Tennessee baseball is making history. Despite missing out on reaching a third straight College World Series, Tony Vitello’s program made its fifth straight Super Regional this year. No other program in that same timespan has even made three.
Before this run, which also includes three trips to the CWS and a national championship, UT had made just three Super Regionals in history since this format for the NCAA Baseball Tournament began in 1982.
All this Tennessee baseball success has got me thinking – about football, of course.
As good as the Diamond Vols are, we can all agree that football is still – and will always be – the lifeblood of Tennessee’s athletic department. The Vols’ football program accounted for just over $149-million of Tennessee’s $234-million budget last season. That means the future of the Vols’ finances and success in all sports will be determined by football.
Baseball is a non-revenue sport, meaning it is technically a financial drain on the overall athletic department. However, Tennessee baseball is arguably the best athletic program on campus.
The Vols racked up their sixth consecutive 40-win season and the fifth straight super regional berth despite their loss to Arkansas. That’s an all-time best streak for Tennessee and the best current streak in the nation. So what should UT fans expect from their football team?
Currently, there is a 12-team playoff in place, and the Vols made the cut last season despite getting hammered by Ohio State in the first round. Soon, the playoff is likely to expand to 16 teams. It’s fair for Tennessee fans to expect to be in the playoff at least four of five seasons. After all, the baseball team has been able to do that and their sport is arguably more competitive than football. As good as football is in the SEC, it’s arguably better in baseball.
I’m certainly willing to give Tennessee football a mulligan in those five seasons, but they also need to make a serious championship run in one of those five years. That means not getting blown out in the opening round like they did last year.
An SEC Championship over five years would also be nice for the program, but that doesn’t carry the value it once did in the era of the expanded playoff. Unless the format changes, teams at this moment aren’t even incentivized to win it. What UT does in the CFP is what matters.
