For most college football teams closing out your season with a 6-6 record isn’t that great, but for the Tennessee Volunteers a 6-6 record is very sexy.
These aren’t the ramblings of a homer trying to put a spin on what was otherwise an average season by Tennessee’s standards.
Considering everything that’s happened to the Vols program over the past three years, Tennessee’s 6-6 record is an accomplishment.
As a result of their 26th straight win over Kentucky on Saturday, the Volunteers became bowl eligible and took a huge step in restoring respectability for one of the nation’s most storied football programs.
The Vols 24-14 victory over the Wildcats followed a script that has become familiar over the past month.
The bevy of talented young players on Tennessee’s roster made great plays while committing costly mistakes.
That’s what freshman often do; one minute they look like future Heisman Trophy winners, then a few minutes later you’re wondering if they know how to bathe themselves properly.
Despite having their third head coach in three years, playing one of the toughest schedules in the nation, implementing a new defensive scheme, dealing with a serious lack of depth and depending upon more than a dozen true freshman, Tennessee made a statement winning their last four games.
Granted, the schedule Tennessee faced in November wasn’t very strong, but after the Vols had played Oregon, Florida, LSU, Alabama and South Carolina earlier in the season, they’d earned a break.
And no the Volunteers won’t be playing in a New Year’s Day bowl game, but the fact they’re playing in any bowl game is a testament to coach Derek Dooley and the entire staff.
Tennessee will more than likely end up in the Music City Bowl or the Liberty Bowl, and while those might not be where the Vols wanted to spend the holidays, they sure beat not playing at all.
In fact, some would even say that regardless of where Tennessee plays a bowl game that location is going to be very sexy, just like the Vols 6-6 record.
