I believe it's possible....

#26
#26
UTFranklinVol said:
I'm just fine if they win 10 games and go back to a New Year's 6 bowl game. It's obvious now just how much talent UT lost last year and if they come out of this year losing no ground with Nico as the next QB I feel like this is a huge W for the program.
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If the staff is not gonna give Nico any playing time this year, they're gonna be in deep sh^t next year trying to start him with basically no game experience.
 
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#27
#27
Batman1948 said:
If the staff is not gonna give Nico any playing time this year, they're gonna be in deep sh^t next year trying to start him with basically no game experience.
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I'm sure Nico will get some time in against Ucon and Vandy. Unfortunately UT hasn't been in much of a position to let their backup play. We haven't blown many people out lately.
 
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#29
#29
UTFranklinVol said:
I'm just fine if they win 10 games and go back to a New Year's 6 bowl game. It's obvious now just how much talent UT lost last year and if they come out of this year losing no ground with Nico as the next QB I feel like this is a huge W for the program.
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Even an 8-win or 9-win season with both the talent lost from last year and the fiasco that was Pruitt’s departure causing lack of obvious depth in important places is still an argument for no ground lost.
 
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#31
#31
Vol_in_NC_1999 said:
The OL is by far my biggest concern heading into next year. We get a solid OL, and things will start falling into place. A great OL can make even a 3-star qb and/or rb look good.
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Yes. The good news is that if we end up 9-3 or 8-4, a lot of our OL guys may comeback for another year. Some of the guys have one year left. Cooper Mays right now looks like a late round draft pick so I wont be surprised if Spraggins & Mincey decide one more go. At guard Karic will return. So it could be only 1-2 guys needed from portal while others develop.
 
#32
#32
DonDiego said:
If Georgia comes into the game undefeated (likely), you'll think the officiating in the Bama game was fantastic compared to what we'll get in that game..lol.
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Yup. Itll depend truly on where Georgia is in the CFP standings. And where Bama is. The SEC will now be concerned with making Bama and Georgia's resumes look as good as possible.
 
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#33
#33
CAVPUT said:
I never bought in on this years team. Felt it was 7-5 or 8-4 and posted that several times. Just didn't believe that the Milton we saw vs Clemson was real....especially when the guys he was throwing to are now in the NFL. No telling how many years we'll have with Nico or if he's going to be as good as folks hope. The schedule is going to see a jump in difficulty with OU and Texas joining and this new rotation of opponents. I know Heupel is a players coach, but I really believe he just has to make some hard decisions on some the players on this roster. There was a time when I felt it was just wrong to run a kid off, but with the portal, I don't feel the same. Heupel needs to identify kids who simply were poor evals and send them elsewhere. We need every spot we can get for the portal in order to give Nico the best chance at success. If Heupel can't win with what was arguably the #1 QB recruit, that would have me questioning his development if I were a HS star QB and his family. Not saying go full Prime Time on his roster, but we need a real haul on both lines, TE, WR and somehow, someway a backup QB. Guess we could turn to a true freshman if Nico gets injured, but that's a big, big ask. Each year I pick 2-3 guys that we just couldn't afford to lose to injury. This year it was Mayes and Pili. Two important leaders. Lost 'em both for varying amounts of time, but it kneecapped our season IMO. Can't believe this old man is saying this, but it's gitshirts, NIL and portal time....in a very, very big way...at UT.
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Both Keyton and White made big catches last year in the Orange Bowl
 
