Ranking 15 Teams Capable of Winning 2017/2018 National Championship

[savannahfan]

(ATL)Georgia Tech
‎Indiana St.
@Florida
UMass
Bye Week
Georgia
South Carolina
@Alabama
@Kentucky
Southern Miss
@Missouri
LSU
‎Vanderbilt

I only have 3 "Gimmies" in bold.

Your 4th slot should maybe be in bold. Should win that one.

More serious.. "bye week" may be a real winner, could allow much needed time to lick wounds and fix some things going into a hard stretch run.

 

[The Artful Dodger]

Hilarious. We beat UGA on a hail Mary, but to people like you, the fluke was losing to USC and Vandy.

Butch is certainly lucky to have people like you hanging on.

Anytime Tennessee loses to those two teams it is a fluke, because those two teams will probably never has as much talent as UT. We are always gonna have close games with UF and UGA, so close that some will come down to the last play. I'm glad the majority of our fanbase doesn't hold your pessimistic view. When you see a close UF and UGA win and call those more of a fluke then losing to two sup-par programs like Vandy and USCe, then you are just trying to find the negative.

 

[EricberryFAN]

According to you only 3 gimmies that leaves 9 toss ups.

I put Ky, mo, SC, Vandy and GT as should wins(gimmie).

Fl, Ga, bama, LSU as toss ups.

10 wins is a solid year, unless it gets us to the playoffs, then it could end up great.

Unless you have great, greater and greatest grades to give out.

I won't consider 10 wins and not making the SECCG as a great year.

After losing to Vandy, the Ohio game wasn't easy either, and almost losing to App. State in the beginning of the season like another poster pointed out? We lost to one of your "gimmie" teams last year in South Carolina.

So, we lost to two of your "gimmie" teams last season in Vandy and South Carolina. We should of won them last year with all that talent and not so many questions.

Yes, 9 toss ups without knowing what this team is going to look like with so many questions on offense.

Although, I do agree that we should have and should always win those games. I don't think you can call any SEC team a "Gemmi" if you look at the facts of the recent past. JMO

 

[1725gatorhater]

(1) We'll go 11-1 in the regular season winning the SEC East.

(2) We'll win the SEC championship game against Alabama avenging an earlier loss.

(3) We'll beat Ohio State for the national

championship.

If you truly believe that then someone put something in your brownies.

 

[The Artful Dodger]

Fluke: unlikely chance occurrence, especially a surprising piece of luck.

The App State game going into overtime, wasn't so much a fluke as it was a predictor for the 2016 season as a whole, that saw us struggling against nearly every team on the schedule. We didn't have a single regular season game save TN Tech, where we didn't come out and look unprepared and undisciplined for 2 or more quarters.

The fluke, as you put it, is that we ended up 8-4 instead of 6-6 in the regular season. Because that end zone fumble recovery against App State, and the Hail Mary catch from Jennings were about as lucky a break as a team can get.

By that same logic we were just as close to an 11-1 season, as we were to 6-6. Some people just choose to look at the positive side of that equation, and it would benefit the program as a whole if more fans chose to be optimistic.

 

[1725gatorhater]

(ATL)Georgia Tech
‎Indiana St.
@Florida
UMass
Bye Week
Georgia
South Carolina
@Alabama
@Kentucky
Southern Miss
@Missouri
LSU
‎Vanderbilt

I only have 3 "Gimmies" in bold.

Your 4th slot should maybe be in bold. Should win that one.

More serious.. "bye week" may be a real winner, could allow much needed time to lick wounds and fix some things going into a hard stretch run

I would not take southern Miss lightly but we should take care of them.

 

[BeardedVol]

Anytime Tennessee loses to those two teams it is a fluke, because those two teams will probably never has as much talent as UT. We are always gonna have close games with UF and UGA, so close that some will come down to the last play. I'm glad the majority of our fanbase doesn't hold your pessimistic view. When you see a close UF and UGA win and call those more of a fluke then losing to two sup-par programs like Vandy and USCe, then you are just trying to find the negative.

Prior to CBJ's tenure, you could say that about Vanderbilt, the current 2-2 record transcends the historical "fluke" status.

As for USCe, during Fulmer's time you might call a USCe win a "fluke", but since 2004, not so much.

 

[VolLFN]

I think we will be much better prepared and disciplined by Sep 4th vs last season. I believe the injuries last season were a result of poor conditioning in the off season, along with soft coaching. We also had the Preston Williams, Jalen Hurd and Kongbo drama. I don't see that happening this year, and think we are going to have a strong season.

