Which SEC programs are trending up and which are trending down?

[TheMookieMonster]

It's getting ridiculous seeing so many people comment on the state of Tennessee football, when they really haven't educated themselves enough to make an intelligent assessment. The media propagates this, too. Somehow, this perception has been created that the Vols are picked to win the East every year (when in reality it's happened once in the last decade I believe).

Because of this, you have your average social media schmuck tweeting out how the Vols are overrated every year, and how they will fail. Listen, I'm the first to want to temper excitement on "the Vols hype-train" each year, but most people don't even realize what sort of expectation the hype train consists of.

The Vols were picked by the majority (middle 50 percent) of the fan-base/media to finish 8-4, with about 25 percentlile points picking 7-5 and 9-3 on either side. And guess what? We finished the season at 8-4, 9-4 with a bowl win, and ranked about 5-10 spots higher than we started the year. This myth needs to be dispelled, that because a small percentage of media hooligans and D4H type fans think we are the second coming of Jesus Christ, that it actually is how the majority of the educated fanbase is.

 

[jakez4ut]

It's getting ridiculous seeing so many people comment on the state of Tennessee football, when they really haven't educated themselves enough to make an intelligent assessment. The media propagates this, too. Somehow, this perception has been created that the Vols are picked to win the East every year (when in reality it's happened once in the last decade I believe).

Because of this, you have your average social media schmuck tweeting out how the Vols are overrated every year, and how they will fail. Listen, I'm the first to want to temper excitement on "the Vols hype-train" each year, but most people don't even realize what sort of expectation the hype train consists of.

The Vols were picked by the majority (middle 50 percent) of the fan-base/media to finish 8-4, with about 25 percentlile points picking 7-5 and 9-3 on either side. And guess what? We finished the season at 8-4, 9-4 with a bowl win, and ranked about 5-10 spots higher than we started the year. This myth needs to be dispelled, that because a small percentage of media hooligans and D4H type fans think we are the second coming of Jesus Christ, that it actually is how the majority of the educated fanbase is.

yes, there's a confusion sometimes of what should be, vs. what is.

 

[TheMookieMonster]

yes, there's a confusion sometimes of what should be, vs. what is.

Definitely. Perception v. Reality is a concept that has plagued our program since the end of the Fulmer era. Too many people expecting too many things from a decimated program that has slowly, but surely, dug itself out of its own grave.

 

[VFL-82-JP]

Most of this "Vols over-rated" talk comes from folks who expect the past to continue unchanged into the future. They compare this year's predictions (SEC East and possible run at national playoffs) to the last few year's outcomes (5-7, 7-6, 9-4), and can't understand the discrepancy between the two.

They don't anticipate change. They don't allow for our improvement.

Their mistake. :good!:

 

[ALGator]

https://www.seccountry.com/sec/which-sec-programs-are-trending-up-and-which-are-trending-down

Tennessee

No one wants to believe in Tennessee until they actually see it on the field. There are a lot of critics of the Vols heading into the season because of all the hype and accolades for a team that didn’t exactly live up to expectations last season — losing four times in agonizing fashion.


The popular saying goes, “Let’s see Tennessee actually finish off some close games in the fourth quarter before they are anointed as one of the top teams in the SEC.”


However, given the fact that Tennesse has one of the nation’s best quarterbacks in Joshua Dobbs, among the best duos at runnning back in Jalen Hurd and Alvin Kamara, and possibly three future first-round picks starting on defense — Derek Barnett at defensive end, Jalen Reeves-Maybin at linebacker, and Cam Sutton at cornerback — those hoping to see Tennessee prove itself in close games this season might end up disappointed by how few close games the Vols will actually play.

:groupwave:

South Carolina stuck in neutral? Now THAT is a load of BFS.

The most successful coach they ever had quit mid season. Then, they hired a goon that can't control his temper, got fired from a school with a huge recruiting base for losing too many games, and apparently has absolutely no idea of how to build a cohesive football program to replace him.

The author got that one flat wrong. South Carolina is trending down, down, down, down....

 

[MikeVol44]

The whole "it's always Tennessee's year" line is the laziest crock of nonsense that sports writers cling to these days. And it's propagating horse crap that younger fans take for gospel because they think it makes them sound like they've been in on the joke too.

How could 2015 Tennessee not have lived up to hype when they finished the season ranked higher than they started?

Snatching defeat from the jaws of victory against both Oklahoma and Florida is how.....:salute:

 

[KBVol]

The whole "it's always Tennessee's year" line is the laziest crock of nonsense that sports writers cling to these days. And it's propagating horse crap that younger fans take for gospel because they think it makes them sound like they've been in on the joke too.

How could 2015 Tennessee not have lived up to hype when they finished the season ranked higher than they started?

Snatching defeat from the jaws of victory against both Oklahoma and Florida is how.....:salute:

Throw in blowing a 14 point lead at home to an average Arky team in the midst of a 3 game losing streak, 2 of which were vs Toledo and Texas Tech.

 

[QuickSmurf]

We're movin on up like George Jefferson!

Weezy is gonna be a happy lady

 

[Dobbs 4 Heisman]

Most of this "Vols over-rated" talk comes from folks who expect the past to continue unchanged into the future. They compare this year's predictions (SEC East and possible run at national playoffs) to the last few year's outcomes (5-7, 7-6, 9-4), and can't understand the discrepancy between the two.

They don't anticipate change. They don't allow for our improvement.

Their mistake. :good!:

There's also jealousy. Most fans don't want to hear anything good about an opposing team unless said team has beaten them down into submission for a number of years.

As a result, Alabama is pretty much that only team that gets the benefit of the doubt.

People who have no dog in the fight (like Phil Steele who just wants to be right) can see what we're building. Most fans know we can be really good but their jealous fandom won't allow them to accept it until we beat them.