Recruiting Forum preseason prediction thread

#1
nicksjuzunk

nicksjuzunk

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#1
This one is for the bragging rights. Bump it at the end of the season and see where we are at.

Format: W/L record (regular season) and two additional predictions about the team. Discussion and explanation is welcome.

9-3

Personally, without looking at the schedule, I feel like this is a 4 loss team. When looking at the schedule, I see two losses. I'll trust my eyes, and expect a slip up along the way to land at 9-3.

1. Hurd - 1,000 yards, Kamara - 800 yards rushing.
2. Vols win the East.
 
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#3
#3
8-4.

I'm a realist and I like to be pleasantly surprised, so the real me says 9 or 10 wins, but I'll stick to a healthy 8-4 with 9 in a cupcake bowl win.
 
#4
#4
Nick, I think we win three out of four against UGA, UF, Mizzou, and USCjr, but with a possible inexplicable slip-up to make it 2/4. I think we win against OU and Arkansas, but we could split there. I think we could take this one against Bama, but I think we have to set expectations not to win that one. I don't think we lose to UK, Vandy, or any of the other non-conference games.

Sooo... I say basement 8-4, with my firm expectation at 9-3. 8-4 will be slightly disappointing, but still showing legitimate improvement and still possibly in the hunt to win the East with losses to the right teams. I think the preparation and mental grit of team 119 produce a final record of:

9-3

1. We break the streak against FL and Mizzou
2. Jennings breaks out as a future star
 
#5
#5
WarMachine said:
Nick, I think we win three out of four against UGA, UF, Mizzou, and USCjr, but with a possible inexplicable slip-up to make it 2/4. I think we win against OU and Arkansas, but we could split there. I think we could take this one against Bama, but I think we have to set expectations not to win that one. I don't think we lose to UK, Vandy, or any of the other non-conference games.

Sooo... I say basement 8-4, with my firm expectation at 9-3. 8-4 will be slightly disappointing, but still showing legitimate improvement and still possibly in the hunt to win the East with losses to the right teams. I think the preparation and mental grit of team 119 produce a final record of:

9-3

1. We break the streak against FL and Mizzou
2. Jennings breaks out as a future star
Click to expand...

if we end up 7-5 with no major injuries, should butchs seat be getting warm? just curious
 
#6
#6
10-2 regular season

1. We are undefeated going into the Alabama game and ranked #5 in the nation.

2. We lose to Bama and Mizzou but still win the East. We end up losing the SEC championship game in a heartbreaking thriller against Auburn.... but then we go on to get some healthy revenge against James Franklin as we thrash Penn State in the Orange Bowl 45-21.

Final record: 11-3

Go Big Orange forever
 
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#7
#7
Catbone said:
if we end up 7-5 with no major injuries, should butchs seat be getting warm? just curious
Click to expand...

He should not be fired in my opinion, but yes his seat would be steaming hot. I would be questioning whether or not he was capable of ever winning big here for sure.

It would just be beyond frustrating after the last few years we've had
 
#8
#8
seaofORANGE22 said:
He should not be fired in my opinion, but yes his seat would be steaming hot. I would be questioning whether or not he was capable of ever winning big here for sure.

It would just be beyond frustrating after the last few years we've had
Click to expand...

Fair enough, thanks for the response
 
#9
#9
I'm on the fence between 7-5 and 8-4 personally. I think we have a great chance at 8-4, I'm just not sure of this OL enough to really be certain.
 
#10
#10
Catbone said:
Fair enough, thanks for the response
Click to expand...

And yet, that would still be a lot better than Dooley's year 3. We would get a shot at a bowl game and could still get an 8th win.

I suppose that is still progress.

But man, having no major injuries during the season would basically mean Butch was getting out coached in every toss up game. Much of our talent would also probably be proven to be largely overrated.

I don't buy it.
 
#11
#11
11-1 or 10-2 depending on the severity of gaulden injury.

I think Josh Malone has a break out season. 6-7 TDs.

Kamara makes more plays than Hurd. Hurd will have more TDs bc he will be used at the goal line more. RD Abernathy will take at least 1 to the house. We beat Florida by 4 TDs.
 
#12
#12
Catbone said:
I'm on the fence between 7-5 and 8-4 personally. I think we have a great chance at 8-4, I'm just not sure of this OL enough to really be certain.
Click to expand...

I get the oline concerns. I really do.

But we have enough weapons to neutralize it in my opinion. I think you can game plan around a struggling offensive line a lot easier with Dobbs.

