Josh Heupel's approach to the College Football Playoff madness is respectable, but it might not be what's best for Tennessee
Quite a few college football head coaches are spending the last couple of weeks of November trying to convince the College Football Playoff committee that they deserve a spot in the top 12 of the rankings. Politicking in college football has always been a thing, but it's seemingly reaching new heights this season with more […]
Quite a few college football head coaches are spending the last couple of weeks of November trying to convince the College Football Playoff committee that they deserve a spot in the top 12 of the rankings.
Politicking in college football has always been a thing, but it's seemingly reaching new heights this season with more teams in the postseason mix.
Tennessee Vols head coach Josh Heupel, however, isn't one of the coaches that's sending weekly messages to the committee. Instead, he's keeping a 1-0 mindset, focusing only on the Vols' next game.
“I said it, there’s a lot of football left to be played," said Heupel on Saturday when asked about Tennessee's playoff chances. "We’ve seen it. We’ve lived it, both sides of it. It’s about controlling yourself and preparing and going and playing good on Saturdays. And I’m proud of the way we handled this week. [Gotta] heal up this afternoon and tomorrow. invest and prepare in a great way, practice in a great way, then we need to go play great football next Saturday as we take the field in Nashville (against Vanderbilt)."
“The better you play, the more you win, the bigger the games get," added Heupel when asked about getting into the playoff with a win against Vanderbilt. "Doesn’t matter. So for us, this is the next step in our journey. Laser focused [on] how we prepare, how we practice, get ready to go play. I mean, you’re going to have to play well and you need to play well in all three phases in this one.”
I respect the fact that Heupel isn't spending his time in front of a microphone politicking and pleading Tennessee's case. Instead, he's keeping his focus in the right place — just like any elite competitor should be doing.
But at the same time, there's a reason why other coaches are out there pleading their case. Even Georgia's Kirby Smart, arguably the top coach in the sport, is using his time on camera to send messages to the playoff committee.
A couple of national media personalities have even called Smart out for "politicking" and "whining".
If a coach who has won two national championships in the last three years is pleading his case, should Heupel consider doing the same?
I don't know if it would make a difference. Tennessee will almost certainly get into the playoff with a win against Vanderbilt next week, so it's not like Heupel needs to convince the committee that Tennessee is worthy. But every position in the rankings matters — especially with a potential home playoff game at stake.
The committee is very obviously influenced by narratives that are formed by the media. We've seen it over the last couple of weeks with the way the rankings have played out (Alabama being over Tennessee prior to the Crimson Tide's third loss is still baffling to me). If Heupel can plead his case effectively and get the Vols into a situation where they host a playoff game, it would be worth it.
But, of course, there's no guarantee that any amount of politicking would help the Vols.
I like Heupel's approach. I think it's commendable and I think it's the way all coaches should handle things in the playoff era. But there's a part of me that wonders if Heupel should be a little louder when it comes to where the Vols stand in the playoff rankings.
Maybe it wouldn't help Tennessee, but it sure seems to help everyone else.
