Our football schedules???

#76
#76
Of course we need to beat SEC teams. We also need wins over our non conference games....especially right now. Why?? Because we are REBUILDING right now and EVERY win is big...and getting to ANY bowl game is big right now because we need the 15 extra practices. You need to realize these things before you think all that matters is beating the big boys. Because you know what....we're not on their level right now. We will be...but we're not there yet. So this is the current status of hype program that as a fan "I" realize and "identify" with!

The fact that you think about 15 extra practices says everything about the program currently.

Every win is not big. Winning games like the South Carolina game is big. Finally beating Alabama on national TV is big. Those things mean something to recruits.

I hate to say it, but to hell with the current players. They are not SEC quality and they were recruited by a coach that is not SEC quality.

The future begins with the '14 and '15 classes. I will take a 5-7 season right now if we get a big statement win. these measly bowl games mean nothing. Arguing about extra practice is laughable. Our new recruits hopefully wont need extra practice. If they do, then we still arent back.
 
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#77
#77
I hate to say it, but to hell with the current players. They are not SEC quality and they were recruited by a coach that is not SEC quality.

The future begins with the '14 and '15 classes. I will take a 5-7 season right now if we get a big statement win. these measly bowl games mean nothing. Arguing about extra practice is laughable. Our new recruits hopefully wont need extra practice. If they do, then we still arent back.

Not entirely true: Sutton, AJ, North, Maybin,M. Jackson, Maggitt, Wiesman, Kerbyson, Randolph, Saulsberry and perhaps Vereen plus many others are great players. My guess is Ferg is too and Dobbs with time and a good QB coach may be as well.
 
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#78
#78
Not entirely true: Sutton, AJ, North, Maybin,M. Jackson, Maggitt, Wiesman, Kerbyson, Randolph, Saulsberry and perhaps Vereen plus many others are great players. My guess is Ferg is too and Dobbs with time and a good QB coach may be as well.

"Great" is a relative term. Those are the best players on the current team, but I am not sure how they stack up against the kind of players UT used to have and will have in the future in CBJ recruiting classes.
 
#79
#79
The fact that you think about 15 extra practices says everything about the program currently.

Every win is not big. Winning games like the South Carolina game is big. Finally beating Alabama on national TV is big. Those things mean something to recruits.

I hate to say it, but to hell with the current players. They are not SEC quality and they were recruited by a coach that is not SEC quality.

The future begins with the '14 and '15 classes. I will take a 5-7 season right now if we get a big statement win. these measly bowl games mean nothing. Arguing about extra practice is laughable. Our new recruits hopefully wont need extra practice. If they do, then we still arent back.
Those 15 extra practices "laughable"...wow! Ask any coach and I bet you'd get a different opinion. To hell with our current players...? Wow! I'm sure a lot of SEC teams would like to have North, Sutton,AJ,Vereen, Feruson,Dobbs, and many others. (And yes there are several that are not SEC material...but to hell with our players?... NO!) Hopefully our new recruits won't need extra practice? You're kidding right??? All in all you have a lot of good points! Lol
 
#80
#80
If we played Arkansas State, Southern Alabama, Western Kentucky, and Tennessee State our schedule would still be plenty hard to rate in the top twenty schedules. You just add Florida, Alabama, Georgia, and South Carolina and your there. Were just cheating ourselves out of bowl games by playing a hard OOC. Were bowling if we replace Oregon with Memphis State or Arkansas State. A lot of teams worse than our team are cashing in on bowls this year because of their scheduling.

This. Until we are relevant again, given we have to play bama every year, there is no need to make our schedule any harder with OOC games.

TN beat a top 10 USC team this year. That USC team beat TWO BCS TEAMS!!!!! TN is better than half the bowl teams, but doesn't make a bowl because it plays such a hard schedule.
 
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#83
#83
You just detailed why I no long care for home-and-home series. They are scheduled so far out that there is no way to know how relevant they will actually be when they roll around. I much prefer neutral site games that get scheduled 18 to 24 months out. While you can never guarantee that a team will stay hot year to year, it's better than hoping they stay hot decade to decade.

I guess I am the opposite. If Kansas is great in 2022, ok. I just like seeing us travel and having fans of other schools that don't get to Knoxville normally, get a chance to experience our atmosphere.

Neutral site games are meh for me.
 