I just really don't see the oline directly costing us games. I think they'll look a lot better than they did last year. They may not appear as elite as the rest of the roster, but we have some talent to play with there. I just do not believe they will be terrible and ever crumble like they did at times last year.
 
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#13
#13
8-4.

I'm going with the realistic one. I don't believe that we have the depth to win the east yet. We are definitely on the rise, but as much as people hate to hear this, we are still a year away.
 
#14
#14
10-2

1. Vols win the East.
2. One of Hurd/Kamara/Dobbs becomes a dark horse Heisman candidate.

Butch Jones!!!
 
#16
#16
9-3

Bowling Green - W
OU - L
W Car - W
UF - W
Arky - W
UGA - L
Bama - L
UK - W
USC - W
N Texas - W
Mizzou - W
Vandy - W

Finish in top 15. Land a top 10 recruiting class. Have 6 players drafted to the NFL.
 
#17
#17
I am sick and tired of losing to teams that we should be beating so I want to say 12-0 for the regular season. However, then I remember that we are a primarily Fresh/Soph team with enough leadership in the Junior and Senior classes to make it work. So.... with that in mind I think we will go 11-1. Not much change but I think so many people are discounting how much talent we truly have and how good our Junior and Senior leadership is. These kids are hungry and they are gonna eat!


Bowling Green - W
OU - W
W Car - W
UF - W
Arky - W
UGA - W
Bama - L (close)
UK - W
USC - W
N Texas - W
Mizzou - W
Vandy - W

The D will accumulate 50+ sacks.

We have at least a +12 TO ratio.

The O will average over 30+ pts per game.

The OL, combined with JD's elusiveness, will only give up 18 or fewer sack. (I know... Our OL sucks. I don't care.)
 
#18
#18
Looking at the schedule, we should be favored to win every game save GA, AL, and possibly OK. If we get by OK I think there is a realistic chance that we get we go 10-2 and it's not out of the realm we go 11-1. This is all predicated on ending the streak with FL and carrying all that momentum into October. Am I totally off base here?
 
#19
#19
I can honestly see this season going so many different ways depending on three factors:

1) Offensive Line Performance
2) Is Dobbs the real deal?
3) Injuries

If everything went right, I can see this team dominating the regular season and rattling off 10 or more wins and going to the SECCG.

I'll officially predict we start out red-hot, have some injuries/setbacks that slow us down.

9-3 Regular Season

We start 4-0, lose to Arkansas, beat UGA, lose to Alabama, and then win out except for Mizzou.

Lose in SECCG

Other predictions:

1) Dobbs is a solid QB, but not an all-SEC QB. Accuracy is his biggest problem. After one of the games where Dobbs' interceptions were a key part of the loss, Dormady talk starts by fans.

2) The top 3 WRs in passing yards at the end of the season are (in order) Pig Howard, Von Pearson, and Josh Smith.

3) The Defense finishes #1 in the SEC East, #3 in the SEC statistically.

4) The real story of the offense is Hurd & Kamara, who combine for over 20 TD's and 2000 yards.
 
#20
#20
8-4, 9-4 with bowl win.

1: Ben hill Griffin is next to empty when the clock shows 0.

2: Kamara goes well over 100 yards against bama.
 
#21
#21
8-4 regular season, 9-4 after bowl.


1. Alvin Kamara is better than we all thought. We know he's good. But we didn't know he was THAT good.

2. Evan Berry plays himself into a purposeful role on the defense which he doesn't relinquish until he goes to the league.

Edit: apparently face and I are on the same brain frequency. Nice, face!
 
#22
#22
9-3 and anything less will have been underachieving. I'm done making excuses for why less talented teams can beat us or do.
 
#23
#23
We should have won 8 games last year with the bowl so saying 8 wins is an improvement is accepting underperformance.
 
#24
#24
I've got an idea.

Let's win 8 games this year, the most we've won since 2007 (8 years), and then put our coach on the hot seat, after his 3rd season, because he didn't meet the fan base's expectations given the talent on the team.

Notwithstanding the fact that the reason the fan base has high expectations, said talent, is directly attributable to said coach by somehow acquiring said players after he took over a team who had gone 28-34 in the 5 years before he was hired. Oh, and he was the ~5th choice for the job, so there wasn't exactly a line down Peyton Manning Pass to take over the train wreck Kiffin and Dooley left in their wake. But I'm sure, now that this roster is close to rebuilt, all kinds of elite coaches will be vying for this job after we fired the last guy who brought the first positive momentum to Knoxville in a decade in 3-4 short years.

But seriously, if he don't win 9-10 this year, he'll never do it. GBMFO.
 
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