Tennessee OL Cooper Mays gives candid thoughts on who Vols' permanent opponents should be
A couple of months ago, it felt like a certainty that the SEC would be moving to a nine-game schedule with Oklahoma and Texas joining the conference in 2024. But that's not going to be the case — at least not in 2024. The SEC announced last week that the conference will go with a […]
A couple of months ago, it felt like a certainty that the SEC would be moving to a nine-game schedule with Oklahoma and Texas joining the conference in 2024.
But that's not going to be the case — at least not in 2024.
The SEC announced last week that the conference will go with a temporary eight-game schedule in 2024.
Eventually, the SEC is expected to officially adopt a nine-game schedule that features three permanent opponents (and six rotating opponents) for each team. In this scenario, each SEC program would play every other SEC program at least twice every four years.
Tennessee's three permanent opponents once the SEC moves to a nine-game schedule (possibly as soon as 2025) are expected to be Alabama, Vanderbilt, and South Carolina (some analysts have also projected Kentucky instead of South Carolina).
Last week, Tennessee offensive lineman Cooper Mays, the Vols' starting center, was asked by Off The Hook Sports' Dave Hooker about his thoughts on who UT's permanent opponents should be.
Mays made it clear that he thinks Tennessee's rivalries are important — even though that might not be what's best for the Vols' schedule.
"If we're talking genuinely from childhood who I think about, I think about Florida and Bama. That's my two," said Mays who grew up rooting for the Vols. "Obviously, Georgia's become a big part of that as of recently. But growing up as a child, all I thought about really during the football season was those two games."
"I think Florida should be in there," added Mays when asked specifically about who Tennessee's permanent opponents should be. "I always think you know, it probably doesn't always bode well for your season per se to play the trio of Bama, Florida, and Georgia. We play a gauntlet of a season. It's no secret we play probably one of the harder schedules in the country year in and year out, but I couldn't really imagine the season without playing Florida, Georgia, or Bama. So I don't know. I mean, it probably will end up being helpful (not playing Florida and Georgia every year) in the long run, but I don't know if that will be the best thing to do."
It seems pretty clear that Tennessee isn't running away from playing tough conference games. They're not lobbying the SEC for an easier schedule. Instead, they want to play the best of the best. That's the type of championship mindset that's present on Rocky Top these days.
Featured image via Calvin Mattheis/News Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK
