All for Tennessee
Fansided

Tennessee football: Five historic teams with bad losses Vols can look to

By Caleb Calhoun

EUGENE, OR - OCTOBER 10: Head coach Mike Leach of the Washington State Cougars looks up at the video screen during the third quarter of the game against the Oregon Ducks at Autzen Stadium on October 10, 2015 in Eugene, Oregon. (Photo by Steve Dykes/Getty Images)
EUGENE, OR - OCTOBER 10: Head coach Mike Leach of the Washington State Cougars looks up at the video screen during the third quarter of the game against the Oregon Ducks at Autzen Stadium on October 10, 2015 in Eugene, Oregon. (Photo by Steve Dykes/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
4 of 6
Next
Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images
Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images /

3. Michigan Wolverines – 2007

Lost to Appalachian State Mountaineers 34-32

9-4 (6-2); No. 18 AP; No. 19 Coaches; W Capital One Bowl

It’s cliche to bring this game up, just as it is to bring up the Alabama Crimson Tide losing to the Louisiana-Monroe Warhawks Nick Saban’s first year on the job, which was ironically the same year this happened. What people leave out, however, is that Bama went 7-6 that year. The Michigan Wolverines actually turned out to be pretty decent.

Now, as a top five program expecting a national championship with senior quarterback Chad Henne, senior running back Mike Hart and junior wide receiver Mario Manningham, this team was a disappointment. But if you look at what they did in a vacuum, Tennessee football would love to have such a season this year.

Lloyd Carr’s program got off to a horrendous start with the most famous upset in college football history, losing their opener to the FCS Appalachian State Mountaineers 34-32. As a national title-caliber team that was a 33-point favorite, this loss was devastating.

Now, it is true that App. St. was an FCS powerhouse at the time. And the game was close, which is why UT’s Georgia State loss looked so bad. We might also mention that Shawn Elliott, who is now the Georgia State Panthers’ head coach, was on that staff. Following that, though, they then lost to the Oregon Ducks.

At 0-2, Michigan’s season was over. Then they quietly got on a roll. It started with a win over the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. But then they upset the No. 10 ranked Penn State Nittany Lions and eventually reeled off a streak of eight straight wins. They lost their final two to the Wisconsin Badgers and Ohio State Buckeyes, but that last game was for the Big Ten title.

Then, in Carr’s final game, the Wolverines beat the Florida Gators and Heisman Trophy winner Tim Tebow 41-35 to finish 9-4 and in the top 20. Not bad for an 0-2 start, and that type of season this year would be great for Jeremy Pruitt.

Home/Vols Football