Is it now OK to.......

#26
#26
MWAVolfan said:
expect a minimum of 10 or 11 wins and win the SEC and not be considered an unrealistic jerk?

Now that Butch has had his third full recruiting cycle, now that we kept all the good players from leaving early for the NFL, now that we have a senior QB, now that we have an awesome running game lead by a possible heisman contender, now that we are no longer a young team?

Considering that we only leave the state of Tennessee 3 times and two of those games will be against first year head coaches?

Can 2016 be the year that all the excuse mongers finally die off? Can it finally be OK for us to expect not to get embarrassed on national tv? Can we finally agree that these things are not OK?

It's finally time for Vols fandom to rise to the level it once was at, as kings of the SEC with expectations of nothing less than total domination.
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I think Butch was as disappointed as any fan was that we didn't make it to Atlanta last year. This year is a lot different than last in a few ways. Our depth has more experience. They are more developed. So they're stronger. That is a huge difference compared to last year. Hiring Bob Shoop was a brilliant move by Butch. The good teams have defenses that stop offenses in key situations during a game. Last year ours failed in the Oklahoma and Florida games. I don't believe that will happen with Shoop. Our offense scored and moved the ball against everyone that we played. Imo our defense just reached elite with Shoop here and will help us reach Atlanta next year. So, imo, this is the year that I expect us to win the East.

I remember what Butch said after losing so bad to Oregon in his first year, https://youtu.be/AMk5VMQaAk4. He has brought us from there to expecting to win the SEC East and possibly the SEC championship this year.
 
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#27
#27
Rudy123 said:
Even with this recruiting class, I still predict we lose to Florida & Alabama in the regular season but beat Alabama in the S.E.C. Championship game.
That will make us a 10 - 2 regular season record and an S.E.C. Championship win would make us 11 - 2.
Before everyone gets upset about my prediction that we lose to Florida, think of how many times we have had the superior coach or the superior roster but still lost to them.
Other than the Tebow years, we have always felt that we could beat them.
I remember when we had DaRick & Hunter, all week long we thought we were going to beat them but Hunter was injured early on and we lost.
I remember when we had a superior team, other than the q.b. situation and Peterman got injured and we lost.
I remember when we played at home and we had the better team but they ran the ball for 300 yards and beat us.
I could go on and on but I chalk Florida as an automatic loss each year. Jinx!!!!
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When have we had the superior coach? Muschamp? CBJ never beat him head to head.
 
#29
#29
We should be better, deeper, and more experienced all over the field next season! :rock:

Won't speculate on our exact record, but Yes, we should get to Atlanta! :crossfingers::crossfingers:

What happens WHEN we get there.........:dunno::dunno::dunno:








.
 
#30
#30
DeerPark12 said:
I don't recall Tennessee being embarrassed on national TV once last season. Our losses came by a combined 17 points.

In fact, the only two times you could actually say we were "embarrassed" in the last two seasons would be losses to Ole Miss and Alabama in 2014.

Unpopular opinion coming: I believe the most a fanbase, even one like Alabama, can EXPECT in a season is 9. Stay with me on this before calling me names.

A good team with superior talent should be able to handle 9 teams on their schedule, even in the SEC. But in a league like this, those other three games require a lot of intangibles and bounces of the ball to go a team's way. Very rarely does a team steamroll through a schedule.

Look at the seasons Alabama, Oklahoma and Ohio State had this year. Each of the three had at least three games where they either should have lost or the difference in the game was one or two big plays by a big player or a key turnover. Any of those teams could have easily gone 9-3.

If you're in a position where 9 wins is your floor, then you can be in the conversation to win 10, 11, 12 games. We are in that position. On our schedule, there are 9 teams that we are better than. There are two teams that I would say have equal or superior talent (Alabama and Georgia). Then there is Florida, who we are clearly better than, but they have had our number even in games where we should have won going away.

But walking in and "expecting" to win 11 or 12 games is not realistic.
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Sure, those losses were close, but if at any point you lead by 17 points, or by multiple possessions in the 4th, or by two TDs with less than 5 minutes to go against a bad offense, and you end out losing? That's embarrassing.
 
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#31
#31
joshwa said:
If ANY of our opponents get past the 50 yard line Butch should be fired! Immediately! Escort him off the field and to the bus terminal!
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You say it in jest, but some posters here seem to actually have this attitude.
 
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#32
#32
We should be better, deeper, and more experienced all over the field next season! :rock:

Won't speculate on our exact record, but Yes, we should get to Atlanta! :crossfingers::crossfingers:

What happens WHEN we get there.........Hopefull something about they AZZ! :dance2:








.
 
