Still a year away

#1

coffeevol

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#1
With all the hype I am sure no one wants to hear it but we are still one year away. 7 or 8 wins is a successful season next year. 2016 will be the year we are another year older, more experienced, deeper at all positions and ready to compete. Don't get upset with 7 this year, still a process and it is working And foundation has been laid.
 
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#5
#5
7 wins regular season is fine.

Then win the bowl game.

Just disagree. 5 losses means lost to Oklahoma,Georgia, Alabama, Florida and either Arkansas or Missouri. Losing 5 games vs our 6 best opponents, 3 of which are at home? I just don't think that's acceptable given all the upperclassmen and experienced sophomores in our 2deep. I certainly don't think 10 wins is an expectation, but 8 is the floor, 9 wins is an excellent season and 10 or more is special. Jmo.
 
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#6
#6
With all the hype I am sure no one wants to hear it but we are still one year away. 7 or 8 wins is a successful season next year. 2016 will be the year we are another year older, more experienced, deeper at all positions and ready to compete. Don't get upset with 7 this year, still a process and it is working And foundation has been laid.


8 wins is not asking for too much for a program that has stockpiled 3 consecutive top 10 recruiting classes. 7 wins and I will start to question whether Butch has what it takes.
 
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#7
#7
We are closer to 10-2 than 7-5 from a talent perspective. 7-5 is also minimal improvement despite returning more starters than nearly any team im the country
 
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#8
#8
Hope I am wrong, I am just saying I think we will be better but the hype machine is out of control. 7 in the Season one in a bowl is a great year and 16 expecting SEC run or playoff
 
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#9
#9
8 wins is not asking for too much for a program that has stockpiled 3 consecutive top 10 recruiting classes. 7 wins and I will start to question whether Butch has what it takes.

uhhh 2.

8 wins is good. 9 is overachieving. and i bet when all is said and done were right there.

our offensive line is bad. and young. olinemen take biggest leaps jr year.
 
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#10
#10
Me when I see these kinda threads most of the time...

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But I almost agree here...Vols need to be ready for whatever happens. 7 would be nice. 8 probably reachable. Anything more probably overachieving. I still like UT as a dark horse to win the East tho.
 
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#12
#12
I am going to be honest here, all of these posters claiming we are going to win 9+ are ridiculous. They will be the same posters on here screaming for the coaches head when we lose. We will go 7-5 this year with a chance to win the bowl game. We are only 1 injury away (qb) from a losing season. Virtually no depth at RB, Hurd will not be able to get through the SEC grind, and Karma is not a proven commodity. Our OL will not have a dramatic improvement. I would not expect the offense to gel as much as everyone is saying. Our def will win us games this year. If we go 7-5 that means we improved. 2016 is the year UT will have to really show out.
 
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#13
#13
I am going to be honest here, all of these posters claiming we are going to win 9+ are ridiculous. They will be the same posters on here screaming for the coaches head when we lose. We will go 7-5 this year with a chance to win the bowl game. We are only 1 injury away (qb) from a losing season. Virtually no depth at RB, Hurd will not be able to get through the SEC grind, and Karma is not a proven commodity. Our OL will not have a dramatic improvement. I would not expect the offense to gel as much as everyone is saying. Our def will win us games this year. If we go 7-5 that means we improved. 2016 is the year UT will have to really show out.

Almost every FBS team is one QB injury away from a disaster.

The RB argument is silly. We have better depth there than we've had in years. Health-wise, Hurd will be fine and Kamara is as close to a sure-thing RB as you can pick up on the recruiting trail. 95% of FBS teams would kill to have our RB unit.

In all likelihood, the OL WILL see a dramatic improvement. I'd wager that we'll see a similar jump to what we saw from 2010 to 2011, from nearly dead last in FBS to around 35th in the nation.

7-5 would be a failure next year. We will outtalent four teams significantly (BGSU, Western Carolina, UNT, Vandy) and three teams by a decent margin (USC, Mizzou, Kentucky).

We will be roughly equal in talent to OU, UGA, Arkansas, and UF, and 3/4 of those are at home.

Bama is the only game where we'll enter with a decided disadvantage, and being at BDS doesn't help.

It's time to win now. In 2016, Sutton, North (possibly), Maggitt, Randolph, McNeil, Pearson, Pig, Kerbyson, Crowder, and Jackson will all be gone. 10 starters lost.

Plus, some of the stud juniors in 2016 may start saving themselves for the draft and taking plays off. It's not unheard of and Mel Kiper even brought it up in his assessment of why UT can win in 2015 instead of waiting an extra year.
 
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#14
#14
We're not a year away. We are, in fact, right at the cusp of a breakthrough return to greatness, perhaps even dominance. All the key pieces are in place, even if a few spots remain kinda thin in depth.

Problem is, we have no way of knowing whether that breakthrough will come this year. It could. But maybe it won't. Even CBJ can't know for sure when the steady, brick by brick progression finally 'takes' and our program takes off. There's a certain lack of precision to the whole thing when a squad of 85-110 teens and young adults is involved, not to mention the unpredictability of the injury carousel.

So, saying "Still a year away" is just about as right as saying "This is the year." Or, to put it differently, just about as wrong.

We won't know until we know. Here's hoping 2015 is the year. Go Vols!
 
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#15
#15
I think almost every VOL fan sees 8 as the magic number for wins this upcoming season. That is 8 regular season wins. Bowl games are too unpredictable anyway, you could get a lousy Iowa team or a fired up Ohio State type team just depending on how the season goes and how the bowl slots are filled, now that there are tiers and not more direct seedings. Definitely one year away from contending for the big prizes, but I am good with that. I like to see improvement year to year, that will make the big time well worth the wait once we assume our rightful spot again.
 
