Should we be SEC East favorites?

Should we be SEC East favorites in 2015?


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#1

AboveAllNations

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#1
Eric Sallee, the lead SEC writer for Bleacher Report, just predicted yesterday that Tennessee will go 10-2 this year and win the SEC East. Although Butch Jones keeps trying to temper expectations and a not-insignificant number of fans here on Volnation think we're still "one year away" and would be "fine" with just 7 wins, why shouldn't we be favored in the SEC East this year? Consider:

  • We return the most starters in the SEC (18), and have had the best recruiting classes in the SEC East over the past two years.

  • We have the best QB in the SEC East (Dobbs), and more mobile backups who fit our offense (Dormady, Jennings & Jones) than we've ever had since Butch took over.

  • We have the best and deepest WR corp in the SEC East (North, Pearson, Howard, Malone, Smith, Croom, and Williams).

  • We have two NFL-caliber RBs for the first time since the late 90s.

  • We're returning almost all of our offensive linemen from last year while adding several blue-chip tackles (Blair, Richmond, and Jones).

  • We probably have the best defensive line in the entire SEC, especially for rushing the passer (Barnett, Maggitt, Weatherd, and Phillips)

  • We have more speed and depth at linebacker than we've had in years.

  • We probably have the best and most-experienced secondary in the SEC East, which was already among the best 3rd down defenses in the nation last year.

  • We have talent (Medley) and speed (Berry, Sutton) on special teams.

  • We've probably upgraded at offensive coordinator (Debord for Bajakian) while managing to maintain the chemistry and continuity of our coaching staff.

  • We indisputably have more returning talent, experience, and coaching continuity than Florida, South Carolina, Missouri, Kentucky and Vanderbilt this year.

  • We host Georgia and their inexperienced QB early in the season, and their SEC West opponents (Alabama and Auburn) are tougher than ours (Alabama and Arkansas).

Regardless of what our overall record might be (anywhere from 11-1 to 8-4), why shouldn't we be favored to win the SEC East this year?
 
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#2
#2
For those wanting to save a click, you're welcome.

Not buying the hype just yet. But it never hurts to be optimistic!
 

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#4
#4
I'm not known as a sunshine pumper, but we should absolutely win the East this year. Good list, my expectations are off the charts, and for all those
same reasons plus all the intangibles, a good example of which were Gillespie's comments about Hurd helping to coach Kamara and AK actually listening
and working with him, rather than against him. We didnt have that under previous regimes. This team has a whole new attitude.
 
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#5
#5
I think we have a chance to be great but a key injury or two could set us back
 
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#7
#7
The train is rolling and it reminds me of the USCjr hype train last year. Hope the hype doesn't get to us and we stay hungry. 8-4 or better and I'm fine.
 
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#8
#8
We barely scraped by candy last year, Mizzou took us to the woodshed, Dobbs was able to beat lesser teams with his legs until he faced a line like Mizzou, we lost AJ, our OL was porous last year at best and who knows what will happen with Coleman Thomas, we did have two great recruiting hauls but majority haven't even sniffed an SEC snap. Bottom line is let's pump the breaks and see where things shake out. Winning the east is too much to expect at this point but I'm hoping we live up to this ridiculous hype
 
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#9
#9
No, Not yet.

I think Mizzou and Georgia are co-favorites. Mizzou because somehow they seem to have done it 2 years in a row and Georgia because they have the best/deepest roster.

We should be a dark horse and at least in the conversation which we haven't been in the past few years.
 
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#10
#10
Should we be? Probably not. I mean...we have really been around .500 or so for what, 3 or more years now? We went to a bowl game for the first time in a while last year. Do I think we will win the East...I think we have a great chance because there are so many other things that have tipped the scales over in our favor. I cannot wait to see our defense next year. I cannot wait to see our offense next year. I think other teams want to wait to play UT. So...should we? No. Will we? If we can produce with all this hype? GBO
 
#12
#12
I think Mizzou has had their moment and they will fall off this year. They honestly shoudn't be in a position to contend with us or UGA this year. I think UGA should be tentative favorites, but we have almost as good of a chance as they do to take the East. Knowing their tendency to choke at times, I can't help but think we have a great shot.
 
#13
#13
We barely scraped by candy last year

Everybody wins ugly sometimes, and even though half of our offense was out injured we were never really in any serious jeopardy.

Mizzou took us to the woodshed,

Not really. It was 13-16 heading into the 4th quarter, and who knows what would've happened if the refs didn't screw up on our onside kick recovery.

Dobbs was able to beat lesser teams with his legs until he faced a line like Mizzou,

Nobody else in the SEC East has a defensive line like Mizzou's anymore, except for ours of course.

we lost AJ,

But picked up Dillon Bates, Gavin Bryant, and Darrin Kirkland Jr.

our OL was porous last year at best

It was just fine after Dobbs took over, and now we actually have some actual tackles to work with.

and who knows what will happen with Coleman Thomas,

Who cares? We'll be fine with or without him.

we did have two great recruiting hauls but majority haven't even sniffed an SEC snap.

