Event Details
- What: SEC Championship
- When: Saturday, Dec. 1, 2007, 4 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.
- Where: Georgia Dome
- Cost: Not available
- Age limit: All ages
Tennessee Stat Book
At first glance, Tennessee's bowl options appear to have been reduced to Sugar or Chick-fil-A, depending on the outcome of the SEC championship game.
Don't make those reservations just yet, said UT athletic director Mike Hamilton.
Hamilton said Sunday he is working with the SEC office and bowl executives to keep the Vols in the mix for a New Year's Day bowl should UT lose to LSU on Saturday in the championship game.
If the Vols beat LSU they represent the league in the Sugar Bowl in New Orleans on Jan. 1 against a BCS opponent.
Several scenarios point toward Tennessee returning to Atlanta on Dec. 31 in the Chick-fil-A Bowl if the Vols lose to LSU.
However, Hamilton said the policy the league adopted last year of protecting the championship game loser might mean a New Year's Day bowl for the Vols.
"Our goal is to win and play in the Sugar Bowl,'' Hamilton said, "but if we don't win the conference championship, it's at least to give us the best chance to be playing on New Year's Day.''
Last year the SEC implemented a plan in which three New Year's Day bowls - the Capital One (Orlando), Outback (Tampa) and Cotton (Dallas) - protect the championship game loser.
Hamilton said that in a four-year span each of the three must commit to take the loser at least once. That leaves one year of four the loser is unprotected.
The Capital One exercised its option last year by taking Arkansas. That leaves the Outback and Cotton to step up this year, next year or in 2009.
This year, the Capital One is likely to take Florida, assuming that Georgia receives an at-large BCS bid.
After beating LSU, Arkansas becomes especially attractive to the Cotton. The possible departure of coach Houston Nutt might be a concern, though.
The Outback wouldn't rule out a repeat appearance by Tennessee, Hamilton said. The Vols played Penn State last year. The Outback matched South Carolina against Ohio State in 2000 and 2001, and chose Florida in 2002 and 2003.
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Comments » 68
eduardo writes:
NO WAY! This team should have lost to 3 patsies in the last 5 weeks! How can you even think this team is worthy of a New Years day bowl. Give me a break. I hope LSU beat the heck out of them. Oh Yeah we're working like HECK. In the mix and in the HUNT! Wake up SHEEP!
steve22043#233791 writes:
I think we're as good as any team in the country--is there a No 1--I don't think so--who would it be this year?
amyslins writes:
eduardo....your an idiot. no matter how you look at it, a win is a win. i do not care if you win by 3 or if you win by 60...a win is a win. stick that in your pipe and smoke it!
volbeck writes:
eduardo what the HECK are you talking about? almost losing has a name. Winning. way to find the dark side of winning a title and playing for another. have you watched any football this year? any team can beat any other. arkansas beat lsu and UT hammered arkansas. wake up and smell the positivity. unless it is false negativity to motivate the vols of course.
alfrizzle097 writes:
I can think of 9 bowl eligible teams on our schedule off the top of my head. We beat 6 of them. That's not bad. The championship game loser should automatically get the best non-BCS bowl. PERIOD
tw85541 writes:
Eduardo,
Duh, uh! A win, is a win, is a win, is a win. There is no such thing as a bad win. "Should have lost but didn't", means "we won." Heck, they even beat the points.
LSU, as Arkansas and Kentucky (Hmmm!, wonder if we could beat them?) proved is very beatable, especially if it gets to overtime. This could have been a really bad season, but guess what? It wasn't.
vol_in_lsu_land writes:
Eduardo, go root for Appy State or something you chump.
vol_in_lsu_land writes:
"Oh Yeah we're working like HECK. In the mix and in the HUNT! Wake up SHEEP!"
"WAKE UP SHEEP"
Sounds like eduardo is a kentucky fan looking for a one night stand.
ksteelescvol writes:
Why36knot thats just wrong... But i like it..
gohawks1 writes:
Baaaaaaaad Eduardo, baaaaaad.
bluetickhound writes:
If KY and Ark are such patsies... then how come they each beat the #1 team in the country this year?
