Every SEC East team's most devastating loss of the Playoff era
It’s painful. I know.
Nobody wants to relive their most devastating loss. Coaches, players and fans all struggle to talk about them. They take us back to a place of shattered expectations.
So naturally, I decided to examine each SEC team’s most devastating loss. I already broke down every West team’s most devastating loss of the Playoff era. Today, it’s the East’s turn to take a stroll down memory lane.
A team can only be devastated when it gets expectations sky high, and then sees them crumble after 60 minutes with the Tide. An 0-8 team doesn’t get “devastated.” Teams competing for national titles that lose games to division rivals get devastated.
Don’t confuse this with a program’s most embarrassing loss. They can coincide, but as a fan, you know the difference between being devastated and being embarrassed.
And for what it’s worth, I decided to stick to the Playoff era and not bump it out to 10 years because I feel like it’s too difficult to compare certain regular season/conference championship losses that happen without a potential semifinal game to play in.
Are we all good on the criteria? Good.
Here are the most devastating losses for SEC East teams during the Playoff era:
Florida
Most devastating loss — 2016 at Tennessee
Sooooo many choices. I probably could’ve gone with 2015 LSU here, but the 2016 matchup in Rocky Top got the nod for an obvious reason — the streak. Finally, Tennessee ended Florida’s 11-game winning streak in the rivalry. And perhaps even more devastating for the Gators, it happened because they blew a 21-3 halftime lead.
At the time, it felt like a big get-over-the-hump game for Tennessee. The Vols rose up to No. 11 in the AP poll with what looked like their best chance to win the East. Ultimately, though, that title still went to Florida thanks to a mid-season collapse from Tennessee.
Georgia
Most devastating loss — 2017 National Championship vs. Alabama
Second and 26. Need I say more?
Losing a national title in overtime on a walk-off touchdown might be the most devastating loss ever. Add in the fact that it was Georgia’s first time competing for a title since 1980, and all of those years of title-less seasons had to make that moment that much tougher to stomach. As memorable of a season as it was for the Dawgs, losing in that fashion was a different kind of punch to the gut.
It probably didn’t make it any easier knowing that it came via a backup true freshman quarterback and a true freshman receiver. Or that Georgia had a 2-possession lead and just needed its defense to play like it had been playing all season.
It’ll be fascinating to see how the Dawgs bounce back from the ultimate moment of devastation.
Kentucky
Most devastating loss — 2017 vs. Florida
It’s rare to see a team fail to guard a receiver in a defining moment of a game. It’s even more rare to see it happen twice. Only Kentucky.
The Wildcats could’ve ended a 30-year losing streak against the Gators if they had just held on to a 13-point fourth-quarter lead. The uncovered receivers epitomized that “whatever can go wrong will go wrong” mantra that Kentucky fans have been holding on to for years (via UFHighlights):
Mark Stoops called the loss “heartbreaking.” That might’ve been an understatement. Kentucky was 3-0 after getting a big-time win at South Carolina. The Wildcats probably would’ve been ranked heading into October with a Florida win. That would’ve marked their first Associated Press poll appearance in a decade.
Heartbreaking? How about soul crushing?
Mizzou
Most devastating loss — 2015 at Kentucky
You could make a good case that the 2014 SEC Championship loss to Alabama deserved to be here, but that was an expected blowout. You could also argue that the 2016 Georgia game was the most devastating, but that was for a Mizzou squad that was unranked.
Back in 2015, 3-0 Mizzou was coming off another division title and ranked No. 25 going into the matchup in Lexington. Kentucky wasn’t ranked. In fact, the Wildcats had an 18-game losing streak vs. ranked opponents. Well, until Mizzou showed up. The Tigers couldn’t ever get over the hump, and Kentucky walked away with the upset.
That game was perhaps the last time Mizzou fans felt in-season optimism about being a division contender. The Tigers went 1-7 in conference play that year. That game actually began a stretch of 3-19 vs. Power 5 opponents until Mizzou got hot at the end of 2017.
Yikes.
South Carolina
Most devastating loss — 2014 vs. Mizzou
This was the last chance for the Gamecocks to win an SEC title with Steve Spurrier. South Carolina started the season ranked No. 9 — a year removed from finishing No. 4 in the AP poll — and rebounded well after that blowout loss to Texas A&M in the opener. They were back in the top 15 after 3 straight wins, and a home victory vs. unranked Mizzou was expected.
With 7 minutes left in the fourth quarter, it appeared that the Gamecocks’ defense was in total control. But then the wheels fell off. Two late Mizzou touchdowns, including 1 in the final minute and a half, closed the book on South Carolina competing for an SEC crown.
The Gamecocks were never ranked for the rest of the 2014 season. In fact, they have yet to crack the Associated Press poll since that game (they did earn the No. 24 spot in the Playoff poll for a week last November).
It would be devastating if that didn’t change in 2018.
Tennessee
Most devastating loss — 2017 at Florida
I know. It was an awful season. It didn’t change the inevitable firing of Butch Jones.