Hurd, Barnett, Robertson, Kelly Jr., Wolf, Jakob Johnson, Emmanuel Moseley, Josh Malone,... our rising sophomores have a lot more experience than many of the returning upperclassmen at other schools.

Bottom line is let's pump the breaks and see where things shake out. Winning the east is too much to expect at this point but I'm hoping we live up to this ridiculous hype.

If you'd just shake off your Dooley defeatism and look at things from an objective perspective, you'd realize that we've got a better chance at winning the East than any other team. Even if it's statistically unlikely to happen (say we have a 33% chance), I still think our odds are better than any other team (e.g., Georgia 25%, Mizzou 20%, Florida 12%, SCAR 10%) so we should be favorites.

Why are people so scared of "hype" if it's justified?
 
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#14
#14
Should we be? Yes. I mean...we have really been around .500 or so for what, 3 or more years now? We went to a bowl game for the first time in a while last year. Do I think we will win the East...I think we have a great chance because there are so many other things that have tipped the scales over in our favor. I cannot wait to see our defense next year. I cannot wait to see our offense next year. I think other teams want to wait to play UT. So...should we? Yes. Will we? If we can produce with all this hype? GBO

Fixed your post.
 
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#16
#16
I hope not. If so, we are being set up to fail. We can win the east, he'll we can win the SEC. Just not expecting it to happen.
 
#17
#17
I think its debatable as to whether Arkansas or Auburn are the tougher cross opponent. Arkansas got pretty dang good there at the end of the season. Could go either way really in regards to whether us or uga has the tougher conference schedule.
 
#18
#18
I think Georgia and Missouri are still the favorites to win the East. I do think the preseason hype UT is getting is legitimate, but there are just too many unanswered questions at the moment:

1. Will our offensive line be much improved?

2. Will Dobbs be consistent against good competition?

3. Will the early reports about Kamara being the real deal prove true?

4. Will we have a solid replacement for AJ and MLB?

5. Will Martin, Gaulden, or Moseley be able to lock down the corner slot opposite Sutton?

6. Will Townsend or Bullock be at least a serviceable punter?

7. Will the transition to DeBord be smooth?

If these are answered in the affirmative, we should be favored to win the East. But at the moment there is still too much uncertainty to start crowning us preseason East champs.
 
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#19
#19
We barely scraped by candy last year,
Even when UT dominated the series for years, Vandy found ways to "get up" and keep games close. I wouldn't worry about that this fall however.
Mizzou took us to the woodshed, Dobbs was able to beat lesser teams with his legs until he faced a line like Mizzou,
The guys who hurt UT most from Mizzou's DL are gone now. UT's OL should improve even if it is no more than natural maturation from one season to the next when EVERYONE returns minus one player. I personally believe it is going to improve considerably more than that.

Can you maybe define being taken to the woodshed? UT lost to MU by 8. They lost on some big, Hail Mary types of plays to players who are no longer on their roster and who will be replaced with a group whose leader returns with 5 career receptions.

we lost AJ,
Yeah? Everyone lost good players... but UT lost fewer of its best players than most. AJ will be replaced this fall by a very good player. And with the development of the other returning players and additions... the Vol D will be less of a one man wrecking crew. Returning 19 of the 22 players in your defensive two deep is a coach's dream... not a nightmare. It only gets better when you look at the young returnees and new players that are ready to make contributions.

our OL was porous last year at best and who knows what will happen with Coleman Thomas, we did have two great recruiting hauls but majority haven't even sniffed an SEC snap.
Thomas didn't play well last year. He's a good looking prospect but the OL is by no stretch dependent on him. Again, returning your whole OL roster minus one player with an extra year of conditioning and possibly the addition of Richmond as a Fr... is a DREAM, not a nightmare. They're talented, deep, developed, experienced... if the coaching and playcalling are good then they should be good.

Bottom line is let's pump the breaks and see where things shake out. Winning the east is too much to expect at this point but I'm hoping we live up to this ridiculous hype
UT will have one of the 3 most talented teams in the East. Teams 4-7 aren't all that close in terms of pure, raw "talent". UF is roughly equal to UT in overall talent and just went through a coaching change. UGA is more talented but break in a new QB while losing 3 of their top 4 WR's. They lose their top two LB's and top two DL's... plus they have Richt.

I don't know if Jones and UT can take advantage but the door is standing wide open waiting for them to walk through it.
 
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#20
#20
I think Georgia and Missouri are still the favorites to win the East.

Who is Mizzou's leading returnee at WR and how many career catches does he have? Who is their #2 RB after losing Murphy and who replaces him with like production as a returner?

Murphy's total yards with the ball in his hands were 1921. Among the returnees, it takes 6 guys to equal that total.

A year after losing Sam and Ealy, they have now lost Golden, Ray, Hoch, and Vincent as well. Brantley returns but besides that they are rebuilding on the DL.

Pinkel has surprised twice with making lemonade out of lemons but this is the worst roster he's had in terms of proven, returning talent since joining the SEC.
 
