How College Football Robbed the Tennessee Vols of a Season That Could’ve Been Even More Special Than It Was in 2024

The 2024 college football season was shaping up to be a year for the Tennessee Volunteers to remember. With an explosive offense under head coach Josh Heupel, a defense that was gradually improving, and a fanbase brimming with optimism, the Vols had all the ingredients for a special season. Tennessee had the potential to make a deep run in the College Football Playoff (CFP) and challenge the elite programs of college football. But despite a successful season, one that included a high-profile victory and several thrilling moments, the Vols’ journey was marred by factors outside of their control. From scheduling quirks and officiating controversies to the political and financial forces that influence the sport, college football ultimately robbed Tennessee of a season that could’ve been even more special.

A Season Full of Promise

Before diving into what went wrong for Tennessee in 2024, it’s important to acknowledge just how special the season was for the Vols. Heading into the year, the Volunteers were coming off a resurgent 2023 campaign, which featured explosive playmaking on offense and a breakthrough performance by quarterback Joe Milton. Milton, now entering his senior season, was primed for greatness under Heupel’s high-speed, high-powered offense, which had already proven successful in years past. Tennessee’s offense was ranked among the best in the nation, boasting a mix of dynamic playmakers, including wide receiver Bru McCoy, running back Jabari Small, and Milton himself, whose cannon of an arm was poised to terrorize defenses.

Tennessee was no longer just an SEC middle-tier team. They were contenders. A College Football Playoff berth was firmly within reach, especially with an offense that could hang with the best in the nation. Furthermore, the Volunteers’ defense, while not elite, was showing signs of life, with playmakers emerging at key positions and a coaching staff fully committed to developing a more balanced team. The SEC was as tough as ever, but Tennessee had the tools to compete.

From the outset, Tennessee was a team with the potential to challenge for a national championship, and as the season progressed, it appeared that the Vols could indeed make that jump. However, as the season went on, the Vols encountered a series of unfortunate hurdles that would prevent them from realizing their full potential. College football, in a variety of ways, took away the opportunity for Tennessee to reach greater heights.

A Rigged and Unpredictable College Football Playoff System

At the heart of Tennessee’s frustrations in 2024 was the flawed structure of the College Football Playoff. College football’s playoff system is a notorious point of contention among fans and analysts alike, as it often rewards programs with the deepest pockets and the most historical prestige, while leaving out deserving teams that have had exceptional seasons. In Tennessee’s case, their 2024 campaign was disrupted by factors outside of their control—factors that were not truly reflective of their on-field performance.

Tennessee, like many programs in the past, faced the harsh reality that an unbeaten season or even a single loss could be enough to exclude them from the College Football Playoff discussion due to the structure of the current system. The selection committee in college football has historically shown a bias toward teams from the power conferences, particularly the SEC, Big Ten, and ACC, while often favoring teams with strong television ratings and huge fanbases, regardless of whether those teams had a better overall resume.

Despite Tennessee’s impressive resume in 2024, including key wins against top-ranked SEC teams and competitive matchups against out-of-conference foes, the Vols’ season was marred by circumstances beyond their control. With the playoff picture dominated by powerhouse programs from other conferences, Tennessee found themselves on the outside looking in, despite their strong record and impressive performances on the field. A single loss to an undefeated team in the SEC or a slight slip-up against a tough opponent in a non-conference game was enough to push Tennessee down in the rankings and out of contention.

Had the Vols been given a fairer shot at a CFP spot, there’s no telling just how far they could’ve gone. A season-ending matchup with one of the top teams in the country might have been the perfect setting for Tennessee to prove themselves on a national stage. However, the playoff committee’s flawed system and unwillingness to consider all aspects of a team’s season—like strength of schedule and quality wins—left Tennessee out in the cold, robbing them of a chance to compete for the national championship.

