All for Tennessee
Fansided

Tennessee footballs previous 7-0 starts hint SEC title is guaranteed

By Caleb Calhoun

4 Jan 1999: the Tennesse Volunteers celebrate during the Fiesta Bowl Game against the Florida State Seminoles at the Sun Devil Stadium in Tempe, Arizona. Tennessee defeated Florida State 23-16. Mandatory Credit: Jed Jacobsohn /Allsport
4 Jan 1999: the Tennesse Volunteers celebrate during the Fiesta Bowl Game against the Florida State Seminoles at the Sun Devil Stadium in Tempe, Arizona. Tennessee defeated Florida State 23-16. Mandatory Credit: Jed Jacobsohn /Allsport /
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Oct 5, 2019; Knoxville, TN, USA; The General Neyland Statue outside of Neyland Stadium before a game between the Georgia Bulldogs and Tennessee Volunteers. Mandatory Credit: Bryan Lynn-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 5, 2019; Knoxville, TN, USA; The General Neyland Statue outside of Neyland Stadium before a game between the Georgia Bulldogs and Tennessee Volunteers. Mandatory Credit: Bryan Lynn-USA TODAY Sports /

4. 1927: 8-0-1 (5-0-1)

Southern Conference Champion

Kentucky didn’t derail Tennessee football’s championship quest this year. In fact, the Vols’ tie didn’t keep them from winning the SoCon. It was Robert Neyland’s second year on Rocky Top and his first conference championship season, and in this case, the tie actually felt like a win.

The Vols were able to dodge Georgia Tech and the N.C. State Wolfpack, two of the four undefeated teams in Southern Conference play. GT finished 7-0-1, and N.C. State finished 4-0. Rocky Top, meanwhile, scored quality wins over Ole Miss and the Virginia Cavaliers en route to a 6-0 start. They then scored a 32-12 win over the Sewanee Tigers to get to 7-0.

At 7-0, they had their biggest game of the year, a visit from Vanderbilt. As mentioned on the previous slide, at the time, UT hadn’t beaten Vandy since 1916. Heading into this matchup, Vandy had won six straight in the series. However, in front of their home crowd, the Vols played them to a thrilling 7-7 tie.

Thanks to a win over Kentucky the next week, this tie allowed UT to finish half a game above Vandy since they played one fewer conference game, having the same numbers of wins and one less tie. That allowed them to share in the SoCon title with GT and N.C. State.

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