Texas, USC and the 7 college football fan bases living in the past

1. Tennessee football fans think it’s 1998.

Quick question, when was the last time the Tennessee Volunteers won the National Championship? 1998, which isn’t as terrible as it could be. When was the last time it won the conference? Also in 1998, which is much worse. The last 10-win season? 2007.

However, if you ask Tennessee fans the status of their program, they believe they are in great shape. It doesn’t help that the Volunteers are in the SEC, by far the best conference in the country. Since that 2007 season, Tennessee has a winning record in the SEC twice. Once was last season, where they also hit a low point by losing to Georgia State. They won the last six games of the season, including the Taxslayer Gator Bowl against Indiana.

The fans of the Volunteers are riding high after how the season ended. However, the schedule this season is a taxing one with Oklahoma, Alabama, Florida and Georgia among its opponents. It’s going to be a long season.

Yet, there’s weird optimism as usual at Rocky Top. This is nothing new, there’s always optimism for Tennessee. Even national pundits buy-in, with some picking them to go far in the SEC this year, and most years somebody is picking them. This is what drives the fans’ lofty expectations.

Tennessee continues to have fans claiming greatness, only to be disappointed quite quickly. In the past ten years, only once did they come out of September without a loss. You got to hand it to the Volunteers, they don’t string out the disappointment of their fans. They get it done right away.

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