LargeOrange writes:
What a loser, Eduardo is. This guy is definitely not a VOL fan, even the Phil Haters don't post "GAUX TIGERS". "Shoulda" not posted that one, Eduardo. Notice he said "them" when he was referring to OUR team.
mdvol writes:
Count on the Vols in New Orleans on Jan 1! LSU has peaked and the wheels are about to come off. Looks like the Vols against Colt Brennan and Hawaii in the Sugar.
vol4good#206163 writes:
Well I feel positve, but the team wants us to be negative. I am so confused!! Should we bash them like Redsoxs fans or praise them for the wins. I hate that we as fans have to motivate a team to play hard. Screw it. I love you guys!! even Though sometimes you play like phooey! How's that! GO VOLS!
vanderbilt_sucks writes:
Eduardo you are such a loser! It must suck being a Vanderbilt fan! When is the last bowl game ya'll went to? 1982? I can see how you are so bitter. And as always the Vanderbilt favorite Christmas Carol..... I'll Be Home for Christmas!!!!
FWBVol writes:
Eduardo, I'm a well-documented Phillip Fulmer supporter, and I try to respectfully disagree with most of the Fulmer antagonists. But when you start rooting against the boys that put it on the line for my Alma Mater every week you've gone too far. Jump off the bandwagon if it isn't going fast enough for you. You are no Volunteer fan with a post like that.
UTByrd writes:
Well, Well, look what we have here, and what we have here is a team that really grew together this year. This team faced a tremendous amount of adversity on the field as well as in the media. Things could very easily have gone from bad to worse. There could have been finger pointing, arguements, off campus capers, etc. What I saw happen was a team that developed a strong sense of "character", personal as well as team. Thank you coach and staff for this development, that is what sport is supposed to be about-not just how many W's you have. P.S. I do believe that the VOLS will take their strength gained from this sense of "character" and not only beat LSU but beat their bowl opponent also.
cwisenhower#637741 writes:
Yeah Eduardo is an idiot. I'm sure if Eduardo's team won by 1 or more he'd consider it a win. He's just trying to get a rise out of everyone. On to something or someone more interesting...
BigOrangeJeeper writes:
So Eduardo if you are really a Tennessee Fan, we worked like heck and are one of only two teams that are still in the hunt and we ended the mix with everyone else. If anyone needs to wake up it is you.
knoxmike56#261027 writes:
I'd just like to go to a bowl we could win for a change....
orangeblood writes:
If we play hawaii, i think we'll do ok. They are one dimensional. Mustang package and let mayo and rico pin there ears back all...day...long!!!
VOLSDIVA22 writes:
GO VOLS!!!!! they've had an amazing season they stepped it up and are gonna bring it on home
tennecwingrider writes:
A contigency bowl plan right now is unthinkable. We win Saturday night, we go to the Sugar Bowl. I wouldn't give thought or focus to anything beyond that.
chefjorge writes:
Edtardo is no UT fan. I'm guessing his real name is either Boudreaux or Pierre and he had to have someone else o the typing for him.
GreerVol22 writes:
Ease up up on Eduardo fellas. He has a bad case of bayou swamp gas and can't even wake up his sheep... if you know what I mean.
Smokey57 writes:
Vote for Antonio Reynolds for the Pontiac Game Changing Play Of The Game!
http://pontiac.com/ncaa
TommyJack writes:
Eduardo: Try another sport....say, uh, soccer?
TommyJack writes:
Geoff: Just another loser/hater!!! :)
pdhuff#552644 writes:
pssst - blue-tick hound - LSU proved why they're not #1. Guys, don't start saying this one beat that and them bested so-snd-so, people will start point out La-Monroes, Californias and such. Let that dog lie QUIETLY! I thought most people had forgotten. Phil's up for a raise, don't jinx it with facts like that. Go Vols!
waterskier3#226480 writes:
man give the guy a break he has a right to say what he wants... besides lets talk on sunday....
this is the coaches chance to show the world how much they can mature a team during a season.. everyone is using the excuse of young players well they are not young any longer and the coaches have had plenty of time to teach them a two deep zone or man to man coverage......... so if they beat lsu then i will say tn has improved if they lose by 20 or 30 I will expect the pro fulmer fans to admit that maybe just maybe the coaches do sux and getting beat by 20 to every ranked opponent other than ga is unacceptable...
will everyone agree to that????? I will agree to say maybe fulmer can coach.
