Vols opened with Tennessee Tech, Vinson and others could sit out a meaningless game rather than a nationally televised, losable one.
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