But just for a second, go back to before Feleipe Franks hoisted that Hail Mary. Tennessee was 2-0 and ranked No. 23 with a neutral-site win vs. Georgia Tech and a blowout vs. Indiana State. Life wasn’t so bad on Rocky Top.
That all changed on that Saturday afternoon in Gainesville. Is there anything more devastating than losing on a last-second Hail Mary against your rival? That was as tough as it gets. And yeah, it was a tie game so there’s no guarantee that Tennessee would’ve won in overtime, but man.
This meltdown will live in infamy in Knoxville (via Zach.h):
Vanderbilt
Most devastating loss — 2017 vs. Alabama
I’m sorry. I had to do it.
Some losses are devastating because of a last-second play, while others are devastating because high pre-game expectations are dashed in the most humiliating way possible. This game was definitely the latter.
Who could forget this infamous video after Vandy’s 3-0 start?
#Vandy's Nifae Lealao: "We expected to get this. When you come to our house we show you how to play some SEC ball… Alabama, you're next." pic.twitter.com/koegcHRZnE
— Justin Beasley (@JBeasleyWSMV) September 17, 2017
Eeeeeeek. It’s so cringe-worthy.
Alabama was in fact next, but not in the way Vandy fans hoped. The Tide just happened to be the next team to walk into Nashville and blow the doors off the Commodores. A 59-0 loss to the Tide was as devastating, embarrassing and deflating a loss that Vandy could’ve had after some argued it would hang tough with the eventual-national champs.
Vandy lost its next 6 SEC games. On the bright side, at least Derek Mason’s squad got to end the season with a win at Tennessee.
But yeah, nobody is forgetting that “you’re next” comment for a long, long time.
LOL – this list. Ask a UT fan – that 41-0 spanking in Knoxville was devastating especially after the BS with the hail mary pass at the end the prior year to barely escape out of Athens.
For South Carolina – the loss to UGA and made Spurrier quit – most devastating for them. It put them in a horrible position they are still recovering and still have not won the SEC Championship – EVER.
The National Championship for UGA was devastating – but not as devastating as the loss in 2008 to Bama in Athens 38-10. That was a beat down by Bama when UGA and CMR thought they were ready. Clearly they were not. Not to say it was not a tough loss to Bama in the championship but that was the ‘Ship.
“. . . of the Playoff Era”
I was about to post the same thing. 2008 was WAY before the playoff era
Some UGA fans are like an ex-wife remembering things to bring up that happened ten or more years ago. There is a lot that’s kept in those minds, including a permanent residence of Steve Spurrier.
Tulane has more SEC championships than South Carolina.
Thanks for putting the “Some” in my UGA comment.
RoosterC,
I’m guessing you would prefer it if only the most recent games were brought up.
2015 Georgia 52 SCAR 20
2016 Georgia 28 SCAR 14
2017 Georgia 24 SCAR 10
Doesn’t look too bad actually. Though you are often wrong, you are right about one thing – I will always remember Steve Spurrier – particularly the look on his face when one of the worst QBs in UGA history walked into Cocky Top, hung 52 on him and set an NCAA record for the highest completion percentage (96% – yes you read that correctly). He’ll remember it too , since that ass whooping caused him to quit on his team and head into retirement from CFB.
When have I often been wrong? True, the years you cited were playoff years and we didn’t restock the team like we should have the last few of Spurriers. Yet we are on the rise and you can’t argue that. The years before the playoff were not mentioned in the article and I’m sure you would not like me to post what we did to UGA in Cola and between the hedges for those years. You may argue the last few years were your favorite and I can see why. But you can’t argue Spurrier did not give UGA fits for more years than not, both at UF and USC. Times have changed and it appears both programs are doing better than the beginning of the playoff years.
From one UT fan that 41-0 butt whooping was bad but not even close on the devastation scale.
From another UT fan, I hate Florida and Bama way more than I could ever hate UGA. Sure, 41-0 sucked, but the Vols were an absolute train wreck and it’s expected that you would have circled the day on your calendar, especially after that hail mary the previous year. It’s one thing to turn the TV off and walk away during a blowout. It’s something else entirely to hold on to hope only to be let down at the last second.
Maybe a minor point, but the 2017 National Championship Game was NOT the first time Georgia had played for the national title since 1980. That would be the Sugar Bowl following the 1982 season, when they were ranked #1 going in against Penn State (they lost).
Good catch.
I have to agree with Azz, that 2008 beatdown from Bama was devastating to say the least. We were proud of last years team because they fought like hell and lost to a great team in a good game. 2008 was a complete embarrassment and beatdown of a team that was stocked with NFL talent and it showed that Bama was WAY more prepared.
Playoff era…….
Shhhhh……they haven’t figured that we are only talking about the Playoff Era yet so don’t go ruining the surprise yet. Lol
I’m gonna have to go with 2017 vs Michigan.
That 2016 game vs UT, we had extremely tempered expectations with Appleby under center (albeit until halftime).