RemembertheAlamo writes:
eduardo...another non-UT fan.....How can you even think or hope we lose. I may not like the play calling sometimes, but I hope we always win. There is only one BIG ORANGE Team in the Nation.
Go Vols...
Good one Vanderbilt_Sucks......I will be home for Christmas.....I love it.....
I love to play Hawaii.....Berry would get 3 interceptions....he should have had 3 Saturday...
I want to see more of this Gerald Jones at Wide receiver...great catch....
RemembertheAlamo writes:
waterskier3......I think Fulmer can coach now...I hated the prevent defense Saturday, but he had to play it that way, because of the big plays that Ky can put up anytime.....as for the defense getting beat up, it was because of playing time and the many, many drop passes that our receivers had in the 2nd half....but they came through on the 2 point conversion.....and that Jones kid look great in the endzone catch....go vols
dfreeman writes:
hiresanders, how's your boy this morning?? Still hungover from the kickin' he got Saturday?? Are you from Morristown?
asleep#212036 writes:
Best I could tell, Sanders QB missed a wide open receiver in the end zone in regulation and then took a sack deciding what to do on a 2-point conversion. Yep, no doubt about it now, Cutcliffe was the better choice.
Also, the article says "...assuming that Georgia receives a BCS at-large bid." Surely Mr. Strange knows that according to BCS bylaws, any team in the Top 4 of the final rankings is guaranteed at least an at-large bid, so there is no need for assumption, it's already done. I still say the Outback will take Auburn over UT if we lose. I'm betting that both the Cotton and the Outback will take a chance that next year's SEC CG loser will have fewer than 4 losses and that will put us in the Peach. I say forget that and beat LSU and let the other teams worry about the bowl scenario. However, I do like contingencies, especially after the screwing we got a few years ago when 8-4 Florida got the Capital One bid over 10-2 UT. Go Vols!!!
TommyJack writes:
ALLVOL: you forgot RTYAB!
FWBVol writes:
asleep, you forgot on that overthrown pass, Woodson almost blew the game in regulation. After mishandling the snap, he literally waited until the last possible second to throw the ball. If he had held it another count, or the clock had been a little quicker, UT would have won in regulation.
Colliervol writes:
Well, it's a done deal. Hiresanders has predicted a loss again. Make your reservations for New Orleans cause he hasn't been right in the last two months. And, by the way, who was dancing Saturday night? Don't think it was your boy, was it? 23 and counting.
All kidding aside, I'd love to see us beat LSU. Certainly, they are loaded with talent and should win but I haven't been impressed with them lately. They can be had.
mtnvol writes:
Back to the article if you don't mind ;-)
Why would the Chik Fil A bowl want any loser of the SECCG? That team just lost in ATL. They aren't gonna go back in three weeks and be excited to be there. Slive needs to negotiate a better deal for the conference to assure the SECCG loser NOT go back to ATL.
Colliervol writes:
If the Vols don't go to New Orleans, I'm thinking Orlando, but that's just an opinion. I think the SEC and the Cotton Bowl want an Arkansas-Texas matchup. And I don't see us going back to Tampa two years in a row.
99gator writes:
a fl-illinois capital one bowl is all but sign, sealed and delivered.... so tenn going to orlando is doubtful. it's florida-michigan if ohio state makes the national title game. rumor is in that scenario, illinois would get a rose bowl bid
TNSUG writes:
As a person born and raised in East Tennessee, and a life-long UT fan, I am embarrassed by some of the posts regarding immigration. It's no wonder many people around the country think we Southerners are a bunch of bigoted, uneducated people. (If those of you who made these comments have a problem with generalizations you should look in the mirror.) Shame on you. That said, a win is a win - which is good (especially over Kentucky!), but remember we blew a large half-time lead in order to win by 2 in multiple overtimes to what should have been a lesser team. This isn't exactly confidence inspiring. Granted, it shows character to persevere, but we shouldn't have been in the situation to have to do that. Let's hope we get a New Years Day game and that our program moves positively forward.
TNSUG writes:
Will someone please call Immigration on Eduardo? Not only is he probably an illegal... Is this a new language? Eduardo... Are you a legal immigrant?
Call the guy an idiot for not being a Vol fan, I don't care. I don't agree with what he said, either. But the other types of comments are somewhat out of line, and I feel reflect poorly on not just Vol fans, but on Southerners in general.