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#33
#33
JonGrudensAgent said:
No.

There will always be coaching apologists out there that will throw players under the bus and questions someones fandom at the drop of a hat.
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Plus there will be unreasonable, irrational, and illogical people who want to fire our coach while calling others sheep and coaching apologists.
 
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#36
#36
double digits wins.....im trying to contain myself so imma just start with ten wins
 
#38
#38
DeerPark12 said:
I don't recall Tennessee being embarrassed on national TV once last season. Our losses came by a combined 17 points.

In fact, the only two times you could actually say we were "embarrassed" in the last two seasons would be losses to Ole Miss and Alabama in 2014.

Unpopular opinion coming: I believe the most a fanbase, even one like Alabama, can EXPECT in a season is 9. Stay with me on this before calling me names.

A good team with superior talent should be able to handle 9 teams on their schedule, even in the SEC. But in a league like this, those other three games require a lot of intangibles and bounces of the ball to go a team's way. Very rarely does a team steamroll through a schedule.

Look at the seasons Alabama, Oklahoma and Ohio State had this year. Each of the three had at least three games where they either should have lost or the difference in the game was one or two big plays by a big player or a key turnover. Any of those teams could have easily gone 9-3.

If you're in a position where 9 wins is your floor, then you can be in the conversation to win 10, 11, 12 games. We are in that position. On our schedule, there are 9 teams that we are better than. There are two teams that I would say have equal or superior talent (Alabama and Georgia). Then there is Florida, who we are clearly better than, but they have had our number even in games where we should have won going away.

But walking in and "expecting" to win 11 or 12 games is not realistic.
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I agree with DeerPark..

Maybe "expect" 9. But, hope for 14.
 
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#39
#39
I only go back to 1965 so forgive me if I'm having trouble remembering UT as kings of the SEC and enjoying total domination. Great run in the 90s but that's not our program historically.

I will believe a win over UF when I see it. As for next year, I expect us to make Atlanta. Can we beat Bama? Certainly. Will we? Who knows. If we make Atlanta and get 10+ wins, that's a fine season in my book.
 
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#40
#40
We have the talent, depth and experience at every position to compete with anyone in the nation. My expectations are to beat Florida and win the east. In all honesty, to me, beating Florida is the more important of the two. If Butch can't do it this coming season then I am not sure he ever will.
 
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#41
#41
DeerPark12 said:
I don't recall Tennessee being embarrassed on national TV once last season. Our losses came by a combined 17 points.

In fact, the only two times you could actually say we were "embarrassed" in the last two seasons would be losses to Ole Miss and Alabama in 2014.

Unpopular opinion coming: I believe the most a fanbase, even one like Alabama, can EXPECT in a season is 9. Stay with me on this before calling me names.

A good team with superior talent should be able to handle 9 teams on their schedule, even in the SEC. But in a league like this, those other three games require a lot of intangibles and bounces of the ball to go a team's way. Very rarely does a team steamroll through a schedule.

Look at the seasons Alabama, Oklahoma and Ohio State had this year. Each of the three had at least three games where they either should have lost or the difference in the game was one or two big plays by a big player or a key turnover. Any of those teams could have easily gone 9-3.

If you're in a position where 9 wins is your floor, then you can be in the conversation to win 10, 11, 12 games. We are in that position. On our schedule, there are 9 teams that we are better than. There are two teams that I would say have equal or superior talent (Alabama and Georgia). Then there is Florida, who we are clearly better than, but they have had our number even in games where we should have won going away.

But walking in and "expecting" to win 11 or 12 games is not realistic.
Click to expand...

This is very well said, but you can't be happy if you lose all 3 swing games. I'm not saying fire Butch if you don't but I think 10 wins should be the bar and 9 your slightly disappointed. Anything over 10 we should be overjoyed with. Handle 9 teams and win 1 out of 3 swing games. I think that is reasonable.
 
#43
#43
I think we lose to bama in the regular season and beat them in Atlanta.

Oh how I would celebrate!
 
#44
#44
DeerPark12 said:
I don't recall Tennessee being embarrassed on national TV once last season. Our losses came by a combined 17 points
Click to expand...

The Oklahoma, Florida, and Arkansas losses were absolutely embarrassing.

But walking in and "expecting" to win 11 or 12 games is not realistic.
Click to expand...

Losing three regular season games would really be a failure this year.
 
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#45
#45
MWAVolfan said:
expect a minimum of 10 or 11 wins and win the SEC and not be considered an unrealistic jerk?

