Why Win Streaks Don't Always Mean Much

Stats, win-streaks and more. We are inundated with these things, and not all of them are meaningful.

When it comes to athletics, stats are everywhere. You can find one on almost every aspect of each game played, regardless of the sport. Some of them are meaningful, while others are feel-good numbers that don't mean much. 

One such stat I've seen repeated lately is the current winning streak of the University of Tennessee football team that is now the longest in the nation at eight games. 

The Vols will try for number nine on Saturday against Georgia in Athens. 

Why doesn't this stat of eight wins mean much? 

It means a lot of you are a fan of the team winning those eight consecutive games, but when you look closer at those wins and aren't viewing the world through orange colored lenses, it should come with an asterisk. 

Included in those wins are victories over Kentucky and Indiana, among others. 

You won't find on that list of wins Alabama, Florida, Auburn, Texas A&M, or Georgia. 

Granted, Tennessee doesn't face Auburn or A&M on a yearly bases, but they do get the other three each season.

Yes, Vol fans, it's ok to be excited over your Big Orange winning eight consecutive games, but this isn't basketball. When your most impressive wins during this streak are against Kentucky and Indiana, the rest of the world isn't taking notice. 

If, however, the names listed above as not part of the current streak somehow become added to that list as this season continues, then you will have the attention of the rest of the football world. 

Should the Vols knock off Georgia in Athens on Saturday, extending the streak to nine, the streak would become legitimate. Extend this run to eleven, and then you'd have something, including a possible place in the college football playoffs. 

There's no doubt the Vols are trending in the right direction. Jeremy Pruitt is getting it done after a disastrous start to the 2019 season. The Big Orange is becoming a player once again in the SEC, and the conference will be better for it. 

However, the fact is that until any win-steak in Knoxville contains the Tide, Gators, and Bulldogs, it doesn't mean much to anyone outside the Vol Nation. 

Enjoy the win streak, Tennessee fans, because it could all end Saturday at the hands of one of the teams you need to defeat to turn the corner from the middle of the pack to a serious contender.