Interesting comment coming from Austin Ward of GoVolsXtra.com to The Insiders on 620 The Buzz:
“I don’t mean to insult North Carolina fans here but the perception is if you go play a basketball school or an ACC school and they’re close to you regionally there’s more to gain for North Carolina than Tennessee,” Ward said. “It’s sort of like, and this is a stretch, when you play those FCS teams and they have everything to gain, it’s they’re [sic] Super Bowl and they come out really charged up. There’s no big benefit. You’re supposed to beat them if you’re Tennessee and if you lose there’s the embarrassment factor.”
Tim Hall over at Fankind goes straight for the classic political spin read on this with his headline:
Vols want out because UNC is like an FCS school
I am not sure I would go that far. On one hand I understand the mentality since it is basically the same thing I said last year about playing ECU. There is a notable difference. ECU is an in-state school hailing from a non-BCS conference. There is a question as to whether the consequences of losing are worth even putting ECU on the schedule. Which is not to say UNC is scared of ECU. I think if UNC were not under the gun from the North Carolina General Assembly they would happily swap ECU for UConn or even a different Conference USA team. The proximity and ECU’s “little brother” status makes playing them more of a hassle than say Tulsa or SMU.In short UNC is not scared of playing a school the caliber of ECU, but rather the whole idea of dealing with an annoying sibling is a major turn off.
In Tennessee’s case, no one coerced them into signing the contract to play UNC. Hall points out that if the potential damage of losing was such a concern why schedule the game in the first place? The answer is, at the time, they thought Lane Kiffin would have them riding top 15 making beating the lowly “basketball school” much more of a sure thing. Then Lane Kiffin left and Tennessee followed the Lee Fowler coaching search playbook before bringing in a guy who went 17-20 at Louisiana Tech. There were recruit defections and suddenly Tennessee is looking at a trip to Chapel Hill in 2011 thinking “yeah, we’re screwed.” That, in itself, is sort of comical since UNC is likely to be a little down in 2011, at least on the defensive side of the ball. But I digress. [Doc] Plus, football schedules are often made 5-8 years in advance. Remember John Bunting’s first years in Chapel Hill with Texas and Oklahoma on the schedule? Those games were scheduled when UNC was riding high in the mid-90s with 10-win seasons. It probably made sense in 2005 for UT to add UNC to the schedule. Carry on.
Tennessee can try to spin this but the primary issue for the Vols is the “if” in the above statement about losing being embarrassment looks more like a “when” thus the need to back out and fill the slot with Buffalo. Plus, it has been pointed out by Clay Travis that this decision carries all sorts of unintended consequences. It hurts head-to-head recruiting with UNC since Butch Davis can say UT is scared to play UNC. It also hurts UT in terms of their own strength of schedule. If the Vols are truly interested in being a top flight program, why weaken your schedule unless you think the SEC gauntlet is so demanding the non-conference slate is inconsequential which is where the “too vigorous” a schedule talk comes from. The mystique of the SEC is such that no one really cares who UT or Florida or Alabama or Georgia play outside the league since the conference schedule is like the World Cup Group of Death. As long as they do not schedule two IAA teams and the I-A teams have a pulse, supremacy is perceived because it is the SEC.
Regardless, it still looks like cowardice to walk away from playing a border rival in what could have been a nice series. I know UNC’s reputation but as Travis points out, the Heels currently look better off(NCAA investigation notwithstanding) and also have a better coach. Walking away just looks bad. It looks like the Vols are scared and so scared they would rather back up a Brinks truck to the Kenan Expansion then schedule Buffalo to make the money back. Not that Dick Baddour is complaining too much except now UNC has to fill a hole in their schedule which means 2011 will likely be another double-dip in the IAA pool for the Heels.
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So does anyone know what job Kiffin lined up for Willis’s father?
http://northcarolina.scout.com/2/993964.html
Tennessee backed out because it no longer looks like a winnable game for them. Period. If they thought they could win they wouldn’t worry about any of those other things. Cowards.
scl11,
Probably “Deputy Coordinator of Shady Recruiting Practices.” I’m honestly kind of glad we lost Willis. He seemed like a bit of headcase.