Now that Butch has had his third full recruiting cycle, now that we kept all the good players from leaving early for the NFL, now that we have a senior QB, now that we have an awesome running game lead by a possible heisman contender, now that we are no longer a young team?

Considering that we only leave the state of Tennessee 3 times and two of those games will be against first year head coaches?

Can 2016 be the year that all the excuse mongers finally die off? Can it finally be OK for us to expect not to get embarrassed on national tv? Can we finally agree that these things are not OK?

It's finally time for Vols fandom to rise to the level it once was at, as kings of the SEC with expectations of nothing less than total domination.
Click to expand...

This is not politically correct, puts too much pressure on coaches. We should be rooting for all teams to finish 6-6 and make a bowl.
 
#47
#47
MWAVolfan said:
expect a minimum of 10 or 11 wins and win the SEC and not be considered an unrealistic jerk?

Now that Butch has had his third full recruiting cycle, now that we kept all the good players from leaving early for the NFL, now that we have a senior QB, now that we have an awesome running game lead by a possible heisman contender, now that we are no longer a young team?

Considering that we only leave the state of Tennessee 3 times and two of those games will be against first year head coaches?

Can 2016 be the year that all the excuse mongers finally die off? Can it finally be OK for us to expect not to get embarrassed on national tv? Can we finally agree that these things are not OK?

It's finally time for Vols fandom to rise to the level it once was at, as kings of the SEC with expectations of nothing less than total domination.
Click to expand...

Last year was the first in a long while that the Vols were not embarrassed in a single game.
 
#49
#49
MWAVolfan said:
expect a minimum of 10 or 11 wins and win the SEC and not be considered an unrealistic jerk?

Now that Butch has had his third full recruiting cycle, now that we kept all the good players from leaving early for the NFL, now that we have a senior QB, now that we have an awesome running game lead by a possible heisman contender, now that we are no longer a young team?

Considering that we only leave the state of Tennessee 3 times and two of those games will be against first year head coaches?

Can 2016 be the year that all the excuse mongers finally die off? Can it finally be OK for us to expect not to get embarrassed on national tv? Can we finally agree that these things are not OK?

It's finally time for Vols fandom to rise to the level it once was at, as kings of the SEC with expectations of nothing less than total domination.
Click to expand...

Sure, why not? But the key is, what will you do if those expectations aren't met?
 
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#50
#50
DeerPark12 said:
I don't recall Tennessee being embarrassed on national TV once last season. Our losses came by a combined 17 points.

In fact, the only two times you could actually say we were "embarrassed" in the last two seasons would be losses to Ole Miss and Alabama in 2014.

Unpopular opinion coming: I believe the most a fanbase, even one like Alabama, can EXPECT in a season is 9. Stay with me on this before calling me names.

A good team with superior talent should be able to handle 9 teams on their schedule, even in the SEC. But in a league like this, those other three games require a lot of intangibles and bounces of the ball to go a team's way. Very rarely does a team steamroll through a schedule.

Look at the seasons Alabama, Oklahoma and Ohio State had this year. Each of the three had at least three games where they either should have lost or the difference in the game was one or two big plays by a big player or a key turnover. Any of those teams could have easily gone 9-3.

If you're in a position where 9 wins is your floor, then you can be in the conversation to win 10, 11, 12 games. We are in that position. On our schedule, there are 9 teams that we are better than. There are two teams that I would say have equal or superior talent (Alabama and Georgia). Then there is Florida, who we are clearly better than, but they have had our number even in games where we should have won going away.

But walking in and "expecting" to win 11 or 12 games is not realistic.
Click to expand...


You must not have actually watched the Oklahoma or Florida games but only read the final score if your opinion is that UT was not embarrassed. Every sports personality on TV was talking about how we blew it. They weren't talking about how Oklahoma and Florida won, but rather how UT very publically melted down.

Maybe your meds caused you to selectively forget those things. I don't know for sure. ;-)

As far as expectations go, we already won 9 games in a season, so if Butch is to keep to his word that this program will continue to get better then 10 wins is the minimum new expectation. Unless we are getting better in a moral victory sense. But I thought Hart fired that guy.

We nearly beat the national champs on their home field. So isn't the next logical step to expect us to actually close the deal on our field? Georgia is starting over again and we've already established we can beat them. Maybe expecting to beat Florida is a bridge too far, but if we don't beat them now, we never will, so the expectation needs to be there. The rest of the games outside of travelling to AnM should be gimmes at this point as all of those other teams are in a shambles.
 
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