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#16
#16
8 wins is realistic I believe. Anything less than that would be disappointing, and anything over it will just be icing on the cake.
 
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#17
#17
9+ games are realistic as are 5 games. We go as far as Dobbs goes.

If Dobbs goes down early, our season can get ugly quick. Likewise, if he stays healthy, we can have a season to remember and rejoice for a long time.
 
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#20
#20
Almost every FBS team is one QB injury away from a disaster.

The RB argument is silly. We have better depth there than we've had in years. Health-wise, Hurd will be fine and Kamara is as close to a sure-thing RB as you can pick up on the recruiting trail. 95% of FBS teams would kill to have our RB unit.

In all likelihood, the OL WILL see a dramatic improvement. I'd wager that we'll see a similar jump to what we saw from 2010 to 2011, from nearly dead last in FBS to around 35th in the nation.

7-5 would be a failure next year. We will outtalent four teams significantly (BGSU, Western Carolina, UNT, Vandy) and three teams by a decent margin (USC, Mizzou, Kentucky).

We will be roughly equal in talent to OU, UGA, Arkansas, and UF, and 3/4 of those are at home.

Bama is the only game where we'll enter with a decided disadvantage, and being at BDS doesn't help.

It's time to win now. In 2016, Sutton, North (possibly), Maggitt, Randolph, McNeil, Pearson, Pig, Kerbyson, Crowder, and Jackson will all be gone. 10 starters lost.

Plus, some of the stud juniors in 2016 may start saving themselves for the draft and taking plays off. It's not unheard of and Mel Kiper even brought it up in his assessment of why UT can win in 2015 instead of waiting an extra year.

When was the last time, when a UT QB started the season and didn't miss a single game and closed the season as a starter? Until we have quality at the QB position and a JR/SR OL, do not expect this team to pass the 8 win mark. Everyone is setting themselves up for failure and disappointment.

Hurd might be fine, but he will have to shoulder the load this year along with Karma. I don't see either two of the RBs not missing significant time time this year.

The OL will struggle but will not be noticed bc of the athletic ability of the QB.

Calm down the expectations and enjoy the season for what it is.
 
#22
#22
Just disagree. 5 losses means lost to Oklahoma,Georgia, Alabama, Florida and either Arkansas or Missouri. Losing 5 games vs our 6 best opponents, 3 of which are at home? I just don't think that's acceptable given all the upperclassmen and experienced sophomores in our 2deep. I certainly don't think 10 wins is an expectation, but 8 is the floor, 9 wins is an excellent season and 10 or more is special. Jmo.

I'm in this camp.
 
#23
#23
With all the hype I am sure no one wants to hear it but we are still one year away. 7 or 8 wins is a successful season next year. 2016 will be the year we are another year older, more experienced, deeper at all positions and ready to compete. Don't get upset with 7 this year, still a process and it is working And foundation has been laid.

The key to the season is keeping healthy players. Keep Dobbs healthy. Last year we thought we were deep at WRs and look what happened. (lot of hurt players) I really believe if Dobbs playes the whole season we win 9 or 10 games.
 
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#24
#24
Almost every FBS team is one QB injury away from a disaster.

The RB argument is silly. We have better depth there than we've had in years. Health-wise, Hurd will be fine and Kamara is as close to a sure-thing RB as you can pick up on the recruiting trail. 95% of FBS teams would kill to have our RB unit.

In all likelihood, the OL WILL see a dramatic improvement. I'd wager that we'll see a similar jump to what we saw from 2010 to 2011, from nearly dead last in FBS to around 35th in the nation.

7-5 would be a failure next year. We will outtalent four teams significantly (BGSU, Western Carolina, UNT, Vandy) and three teams by a decent margin (USC, Mizzou, Kentucky).

We will be roughly equal in talent to OU, UGA, Arkansas, and UF, and 3/4 of those are at home.

Bama is the only game where we'll enter with a decided disadvantage, and being at BDS doesn't help.

It's time to win now. In 2016, Sutton, North (possibly), Maggitt, Randolph, McNeil, Pearson, Pig, Kerbyson, Crowder, and Jackson will all be gone. 10 starters lost.

Plus, some of the stud juniors in 2016 may start saving themselves for the draft and taking plays off. It's not unheard of and Mel Kiper even brought it up in his assessment of why UT can win in 2015 instead of waiting an extra year.

agree 100% with everything you said. couldn't have said it better myself. everyone who is saying 2016 will be our year are missing the boat. if we don't make the big leap this year, 2016 will be a HUGE DISSAPOINTMENT. like you said, alot of our stud juniors will be focused on the draft rather than on going all out for a SEC title.

our best chance to win the SEC East is next season with Florida down, Georgia without a QB, and a home heavy schedule against most of our best opponents. I really think 7-5 next year will be a huge dissapointment and will likely mean 2016 will be a monumental failure as well.
 
#25
#25
Just disagree. 5 losses means lost to Oklahoma,Georgia, Alabama, Florida and either Arkansas or Missouri. Losing 5 games vs our 6 best opponents, 3 of which are at home? I just don't think that's acceptable given all the upperclassmen and experienced sophomores in our 2deep. I certainly don't think 10 wins is an expectation, but 8 is the floor, 9 wins is an excellent season and 10 or more is special. Jmo.

Agree completely... Although, I don't know if it's the offseason setting in or I can truly see the light at the end of this decade long malaise, but I'm all in on 10 wins.

I believe again. Let's make it happen boys.
 
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