I think I saw that the home and away would be converted into two home games. That would give them an additional home game, they have 102K seats, let’s just say the tickets are $35 per seat, conservative I would think. $3,570,000 would pay quite a bit of fine I would think.
I think they are running scared, 72 scholly when the limit is…oh right, I can’t remember because I’m UNC. Thank you State. They are pretty shy of 85, bummer UT.
Don’t dip in the I-AA….I mean FCS pool with this opening. I really hope Butch decides to go with another “big dog.” I’ve heard Butch isn’t crazy about scheduling teams west of the Mississippi, but I say it’s time to go big; scheduling a U$C or even a Texas, Oklahoma, or Nebraska is more than appropriate, since UNC football is back on the national stage (although some of it is for potential violations rather than the good football).
App State anyone? I know this is possibly be a really “annoying younger sibling” game, but I think it would be awesome to whatch and they have some respect nationwide after the Michigan win.
A game with Nebraska, eh? And would Lincoln be near any larger cities? Say maybe Omaha? Andy, you selfish devil……
But, yes, I agree, we should try to get a high caliber replacement for tennessee.
Tenn backed bc, we are North Carolina, a basketball school, yes we might have a couple of decent football years, but all in all we are an average football program, and Tenn felt like whats the point, if we are going to lose, mine as well lose to a football program that can generate more money for Tenn Ath. dept.
No one nationally respects UNC as a football program, we are ECU to an SEC school as THF would put it.
^^^^^
Do you even like football? Since I started coming here about a month ago, I don’t believe I’ve seen you make one positive post about football. If every UNC fan had the attitude about football that you do, our team would be Dook football in a lighter shade of blue. Sad thing is, a lot of UNC sports fans are just like you, which is a contributing factor to why UNC has barely made it’s prominent in over 100 years of football. That “oh well, it’s almost basketball season” attitude, needs to go with the UNC “faithful”, or we will never be more than a basketball school.
I love college football and don’t take that “oh well” attitude. But part of the issue is not only that UNC is a “basketball school” it’s that North Carolina is a basketball state! In the whole USA only Indiana, Kentucky and North Carolina fit that criteria in my experience. While I love college football it’s my 2nd favorite sport. If you make me choose; it will be basketball 10 out of 10 times. It’s OK to look forward to basketball all year which is what I do. That does not mean that I don’t want the football team to be good. I want both and think it can be done. But as for the rest of us basketball first fans “it is what it is”.
What are the odds that we can even pick up a “good” game with such short notice? FCS schools may be all that we have a shot at. That would suck, since playing 2 FCS games in one season is a load of crap, and doesn’t help the Heels at all.
I’m basketball first, but mainly because I love basketball… football? not much of a fan EXCEPT for the Heels. I go to at least one game a year and watch the televised games. If it’s not on TV, I listen to Woody, and have since high school. Carolina made me a football fan. And a soccer fan. And a lacrosse fan……
I am a huge NFL fan and love football, however I have a non homer view of what UNC football is, a nice program, that has put a lot of great players into the NFL, but nothing more. There are plenty of schools around the country that would love to dominate at one sport the way UNC does in bball. Why cant we be proud as fans of being a basketball school similar to how AL, ND, TX view their historic football programs.
So yes i am a huge fan of tar heel football, I hope we have a great year, and go to a major bowl, but the Tar Heels are a long way away from getting any respect from an SEC school in football. Just like we view their bball team.
Yes, Wilf, call me selfish. =) Lincoln is about 40 minutes away from my house. I got spoiled for four years in a row when UNC came for the College World Series; I didn’t think I would EVER get to see my favorite team from my home state up here in Cornholler land.
Hey, it’s a possibility; Nebraska might have to make some adjustments with their move to the Big 10, and Pelini is much like Tom Osborne in not really wanting to travel for tough non conference games.
I can wish, can’t I?
As a fan and season ticket holder, nothing gets me less excited about a game is for the opponent to be a no-name FCS team. We can and should do better than that. How about a lower-level Big 10 team?