#34
#34
CAVPUT said:
I never bought in on this years team. Felt it was 7-5 or 8-4 and posted that several times. Just didn't believe that the Milton we saw vs Clemson was real....especially when the guys he was throwing to are now in the NFL. No telling how many years we'll have with Nico or if he's going to be as good as folks hope. The schedule is going to see a jump in difficulty with OU and Texas joining and this new rotation of opponents. I know Heupel is a players coach, but I really believe he just has to make some hard decisions on some the players on this roster. There was a time when I felt it was just wrong to run a kid off, but with the portal, I don't feel the same. Heupel needs to identify kids who simply were poor evals and send them elsewhere. We need every spot we can get for the portal in order to give Nico the best chance at success. If Heupel can't win with what was arguably the #1 QB recruit, that would have me questioning his development if I were a HS star QB and his family. Not saying go full Prime Time on his roster, but we need a real haul on both lines, TE, WR and somehow, someway a backup QB. Guess we could turn to a true freshman if Nico gets injured, but that's a big, big ask. Each year I pick 2-3 guys that we just couldn't afford to lose to injury. This year it was Mayes and Pili. Two important leaders. Lost 'em both for varying amounts of time, but it kneecapped our season IMO. Can't believe this old man is saying this, but it's gitshirts, NIL and portal time....in a very, very big way...at UT.
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Can't disagree with any of this. I was never comfortable with Nico either. He had a month to prepare for the Orange Bowl and preparing week to week is a whole different animal.
 
#35
#35
UTFranklinVol said:
This team still has a decent chance to completely redeem itself and win out the rest of the year. It's not going to be easy especially with 2 SEC road games left but if this team pulls itself together and repeats how they performed in the 1st half of the Bama game, not only do I think they can win their toad games but also put a beat down on the Dawgs. I'm more worried about Mizzou now than I am about Georgia, not because I think Mizzou is better but because playing a road game is harder for this UT team than playing at home in front of a frenzied crowd.

I'm not saying I believe this will happen but I am not without hope that this team is good enough to run the table and end with the same record as last year. We just have to fix the coaching mistakes and not let our foot off the gas again and I think they can get it done.
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Georgia with FL away, Missouri, and Ole Miss easily could drop one in their next 3 games. @FL is no joke. FL also has quite the road ahead with Georgia at home, and Missouri/LSU away. Best case scenario is GA beats FL, and FL drops one to LSU, Georgia loses to Ole Miss, one or both lose to Missouri. Of course we have to win out. Albeit, as bad as the East is looking at times, I could see a 3 loss East team winning the East lol. Kind of joking, but it’s as possible as us winning out.

Georgia loses to Ole Miss, Missouri or FL and us.
Florida loses to LSU, Georgia or Arkansas.
Missouri loses to us, and Florida or Arkansas.
We drop the game in Lexington, but win out.

On a more serious note, if we do win out, I think that means the other teams remaining on our schedule are very vulnerable. In previous years, I would say it’s hopeless at this juncture, but it really isn’t at this point.

We just need to win, and hope we get help from the West.
 
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#37
#37
CAVPUT said:
I never bought in on this years team. Felt it was 7-5 or 8-4 and posted that several times. Just didn't believe that the Milton we saw vs Clemson was real....especially when the guys he was throwing to are now in the NFL. No telling how many years we'll have with Nico or if he's going to be as good as folks hope. The schedule is going to see a jump in difficulty with OU and Texas joining and this new rotation of opponents. I know Heupel is a players coach, but I really believe he just has to make some hard decisions on some the players on this roster. There was a time when I felt it was just wrong to run a kid off, but with the portal, I don't feel the same. Heupel needs to identify kids who simply were poor evals and send them elsewhere. We need every spot we can get for the portal in order to give Nico the best chance at success. If Heupel can't win with what was arguably the #1 QB recruit, that would have me questioning his development if I were a HS star QB and his family. Not saying go full Prime Time on his roster, but we need a real haul on both lines, TE, WR and somehow, someway a backup QB. Guess we could turn to a true freshman if Nico gets injured, but that's a big, big ask. Each year I pick 2-3 guys that we just couldn't afford to lose to injury. This year it was Mayes and Pili. Two important leaders. Lost 'em both for varying amounts of time, but it kneecapped our season IMO. Can't believe this old man is saying this, but it's gitshirts, NIL and portal time....in a very, very big way...at UT.
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You make it sound like 8-4 is a bad year. It’s not.
 
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#38
#38
fossilfiction said:
Win out our or not they do not control their own destiny to win the east, which was my hope. As of right now, it's almost out of the question. Beating Georgia, them losing another game, and Tennessee winning out is the only way to get to Atlanta.
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It would still be pretty freakin’ awesome if they could win out. I know I’d be tripping
 
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#39
#39
DonDiego said:
If Georgia comes into the game undefeated (likely), you'll think the officiating in the Bama game was fantastic compared to what we'll get in that game..lol.
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This is where I’m at. I believed we had a chance before the Bama game to upset Georgia. There’s just no way the conference will allow that to happen.
 