Officiating Controversies and Costly Mistakes

One of the most frustrating aspects of Tennessee’s 2024 campaign was the series of officiating errors and controversial calls that seemed to happen at the worst possible moments. In a sport as high-stakes as college football, one bad call can swing an entire game, and unfortunately for Tennessee, they found themselves on the wrong end of several key officiating blunders.

The Vols’ mid-season matchup against an SEC powerhouse turned into a textbook example of how officiating can derail a team’s season. A highly questionable call on a pivotal third down, where Tennessee appeared to have stopped the opposing team for a loss, resulted in a reversed decision that gave their opponent a new set of downs. That sequence of events eventually led to a critical touchdown, and Tennessee was forced to play from behind for the rest of the game.

Another significant controversy occurred during a road game where the Vols were pitted against one of the top-ranked teams in the country. Tennessee appeared to have scored a game-tying touchdown late in the fourth quarter, but a controversial penalty for offensive pass interference wiped the score off the board. Replays showed that the penalty was a highly questionable call, and many analysts felt that the officials had missed an obvious error on the opposing team’s defense.

These officiating blunders, coupled with a few close calls that went against the Vols, ultimately proved costly, as Tennessee’s hopes of securing a better playoff ranking or maintaining a perfect record were dashed. While officiating mistakes happen in every sport, it’s particularly frustrating when such errors play a crucial role in a team’s playoff chances. Unfortunately, for Tennessee, the system of college football provides little recourse for such injustices, leaving the Vols to stew in what could have been.

The Financial Power and Influence of Elite Programs

Another, often overlooked, way that college football “robbed” Tennessee of a more special 2024 season is the ever-growing financial power that certain elite programs hold. These programs, such as Alabama, Ohio State, and Georgia, have the resources to attract top recruits, hire elite coaching staffs, and secure enormous television contracts. This financial edge gives these teams an almost unfair advantage in the recruiting landscape, as well as the ability to schedule non-conference games that serve to boost their chances of reaching the College Football Playoff.

For Tennessee, a program that has been on the rise but is still not operating on the same financial level as the true blue-chip programs, this presents a significant disadvantage. As the sport grows wealthier, the gap between the haves and the have-nots widens, and for programs like Tennessee, this has meant that their road to the CFP is even steeper. With more resources, top programs can afford to schedule easy wins, maintain powerful rosters, and recruit the nation’s top talent year after year. In comparison, Tennessee, while competitive, has to work within more restrictive financial constraints.

Scheduling Quirks and Its Impact on Tennessee’s 2024 Season

Another issue that hampered Tennessee’s quest for an even more special 2024 season was the way in which the schedule played out. College football scheduling is often an exercise in logistics and marketability, and for teams like Tennessee, the difficulty of their schedule could have played a role in their exclusion from the College Football Playoff.

Tennessee had a grueling SEC schedule, which pitted them against some of the nation’s toughest teams week after week. While this is a point of pride for the Vols, it also meant that they faced greater challenges than other teams who had more favorable schedules. This discrepancy in scheduling can put teams in tougher spots, especially when it comes to impressing the College Football Playoff committee.

Teams with weaker schedules, or those in conferences with fewer elite teams, often get more leeway in terms of rankings, while Tennessee found itself battling both a tough slate of opponents and the inherent biases of the system.

Conclusion

The 2024 season for the Tennessee Volunteers could have been something truly special. With an explosive offense, improving defense, and the potential to contend for a College Football Playoff berth, the Vols had everything needed to take their program to the next level. Unfortunately, a combination of a flawed playoff system, controversial officiating decisions, financial disparities, and difficult scheduling all conspired to rob Tennessee of a season that could have been more than just a successful one—it could have been a historic one.

As college football continues to evolve, it’s clear that the forces working against programs like Tennessee—systems that reward the wealthy and the powerful, biases in officiating, and an often unbalanced playoff structure—must be addressed if teams like the Vols are to have a fair shot at competing for national championships. Until then, Tennessee’s fans will have to reflect on what could have been, knowing that their team was more than capable of achieving greatness in 2024—if only the sport had given them a fairer opportunity to do so.