#84
#84
I'm not going to get in a tick/tack argument with you. I've made my point. You seem to like this type of scheduling. I don't. We're not where we need to be talent wise...so why continue to showcase this fact on a national stage? Do you like seeing that??? We'll get there and have opportunities to show it, but now is not the time.

If I am not mistaken i believe the schedules are set quite a few years in advance. i remeber hearing about us picking up Oklahoma and oregon a few years ago. We had the talent back then.

i dont think a cup-cake schedule would do anything to aliviate the talent disadvantage we have, only gaining talent will do that. Either way Go Vols.
 
#85
#85
I have a hard time understanding why we are so set on maintaining one of the hardest schedules in the country. Take this year for example...wow! I mean did our AD think we would actually be competitive against Oregon...and Oklahoma next year? (Not to mention we already play in the toughest conference in America). I know these schedules are made out several years in advance and some people want to point to "good exposure", but it doesn't make good sense to me. You don't see LSU,AU,SC,Bama, etc... going out of their way to schedule this way. Some of you may take pride in the statement "we play the toughest schedule in America"....well I don't. How many people do you think care? At the end of the day...a losing record is a losing record. It simply doesn't make sense to me to schedule this way when we're at such a low right now. This has bothered me for a while...just had to vent a little.

I'd go out on a limb and say you never played football.
 
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#86
#86
you don't have to go to FCS to lighten the schedule up a bit - UW would have been a much easier schedule than Oregon - there are plenty of non-juggernaut D1 teams that you can schedule - a la like just last year when we put on NC state late and delayed Oregon

I am not sure how good OK will be next year but Oregon was a dumb move imo and getting trounced by them did not enhance our national brand in any way

You really don't know how these lesser D1 teams will be in four or five years the way schedules are made. A lesser team now, may be a national champion contender three or four years down the line.
 
#87
#87
I honestly only see 3 "gimme's" on next year's schedule, based on this past year's play. Unless we have some serious turn around in the off season or some freshmen come in and immediately contribute @ key positions, the below seems probable

Utah State - toss up
Arkansas State - win
@ Oklahoma - loss
@ UGA - loss
Florida - loss (could be toss up, but c'mon - they always beat us)
Chattanooga - win
@ Ole Miss - toss up
Alabama - loss
@ South Carolina - loss
Kentucky - win
Mizzou - loss
@ Vanderbilt - toss up

So if we win all of our "toss ups" and/or pull some upset wins, we could go 6-6 and make it to a bowl game for a 7-6 season. I feel like a realistic spread for us next year is at worst, 4-8 & at best 8-5. At this stage I would be very happy with 7-6 or 8-5. Anything less than this is a failure of a season.

JMHO based on the previous years and unanswered Q's @ QB - flame away :hi:

Why would you pick SC to beat us? They are losing Shaw and Clowney and we beat them this year. Vandy is losing Matthews and Krause, pretty much their entire offense. Also why is Utah State a toss up?
 
#89
#89
The Schedule does help to a point but look at Ohio State they didn't play anybody and came one game away from going to the BCS NC game.

Tennessee should get a break when not playing a conference game. This year was very brutal!!!
 
#93
#93
Dude, you do realize these schedules are made years in advance? Back in the day UT was competitive.

And yes the other SEC schools play OOC tough games more often than you think.

I hate UT is in the stretch of tough seasons but I was p'd when they bought out UNC. EMBARRASSING.
 
#94
#94
I have a little bad news for the fellow poster who was asking about Oklahoma. My Sooners return 17/22 starters. This was supposed to be an 8-4ish rebuilding year, but we overachieved by winning at Lil Bro and at Notre Dame. If not for our QB controversy, which ended up in a 3- headed everyone plays monster (think Dobbs/Shaw/poor mans Tebow), I think we'd have taken Texas as well. So...

I'm pretty sure we lose to Bama in 2 weeks, but it won't be because they're faster (we are) it'll be because they're substantially bigger and more experienced on the OL than our DL can handle. They'll gash us to death 5 yards at a time. But that won't play next year when our soph DLs get one summer bigger and better. 2014 is a possible bcscg year if we settle on a QB.

The Vols play OU in Norman. In the third game for each. The Vols are my adopted second fave team. But realistically, they're unlikely to score an offensive TD. It should look about like the Mizzou game did this year. OU 34, UT 6.
 
