Everyone said the same thing after Tennessee’s big loss
Nov 11, 2017; Columbia, MO, USA; A general view of the Tennessee Volunteers helmet during the first half against the Missouri Tigers at Faurot Field. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-Imagn Images
Tennessee on Saturday played so poorly that they ruined the argument for the entire SEC.
Tennessee got rocked by Ohio State in their College Football Playoff first-round matchup at Ohio Stadium in Columbus, Ohio. The beatdown happened in front of a crowd surprisingly filled with orange-clad Volunteers fans.
The visitors got buried in a 21-0 hole after just one quarter of play. The Volunteers battled back to cut the deficit to 21-10 at halftime and had possession to start the third quarter. But Tennessee was outscored 21-7 the rest of the way to lose their playoff contest 42-17.
The result had several fans and media members alike piling on the SEC for Tennessee’s poor showing in the playoff. The fans sarcastically cited the Tennessee loss as evidence that the Vols didn’t belong in the CFP.
For narrative consistency I guess it should be said that Tennessee is proving it doesn't belong in the playoff and the SEC is overrated. Am I doing this right?
— Pat Forde (@ByPatForde) December 22, 2024
So to be clear, we should restructure the entire postseason so we can let *worse* SEC teams than this in?
— Shehan Jeyarajah (@ShehanJeyarajah) December 22, 2024
I can't believe we let Tennessee into the playoff.
(I am sorry, just keeping up with recent trends.)
— Adam Kramer (@KegsnEggs) December 22, 2024
Others directly compared the SEC to the Big Ten, touting the latter as the stronger conference.
Michigan might’ve won the SEC
— Danny Kanell (@dannykanell) December 22, 2024
Wow, Ohio State already scored more points in the first quarter than they did in the entire game against Michigan.
Tennessee needs to realize they are playing the Big Ten not some SEC school.
— Taylor Lewan (@TaylorLewan77) December 22, 2024
There were plenty of complaints after 9-3 SEC squads such as Alabama, Ole Miss and South Carolina were left out of the 12-team playoff. When No. 11 SMU and No. 10 Indiana both got clobbered in their CFP first-round games against No. 6 Penn State and No. 7 Notre Dame respectively, some claimed it was a sign that some of the SEC’s snubbed teams may have been more deserving. Tennessee’s loss did not help that argument one bit.