"Vols have no business in Top 10"

[TBtheGBwiththeTD]

What does any year other than last year have to do with this upcoming seasons predictions?

What a fart sniffer.

 

[UT-Rex]

It's a PRE-season poll, and the guy concluded is assessment this way (someone is actually paying him to write this?):

"In fact, the Vols should not come close to the Top 10 until after their fourth game of the season. If they are 4-0 after playing the Florida Gators, finally ending that dreaded streak, then we can talk about the guys in Knoxville."

 

[RiseToTheTop]

lots of gators and dawgs on this site.

 

[lawgator1]

Or perhaps (pay attention counselor this is the important part) you look at a team with a trajectory headed up and adding more talent and more wins each year the staff has been here. I believe you call that a "trend" don't you?

Sure. Ergo recognition for the potential.

But it's a big jump from that to Top Ten. Without wins over an Alabama or a Florida or an LSU or the like, it's still just potential.

 

[zidanefan]

He kinda has Swamp Donkey teeth

As much as I'd like to rant and rail against our gator contingency here, I think he makes a valid argument. We've been bad and/or underperformed for a loooooong time, especially considering UT's storied tradition.

The other sides are equally valid - that the coaches are the ones doing the voting, and they should know something about their competition, and that we ended the season continually improving, and stomping a highly ranked team into the ground, our returning talent, etc...

 

[utvolpj]

Sure. Ergo recognition for the potential.

But it's a big jump from that to Top Ten. Without wins over an Alabama or a Florida or an LSU or the like, it's still just potential.

UT ended the season beating the #13 team by 39 points and is returning all the important parts. Thinking they deserve to be 3 spots above that isn't a stretch

 

[ReaderVol]

Sure. Ergo recognition for the potential.

But it's a big jump from that to Top Ten. Without wins over an Alabama or a Florida or an LSU or the like, it's still just potential.

Again, what the hell are you talking about? UGA has been more relevant than UF over the past 5 years. We also beat curb stomped a high ranked team in our bowl game and beat a high ranked South Carolina.

 

[Orangedogsrule]

Actually, it's a horrible argument. I'm fine saying that the Vols don't deserve a spot in the top 10 because he doesn't believe we're as talented as 10+ teams out there. But what does the past decade have to do with the 2016 preseason ranking? It shouldn't have ANYTHING to do with it. We're in the top 10 because we have 19 returning starters, including some really elite talent, from a team that looked really good the last time anyone saw them. I don't know if we're really a top 10 team or not, but saying we can't, or shouldn't be, because we haven't had a good last 10 years is just bad logic.

IMHO, for Div1 preseason rankings, only the last 3 years can be considered significant contributors. Freshmen have yet to play a down and changes in staff also contribute. The idea that the swamplizzahrds's pride in their string & etc. contributes to our defeats does indeed factor, but not near so much as players on the field and their coaches.

But, I do agree, that based on our last three years, we shouldn't be preseason top 10. Somewhere between 25 & 15, but it's not as if we've been there done that the last three years.

 

[barrylee]

I think this is just a reflection of the skepticism out there about whether the experience factor is really going to translate into W's. In years past, to make the leap from 7-5 also ran to 10 or 11 win top ten program, there's usually been a win or two over a big time opponent. Tennessee is missing that, so I think it's natural that people respect the potential of the Vols, but need to see that result on the field before committing.

What do you Gators do, peruse all the news every morning to see if there is an anti Vol article and then race to Volnation to spew your drivel?

Article is barely out and on the first page of posts, two of the responders are Gators! Don't you guys have a place to share your thoughts with other folks of your ilk??

 

[#1ManningFan]

Isn't this guy the UT beat writer? Well he's pumping the brakes awful hard.



Tennessee Football: Vols Have No Right to be in Any Top 10

Jesus f-ing Christ. So many ppl want to harp on the last decade like UT will stink forever! It's ignorant of them to think a team cannot improve. Which is all that Butch has done since coming to UT. Improved in the win column each season by 2 games and have won back 2 back bowl games in sounding fashion. Oh and the recruiting is back to the standard we all expect. The only way to shut the haters up is by WINNING.

 

[wildorange]

You don't base polls on last season, they are based on what is expected this year. Again, this is only the first poll. It really doesn't mean much at all, you still have to do it on the field. GO BIG ORANGE!!!!

 

[LordBolton]

It is far more accurate to say Ohio State shouldn't be #5. You can always knock 7-8 spots off them and Michigan to get their true ranking. So many sportswriters have hyped those teams for decades (Notre Dame too). In 1997 they went so far as to split Nebraska's title with Michigan. Tennessee would have stomped Michigan that year, and Nebraska made us look like a bunch of little girls. They would have made Michigan look twice as bad.

 

[Iam4utalways]

Jesus f-ing Christ. So many ppl want to harp on the last decade like UT will stink forever! It's ignorant of them to think a team cannot improve. Which is all that Butch has done since coming to UT. Improved in the win column each season by 2 games and have won back 2 back bowl games in sounding fashion. Oh and the recruiting is back to the standard we all expect. The only way to shut the haters up is by WINNING.