#95
#95
Give it time when we start getting back some better players that we were so use to getting in the 90s the schedules want seem so tuff when we get back on a level playing field.
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#96
#96
I have a little bad news for the fellow poster who was asking about Oklahoma. My Sooners return 17/22 starters. This was supposed to be an 8-4ish rebuilding year, but we overachieved by winning at Lil Bro and at Notre Dame. If not for our QB controversy, which ended up in a 3- headed everyone plays monster (think Dobbs/Shaw/poor mans Tebow), I think we'd have taken Texas as well. So...

I'm pretty sure we lose to Bama in 2 weeks, but it won't be because they're faster (we are) it'll be because they're substantially bigger and more experienced on the OL than our DL can handle. They'll gash us to death 5 yards at a time. But that won't play next year when our soph DLs get one summer bigger and better. 2014 is a possible bcscg year if we settle on a QB.

The Vols play OU in Norman. In the third game for each. The Vols are my adopted second fave team. But realistically, they're unlikely to score an offensive TD. It should look about like the Mizzou game did this year. OU 34, UT 6.

yeah..i love counting unhatched chickens too
 
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#97
#97
I'll give you this..... as much as I dislike that arrogant, classless prick of a coach you have, the guy is a good coach. He's been able to do something that virtually no other Vandy coach has been able to do in your program's pathetic history.....actually not roll over and play dead vs teams they should have a chance to beat.

You guys went 4-0, barely, vs the disgraceful OOC schedule that you had...congrats.

Next you beat the worst, most injury plagued Florida team (by the time you played them) since 1979....a 4 win Florida team. Yes, I know one of the wins was vs UT, we'll address that in a minute.

Then you beat another injury-plagued team who also had their best pass rusher wrongly ejected from the game. Add to that a turnover by a freshman rb fairly deep in Georgia territory and punter who gave you yet another ridiculously short field.....wa la, you have your "signature" win vs Georgia.

Now, I'll give Franklin credit here. In Vandy's past, they'd have lost the games vs Florida and Georgia. However, the good fortune bestowed on you guys that made it possible for you to win vs these 2 teams was nothing short of miraculous. Franklins team was very opportunistic.... when both Florida and Georgia continually gave you short fields, you guys actually took advantage. Vandy, uncharacteristically, didn't act like the pansy ass losers you've always been, they actually, under Snakehead's leadership, went out and found a way to win those games.

Let's see how you did vs the better teams on your schedule. Ole miss, 7-5 team, you lost at home. TexasA&M?.... Blown out. Mizzou? Blown out. S Carolina.... Blown out, down 28-0 early until they clearly let off the gas.

Speaking of schedules. How did you guys do vs Alabama and Auburn? What? You didn't play either of those guys?

Finally, you beat Tennessee. A very bad Tennessee team, struggling to find its way, playing its 3rd-4th string freshman QB who couldn't pass a kidney stone, especially after he lost UTs best, most productive WR (a true freshman WR btw). And it took 2 plays, an inconsequential block in the back that overturned what would've been the game winning UT touchdown and a reply reversal where the officials blatantly disregarded the rule stating they must have conclusive evidence to overturn the call on the field.

I'll say it again. I know you're not used to how things work because you're not used to winning programs as a Vandy fan. But things are about to change. Tennessee has a talent problem that is getting fixed at a very fast rate. Last year Vandy's final Rivals class rank was #21, UT's was only a notch or two higher..... virtually the same. This year, Vandy sits around #25 with 3-4 4 stars, UT is #2 currently with around 17-18 4 stars and a couple 5 stars. Approximately 40%of UT's roster will turn over this year. Poor, slow players with a defeatist attitude will be gone, replaced with very good to elite players, very fast players who know nothing but winning.

So your time at Vandy has come and it is nearly gone. Just for giggles, I'll even give you one more year of success vs UT. I'll actually give you the 2014 game. Write it down.... I think Vandy beats UT in 2014....But 2015 and as far as the eye can see into the future, Vandy is gonna absolutely get it's candy ass handed to it by the state school .... just as it has always been and should always be.

U probably need a cold beer after that rant!
 
#99
#99
LSU has played TCU & Oregon recently, BAMA played Michigan & VA Tech in the past couple of seasons , and SCAR plays Clemson every year.

Yes, but both LSU and Bama were doing this when they were/are at the top of their game and we are doing this when we are at the bottom...
 
LSU has played TCU & Oregon recently, BAMA played Michigan & VA Tech in the past couple of seasons , and SCAR plays Clemson every year.

va tech sucks they arnt a good team. do not compare them to anyone in the sec or top 25. they have the easiest scedual in the country and still cant go undefeated
 

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