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#21
#21
Even when UT dominated the series for years, Vandy found ways to "get up" and keep games close. I wouldn't worry about that this fall however.
The guys who hurt UT most from Mizzou's DL are gone now. UT's OL should improve even if it is no more than natural maturation from one season to the next when EVERYONE returns minus one player. I personally believe it is going to improve considerably more than that.

Can you maybe define being taken to the woodshed? UT lost to MU by 8. They lost on some big, Hail Mary types of plays to players who are no longer on their roster and who will be replaced with a group whose leader returns with 5 career receptions.

Yeah? Everyone lost good players... but UT lost fewer of its best players than most. AJ will be replaced this fall by a very good player. And with the development of the other returning players and additions... the Vol D will be less of a one man wrecking crew. Returning 19 of the 22 players in your defensive two deep is a coach's dream... not a nightmare. It only gets better when you look at the young returnees and new players that are ready to make contributions.

Thomas didn't play well last year. He's a good looking prospect but the OL is by no stretch dependent on him. Again, returning your whole OL roster minus one player with an extra year of conditioning and possibly the addition of Richmond as a Fr... is a DREAM, not a nightmare. They're talented, deep, developed, experienced... if the coaching and playcalling are good then they should be good.


UT will have one of the 3 most talented teams in the East. Teams 4-7 aren't all that close in terms of pure, raw "talent". UF is roughly equal to UT in overall talent and just went through a coaching change. UGA is more talented but break in a new QB while losing 3 of their top 4 WR's. They lose their top two LB's and top two DL's... plus they have Richt.

I don't know if Jones and UT can take advantage but the door is standing wide open waiting for them to walk through it.

It is and I believe they will take advantage. We still have players that lost to GA. twice in heartbreaking defeats (especially Pig Howard). TN has GA at home this year and everyone on team 119 will be fired and ready to go. I for one expect to be in Atlanta for the SECCG. I believe team 119 has the opportunity to be Auburn of 2 years ago. Can't wait to get the season going.
 
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#22
#22
Favorites... Uh... well... Don't jinx it!
I just don't see it yet. Let's see how we do on the O line (by far our biggest weakness).

If that isn't fixed up sharp or Dobbs gets hurt, we'll be watching someone else play in Atlanta and be lucky to only lose 4 games.

Ok you call me negaVol, but again I was the guy predicting 10 win seasons when Dooley was around. So I've been bitten a little too often.
 
#23
#23
No, Not yet.

I think Mizzou and Georgia are co-favorites. Mizzou because somehow they seem to have done it 2 years in a row and Georgia because they have the best/deepest roster.

We should be a dark horse and at least in the conversation which we haven't been in the past few years.

This ^^^
 
#24
#24
Thank You Fellow Vol Nationites!

18 Yes
33 No

Reality LIVES!!!!
 
#25
#25
I think Georgia and Missouri are still the favorites to win the East. I do think the preseason hype UT is getting is legitimate, but there are just too many unanswered questions at the moment:

1. Will our offensive line be much improved?

Look at the improvement they made over the course of the 2014 season - they gave up 31 sacks in the first seven games protecting Worley & Peterman, but only 12 in the six games that Dobbs started. Sure, some of the early problems were attributable to Worley & Peterman, but this unit went from being the worst in the conference to something serviceable by the end of the year. Add Dontavius Blair, Drew Richmond, and Jack Jones to a unit with another offseason to get stronger, and I don't see any way we couldn't be "much improved" this year.

2. Will Dobbs be consistent against good competition?

Josh Dobbs stepped in against Alabama to burn his redshirt having taken virtually zero first team practice reps. He showed in that game that he can play well against good competition, so imagine how much better he should be with a full offseason to prepare as the unquestioned starter.

3. Will the early reports about Kamara being the real deal prove true?

Kamara's JUCO highlights are insane, so, yeah, he's the real deal.

4. Will we have a solid replacement for AJ and MLB?

Between Bates, Bryant, Kirkland Jr., Bynum, and perhaps Jakob Johnson, you think somebody will be serviceable. Whoever emerges, their job as a MLB should be much easier than it was for A.J. playing behind bear-sized DTs like McKenzie and Tuttle.

5. Will Martin, Gaulden, or Moseley be able to lock down the corner slot opposite Sutton?

Don't forget about the studs arriving this summer either (Micah Abernathy, Justin Martin and Darrel Miller). Again, somebody will emerge, and whoever does will have the luxury of playing with the nation's best pass rushing DEs.

6. Will Townsend or Bullock be at least a serviceable punter?

Irrelevant - we're not going to punt.

7. Will the transition to DeBord be smooth?

The early evidence says yes. Recall that a lot of fans were calling for Bajakian's head last year. DeBord is an upgrade IMO.

If these are answered in the affirmative, we should be favored to win the East. But at the moment there is still too much uncertainty to start crowning us preseason East champs.

We have fewer serious questions than any of our SEC East rivals. How can teams breaking in new starting QBs or coaching staffs be favored over us?
 

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