But that 2017 Michigan game, McElwain had spent the entire off-season building it up like we were in for a possible rekindling of the 2015 first-half-of-the-season squad – and the offense absolutely dissolved into a puddle of stagnation. In less than four quarters, the fan base went from, “Maybe, just maybe, we really COULD be a dark horse for the Playoff” to “Maybe, just maybe, we’ll make a decent bowl game.”
2015 in general could be the most devastating loss for Mizzou. Loss of our coach, loss of our forward momentum, loss of recruits wanting to come to Mizzou, loss of Maty Mauk to drug abuse, etc.
If you need a manual of how to take a program from the attic to the cellar, see Mizzou in 2015.
For Mizzou, I’d go with the 2016 UGA loss. If Mizzou stops them on 4th and long, I think they use the confidence to win 1-2 more and be a solid bowl team. The feeling around the program now would be different -Odom would have two bowl seasons and a marquee win, instead of an 11-14 record and no really like big scalps (the closest would be the 2016 win over then 7-4 Arkansas, but the season was already off the rails by then.)
And I know UGA was rebuilding that year. But a win over Georgia still resonates in CoMo.
That was a great game that could have gone either way. Had that Missouri receiver not fumbled at the end, than who knows what happens.
Yeah, it was a fantastic game.
2014 South Carolina
2016 Tennessee
And the National Championship
For vols I would say it’s a tie between that Florida game and the 16 SC game.
Man that damn Vandy player video still cracks me up. Dude seemed so out of place.
As for the Kentucky loss? Perfect pick. I Was there, and I doubt I’ll ever get over that game.
Oh no… what a horrible pick for South Carolina.
Easily the two losses in 2012 were the most devastating…
2012 was arguably their best season.
The come off a massive win against Georgia.
Go to LSU and lay an egg in the 4th quarter.
Still in the hunt for the SEC East but then just fell apart against Florida the next week.
Florida went up 21-3 with only having 32 yards of offense in the first half.
I could care less about what happen in that nc, but that Joshua Dobb’s hail mary was devastating and I enjoyed the game between the gamecocks and mizzou in 2013. Mizzou let that one get away and had we beaten them, it would have been a devastating outcome for their season.
Oh, I forgot, we’re talking about the playoffs era. My bad.
Any loss that aided in getting rid of Butch Jones is definitely not “devastating.”
I never celebrate a loss, but apparently it was necessary to jolt some of the dolts into firing his sorry a$$.
No, for Missouri it was the SEC championship against Alabama. One year prior Missouri had been in a shoot-out with Auburn, keeping the outcome in question till late in the game. This resulted in a 4th or 5th final national ranking. The disqualification of Shane Ray early in the game on a hit where his hands, not his helmet, hit the Alabama quarterback let the air out of the contest. If you need another game, go to the missed field goal that gave South Carolina the win at Missouri in OT. If you want a thriller for Missouri watch the Cotton Bowl against Oklahoma State. Before getting on a plane to Belize, I made the big Sport’s Bar downtown promise me they could get the Cotton Bowl. They came thru. It was in spanish. I ran into a Kansas Jayhawk and a K-Stater at the Bar. Even the locals were somewhat excited about the game. Missouri had he lead but with only a few minutes to play the Cowboys were marching. A huge rainforest deluge came in and we lost the tv signal, but for a half second we saw Missouri players jumping up and down on the sidelines. Then nothing. The next day we learned Shane Ray had picked up a fumble and ran it back to secure the win for Missouri and the SEC. Second place, the victory over Big 10 contender Minnesota in the Citrus Bowl the next year.
Blake sims destroyed Missouri… 24 of 27 passing and Bama put up over 500 yards of offense… It was a fun night to see Blake do so well that season after sitting behind so many other QBs for his career..
As did Auburn in ’13.Only question was if AU would set the single game record for rushing yards.Mizz couldn’t stop it.
It’s true that Auburn’s running game was unstoppable, but we played you a hell of a lot closer than we did Alabama. Auburn needed the whole game to seal the deal.
The Alabama loss was so expected that I would not consider it devastating. I thought we might make it more interesting than we did, but I did not expect a victory or even a particularly close loss.
If we could go one year before the playoff era, the 2013 Auburn loss was quite a bit more disappointing, IMO. I think that team was good enough to beat Auburn, or anyone in the country, for that matter. If Missouri hadn’t gone with that ridiculous three man front, I think they outscore Auburn, go to the title game, and who knows. That one still hurts a little.
Total agreement with you. Losing that game cost us a chance at a National Championship appearance. And the defense we were running was a joke…all I can think was that our d-line was so tired they had to put in different fronts.
I know the article is about losses during the playoff era and the Natty loss to Bama is the biggest! But the 2012 loss to Bama in the SEC Champ game was devastating to me!! Also the tipped pass at Auburn and The Hail Mary at Tennessee were both devastating. UGA has so many devastating losses that it is hard to rank them!
It felt like Georgia was cursed in 2013, between the injuries and the way that Auburn game ended. I felt so bad for Aaron Murray having to go out like that, he deserved better.
Not so much cursed as Auburn was charmed to beat UGA and Bama like that. Pure charm, certainly not skill because in the UGA case, the pass was way off until it bounced.