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#41
#41
vegasvolfan said:
Georgia with FL away, Missouri, and Ole Miss easily could drop one in their next 3 games. @FL is no joke. FL also has quite the road ahead with Georgia at home, and Missouri/LSU away. Best case scenario is GA beats FL, and FL drops one to LSU, Georgia loses to Ole Miss, one or both lose to Missouri. Of course we have to win out. Albeit, as bad as the East is looking at times, I could see a 3 loss East team winning the East lol. Kind of joking, but it’s as possible as us winning out.

Georgia loses to Ole Miss, Missouri or FL and us.
Florida loses to LSU, Georgia or Arkansas.
Missouri loses to us, and Florida or Arkansas.
We drop the game in Lexington, but win out.

On a more serious note, if we do win out, I think that means the other teams remaining on our schedule are very vulnerable. In previous years, I would say it’s hopeless at this juncture, but it really isn’t at this point.

We just need to win, and hope we get help from the West.
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You mentioned that UGA plays at Florida. That game is always a neutral site game in Jacksonville. They just alternate years in naming a home team and this year Florida is the designated “home” team.
 
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#42
#42
Vfl2407 said:
You mentioned that UGA plays at Florida. That game is always a neutral site game in Jacksonville. They just alternate years in naming a home team and this year Florida is the designated “home” team.
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Funny I never knew that!
 
#43
#43
volmandu said:
Yes. The good news is that if we end up 9-3 or 8-4, a lot of our OL guys may comeback for another year. Some of the guys have one year left. Cooper Mays right now looks like a late round draft pick so I wont be surprised if Spraggins & Mincey decide one more go. At guard Karic will return. So it could be only 1-2 guys needed from portal while others develop.
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If we kept Mincy, Sprag, & Mays ... I'd be fired up @ next yr. And get a starter or 2 from the portal would be other worldly.
 
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#44
#44
DaddyChad said:
This is where I’m at. I believed we had a chance before the Bama game to upset Georgia. There’s just no way the conference will allow that to happen.
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They might actually give us a fair shot at Georgia IF they’re undefeated when we play them. It would mean they could still absorb a loss and be in the SEC title game and still be on track for an outside shot at the playoff. And CBS would have massive ratings.
 
#46
#46
Tennessee isn't going 7-5 this year. Not going 8-4 either. Jesus, some of y'all are pathetic. Or trolls. Or pathetic trolls.
 
#47
#47
tncolt55 said:
We are playing for 9-3 and a decent bowl victory at this point. I just hope its a good bowl somewhere near the beach! I have no delusions of where we are as a team and after this year I expect a bit of a drop off as we will lose our entire secondary and most of our DL.
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Which is cool because the team took a step back at QB1.
 
#49
#49
UTFranklinVol said:
This team still has a decent chance to completely redeem itself and win out the rest of the year. It's not going to be easy especially with 2 SEC road games left but if this team pulls itself together and repeats how they performed in the 1st half of the Bama game, not only do I think they can win their toad games but also put a beat down on the Dawgs. I'm more worried about Mizzou now than I am about Georgia, not because I think Mizzou is better but because playing a road game is harder for this UT team than playing at home in front of a frenzied crowd.

I'm not saying I believe this will happen but I am not without hope that this team is good enough to run the table and end with the same record as last year. We just have to fix the coaching mistakes and not let our foot off the gas again and I think they can get it done.
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It's fantasy land time again leading up to the next game. The ceiling of this team has always been 8-9 wins. I don't know why some of you insist on believing it has anything near the talent of last year on offense. The running game is much improved but we have one to two good not great wr's and a qb who isn't near as mobile as Hooker. This offense has proven time and again that it cannot consistently move the ball for a full game against a competent defense. Kentucky has a competent defense, beating them will be a challenge in and of itself on the road at night. Worrying about controlling our own destiny is borderline insane at this point
 
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