Or you can think of it from a purely Vol fan perspective...If you were a blue-chip recruit of Latin decent that was being recruited to come here to play football how would feel about those comments?
Just my 2-cents and, admittedly, not worth much more. I'm off my soap box now.
We are the SEC East Champions, and if any of the other teams deserved it more they wouldn't have lost the games they did. Let's hope that the bowls recognize us as the champions of our division in one of the country's "power conferences" and reward us accordingly with a New Years bowl.
asleep#212036 writes:
gator99,
I heard that the Capital One was considering throwing Carr a bone in which case Illinois would go to the Outback. A Florida-Illinois matchup is going to happen if possible. In that case, if UT lost to LSU (which I won't concede), we would get stuck playing a now healthy Henne/Hart in the Capital One. However, I agree that Illinois would be the likely winner if Missouri loses Saturday, picking up that Rose Bowl opening. Georgia would likely move to the Fiesta against Oklahoma, with Missouri in the Orange against V. Tech or BC. Unfortunately for your gators, Georgia is 4th in BCS which means an automatic bid. Michigan would get the Capital One opposing Florida's spread (Oregon revisited!). I'm guessing that because Arkansas beat LSU, if we lose we go to the Peach, if LSU loses they go to the Cotton. But with all the backdoor deals this time of year, who knows?
pdhuff#552644 writes:
Well, at least we've got an AD who's on bended knee pleading don't send us to the "Zesta Original Crackers/McCormick Imitation Coconut Extract" soiree bowl! Errr... Mike H, bowl comittees have a LONG memory and recently its been a little less than stellar effort from the Orange. Tell them we'll bring our own Lysol and Clorox Clean-up if we lay another egg, ala recent Chik-Fil-A outings! Man, tell them we'll even feed Phil before we get there! Just say we'll wear a lot of Orange and drink a lot of Bud! Oh, they know that already. Well, we're just trying to help. Tell them we'll guarantee 85 points total from both teams. Oh, they know that. Well, do your best. Bye, love, Gomer!
99gator writes:
asleep...
from what i am hearing....
florida is in the capital one no matter what happens (because of georgia) in the sec title game. if tenn beats lsu, the capital one will still take florida.
i am hearing that due to the order in which the bowls pick teams.... georgia is a lock for the orange bowl...
what is like from what i understand...
orange bowl ga vs. acc champ
rose bowl usc vs. ohio state/illinois
sugar hawaii vs. sec champ
fiesta az state vs. oklahoma/kansas (oklahoma if it wins the big 12...kansas if mizzou wins the big 12)
nat'l title west virginia vs. ohio state/missouri
BigManVolFan writes:
Just a few eye catching bowl scenerios for Tennessee:
If we beat LSU:
Sugar Bowl vs Hawaii/Arizona St.
If we lose to LSU:
Outback Bowl vs Michigan/Wisconsin/Illinois
Capital One vs Michigan/Wisconsin/Illinois
Cotton Bowl vs Oaklahoma/Missouri loser/Texas/Kansas
Chick Fila Bowl vs Clemson/Florida St./Georgia Tech
BigManVolFan writes:
You know what would be a high scoring, air-raide game and a profitable game for the bowl officials?
Hawaii vs Ariz. St. in the Fiesta Bowl....There would be some 1,000 combined pass yards...The defenses might as well stay of the field.
scvolalum writes:
Holy Smokey! This time the loser/haters are following some Mexican immigrant named Eduardo. Didn't you use to sweep my stables in Austin, Eduardo? Nice job amigo. Let's just concentrate on whipping LSU, which is quite doable. Remember that we beat KY and clobbered Arkie. Both of whom beat LSU. UT is for real and I'm just a'wonderin' how lucky you'll say Phil's boys are after we whoop up on those bayou pussycats. I'm just going to speculate as to which team we're going to play in the Sugar Bowl.
calvolfromkingsport writes:
I think Eduardo is a Sandinista rebel intent on trying to unify the Big O fans on this site. I think he has accomplished his purpose.
jhenson#377512 writes:
I usually frown on the personal insults, but if anyone has earned the right to be insulted, it's eduardo. I must admit, I'm LMAO right now at some of these posts.
Nice post scvolalum...lol!
I've been critical of Fulmer but my goodness, how can anyone who claims to be a fan pull for their team to lose. Thats insane!
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