I agree. But, winning will not shut up the haters. Fans will trash talk and some players will too. Gators should be happy to lose to a top 10 team. There are no good loses but to lose to a scrub team is worse than losing to a good team. That's why it hurt so much to lose to the gators, it's just embarrassing.

 

[Smokey'sHandler]

Isn't this guy the UT beat writer? Well he's pumping the brakes awful hard.



Tennessee Football: Vols Have No Right to be in Any Top 10

I didn't realize a prerequisite for this years Top 10 ranking was you had to be ranked and strong for the last several years. I get it now so that's why Georgia has always been picked to finish in the Top 10 since they finished with 10 wins two years ago. The rankings are based off of the current team. The current team has by far a Top 10 roster in talent + depth, a favorable schedule where they are favorites in all contests except for 1 and has been picked to win the East by a large margin. To me this screams at minimum Top 15. But yeah based off them not making a bowl game 3 years ago, only 7 wins two years ago and obliterating an "overrated" top 15 team in our bowl game that wound up in the final polls higher than us even though we spanked them it may only get us Top 25 at best.

 

[VFL-82-JP]

Writer spends way too much time looking in the rear view mirror. Pre-season polls are about the future, not the past.

Plenty of people can't imagine a a future any different from their own personal recent past. Those people are the ones who get mowed over by evolution in the long term.

 

[butchna]

What do you Gators do, peruse all the news every morning to see if there is an anti Vol article and then race to Volnation to spew your drivel?

Article is barely out and on the first page of posts, two of the responders are Gators! Don't you guys have a place to share your thoughts with other folks of your ilk??

They want the reaction they get ON HERE. . Quit responding and they'll ramp it up before giving up.

 

[millst987]

Who cares what anyone thinks. We just need to beat the piss out of the gators and everyone will shutup. We have to get that monkey off our back, no excuses for the last two years. Just get it done or people will continue to say that we can't "get over the hump" and become a national power again.

 

[Sackett]

He seems to have a fascination with the number 10. Everything he writes is a look at 10 players who.... or 10 stats that.... or 10 teams that....

 

[Biopsyman]

The only rankings matters is what we think

 

[VFL-82-JP]

Who cares what anyone thinks. We just need to beat the piss out of the gators and everyone will shutup. We have to get that monkey off our back, no excuses for the last two years. Just get it done or people will continue to say that we can't "get over the hump" and become a national power again.

Mills, dude. There is a huge amount of irony in saying, "who cares what anyone thinks" in a message board.

Message boards are all about nothing BUT caring what others think (reading) and hoping that others care what you think (writing). There is literally nothing else to the forums BUT that.

Well, and Freak making a bit of $$ off the ads.

 

[Crazy Ivan]

I think this is just a reflection of the skepticism out there about whether the experience factor is really going to translate into W's. In years past, to make the leap from 7-5 also ran to 10 or 11 win top ten program, there's usually been a win or two over a big time opponent. Tennessee is missing that, so I think it's natural that people respect the potential of the Vols, but need to see that result on the field before committing.

I get what you are saying, except in this case it wouldn't be a leap from 7-5 to a Top 10 team. That suggests a 1-season turnaround, which is not the case here. It's been 7-6 to 9-4 to preseason Top 10.

FTR, I don't know if UT is a Top 10 this season or not. What I do know is that they were 3-4 plays from being a playoff team last season, and that team, which lost very little talent, is one year more experienced, has had one more year in the S&C program, has had one more offseason to develop chemistry, has made a major upgrade at the DC. (which cost us at least 2 games last season, IMO)

But I really don't care if we start Top 10 or not. We won't know if we are a Top 10 contender or pretender until the UF game.

 

[Tin Man]

This guy is a dweeb. His opinion doesn't matter.

Beat writer? Wearing the wrong tie...

 

[ReaderVol]

IMHO, for Div1 preseason rankings, only the last 3 years can be considered significant contributors. Freshmen have yet to play a down and changes in staff also contribute. The idea that the swamplizzahrds's pride in their string & etc. contributes to our defeats does indeed factor, but not near so much as players on the field and their coaches.

But, I do agree, that based on our last three years, we shouldn't be preseason top 10. Somewhere between 25 & 15, but it's not as if we've been there done that the last three years.

The last 3 seasons UT has increased win by 2 per season. If that trend continues that will make us an 11 win team. Teams in the SEC with 11 wins wind up in the top ten.

 

[onevol74]

The dude is referencing the past too much.

UT isn't a top 10 team, but neither is Notre Dame, Houston, Ole Miss and for SURE not LSU. Why isn't he harping on LSU? That is a joke.

How is UT different from an over rated Michigan team that plays in a weak conference?

 

[WallyBalls]

I think this is just a reflection of the skepticism out there about whether the experience factor is really going to translate into W's. In years past, to make the leap from 7-5 also ran to 10 or 11 win top ten program, there's usually been a win or two over a big time opponent. Tennessee is missing that, so I think it's natural that people respect the potential of the Vols, but need to see that result on the field before committing.

If it were a national writer, I'd agree with you.

That said, this smells like whipping the reds into a frenzy to get dem clicks.