A two-loss Tennessee Volunteers could’ve made the College Football Playoff. After a 33-27 loss to the Oklahoma Sooners, though, UT is a three-loss team that won’t be making a second straight CFP appearance.
The Knoxville News Sentinel’s John Adams was thoroughly unimpressed with the Vols’ inability to contain Oklahoma Sooners quarterback John Mateer and what has been a “pedestrian” offense under Ben Arbuckle.
As Adams explained, that offense, which fell flat in Mateer’s return during a 23-6 loss to the Texas Longhorns in the Red River Rivalry and again two weekends later, 34-26 to the Ole Miss Rebels, was able to get the job done against Tim Banks’ group.
“The Sooners’ pedestrian offense consisted mainly of Washington State transfer John Mateer scrambling, running and completing short passes,” Adams wrote.
“That worked well in the first few weeks of the season before Mateer broke a bone in his throwing hand against Auburn. He rushed back to action just 17 days after surgery but hasn’t been nearly as effective since. But he managed to lead the Sooners on a touchdown drive in the third quarter.
“That was enough the way Oklahoma defense was knocking the Vols around.”
OU became a College Football Playoff contender with the win. It’ll be tough to maintain that against the Alabama Crimson Tide, Missouri Tigers, and LSU Tigers under interim head coach Frank Wilson, down the stretch.
Tennessee became a sad what-if with the loss, even if many expected a step back, given the departures of quarterback Nico Iamaleava, a veteran receiving corps, and several key members of the trenches on both sides of the ball.
We’ll see how badly things bottom out in Rocky Top with the New Mexico State Aggies, Florida Gators, and Vanderbilt Commodores left on their slate. Maybe it won’t at all. Maybe this is a seven-win team, and Heupel has questions to answer this offseason about the program’s future.
Time will tell.