A community of reasonable fanatics.
The Vols continue to play at an all-time pace in Knoxville, by any metric you want. In raw wins, 17-3 through the first 20 games trails only 2000 (18-2), 2008 (18-2), and 2019 (19-1). In the polls, the 2000 Vols topped out at #5, while both 2008 and 2019 went […]
The Vols are back in that “one game away from #1 in KenPom” range, with Houston’s loss to Temple shaking up college basketball’s pecking order. In the hunt for the four number one seeds, we can continue to simplify the conversation this way: One Loss: Purdue Two Losses: Alabama, Houston, […]
At the under eight in Starkville, Tennessee led 50-49. The Vols got five straight points from Zakai Zeigler, then traded four consecutive threes with Mississippi State in a wild sequence. The last of them, an open look from Josiah-Jordan James, put Tennessee up 61-55 with 4:34 to play. Fun moments […]
When people say a 12-team playoff will make regular season games less meaningful, Saturday’s loss to Kentucky is a great counter argument. It is, appropriately, a downer that continues to linger, with Tennessee missing a chance to get another one on their biggest rival with one of their greatest players […]
One of the most important things for any team is believing you can win today. Not tomorrow, though that’s a critical part of the same process. But there is a realized investment, at least from a fan perspective, in turning on the TV or scanning your ticket believing your team […]
Some years you get pretty good clarity on who the best team is, and last night will certainly qualify for Georgia. As back-to-back champs, it has essentially always been them this season. I always try to view these things through the eyes of, “What helps Tennessee most?” – the Dawgs […]
Four years ago, Tennessee opened SEC play with a 96-50 beatdown of Georgia. Even with a team you already knew was really good by that point, it was an abnormally great performance. It remains the only 40+ point win over an SEC foe since 1979. Those Dawgs were not great: […]
(I do love this photo.) The two biggest questions coming into the Orange Bowl surrounded Tennessee’s uncertainty at quarterback and on defense. Both looked great against Vanderbilt, but Clemson – both by virtue of its #7 ranking and its name – would be another test entirely. In winning 31-14, both […]
So here’s the thing: I’ve never actually written about a Good Football Team before. (For reference: I wrote from 2009 to 2017 or so, give or take a few months. I think. Memory is hazy these days.) Sure, you could argue the first half of Tennessee’s 2016 was a good […]
There is, on one hand, a finality to bowl games. The story of your season is now closed, the aftertaste settling in. And even a top-tier bowl’s ability to endure on its own merits will soon pivot hard to the 12-team playoff, where a game like #6 Tennessee vs #7 […]