 

[The Artful Dodger]

How can anyone expect anything but disaster in 2017? We'll be breaking in a new QB, have less talent, and depth at a lot of positions is going to be slim to non-existent. Butch made some upgrades to the coaching staff, but lets not forget that he made a guy with no Offensive Coordinator experience our new OC. Expect more offensive struggles that will cost us games. From what I've seen, people are expecting UT to win 7 to 10 games this year, but lets not forget that Butch has a proven track record of http://www.volnation.com/forum/post...ebd41b702d00d71c21d4ec2fd12aba9underachieving and losing 2 or 3 games he shouldnt every year. So we'll probably win between 4 and 7 in reality. I'm guessing the Vols will go 4-8 or 5-7 in 2017. Shoot me :crazy:

Offensive struggles didn't cost us any games, except maaaaaybe USCe. Defensive injuries were the issue, and unless 9 out of 11 positions lose at least one starter again, the defense will improve. Jeez. All these negative posters conveniently leave out the fact that our entire defense minus Barnett and Vareen suffered attrition. The team was 5-0 and then they started letting teams score almost at will once those injuries started to pile up. Its was easy to see. -

 

[The Artful Dodger]

I know, but there's a good chance it might happen this year.

Tennessee didn't lose 8 games, with Dooley as coach, much less talent on the roster, and with playing Bama at #1 and LSU at #2. It's not gonna happen. Just stop man.

 

[The Artful Dodger]

Why? Because he stated facts?

No, because people like that choose to look at the negative side of the equation. The, "team could have easily gone 6-6 argument" is the best example of this. The team could have also gone 11-1, if it weren't for a mass unit on defense, after a 5-0 start. But they only want to try and make it a negative. That's why nobody takes them seriously.

 

[The Artful Dodger]

Prior to CBJ's tenure, you could say that about Vanderbilt, the current 2-2 record transcends the historical "fluke" status.

As for USCe, during Fulmer's time you might call a USCe win a "fluke", but since 2004, not so much.

Once again, you people pick and choose which time periods you want to try and push this negative BS. Anytime Tennessee loses to USCe or Vandy over the entire course of both programs is way more of a Fluke than close wins over UF and UGA.

 

[The Artful Dodger]

No, UT having a defensive breakdown wasn't a fluke last year. Go back and watch that play. Middle school players wouldn't have taken those angles.

But it was a fluke for UGA's defenders to have a breakdown and let JJ jump in front of them? Basically you are saying that their defensive breakdown wasn't a fluke because it happened at the end of the game.

 

[Iam4utalways]

After losing to Vandy, the Ohio game wasn't easy either, and almost losing to App. State in the beginning of the season like another poster pointed out. We lost to one of your "gimmie" teams last year in South Carolina.

So, we lost to two of your "gimmie" teams last season in Vandy and South Carolina. We should of won them last year with all that talent and not so many questions.

Yes, 9 toss ups without knowing what this team is going to look like with so many questions on offense.

Although I do agree that we should have won those games, I don't think you can call any SEC team a "Gemmi" if you look at the facts of the recent past. JMO

As a fan I think it's safe to call them gimmies.

As for the players they can't have that mindset at all, they have to prepare and execute the plan as if it gonna be a dogfight every game, because it is a dog fight every game.

Our talent is what makes them gimmies. What we do with the talent is on the team. If they want to goof off all off season and not put in the grind to get better, well we will get what we get.

 

[Iam4utalways]

But it was a fluke for UGA's defenders to have a breakdown and let JJ jump in front of them? Basically you are saying that their defensive breakdown wasn't a fluke because it happened at the end of the game.

Our Hail Mary was a well executed play that every body knew was coming but Ga was unable to stop.

Ga ran the wrong defense, they should have put pressure on Dobbs rather than rush three and try to make the play in the endzone. Poor coaching.

 

[BeardedVol]

By that same logic we were just as close to an 11-1 season, as we were to 6-6. Some people just choose to look at the positive side of that equation, and it would benefit the program as a whole if more fans chose to be optimistic.

Please, do elaborate. In both the App State, and Georgia games, our opponent held the lead for the majority of the game, and we won of off an end zone fumble recovery and a hail mary. Which other 2016 games fit that bill, and could have seen us go to 11-1?

 

[BeardedVol]

Our Hail Mary was a well executed play that every body knew was coming but Ga was unable to stop.

Ga ran the wrong defense, they should have put pressure on Dobbs rather than rush three and try to make the play in the endzone. Poor coaching.

Data compiled between 2005-2013 show that A Hail Mary pass was intercepted on 19% of all attempts, which is nearly 8 times more frequent than a Hail Mary touchdown. Overall that data showed taking Hail Mary passes from all distances have a 2.5% success rate. From the distance Dobbs was throwing, the 51 yard line, 1 of the 71 attempts in that range ended in a touchdown. That's a 1.4% success rate.

Trying to play off that hail mary as some sort of tactical play call from Butch, rather than the right call that was very luckily caught, is a far stretch of reality.

 

[Boca Vol]

But it was a fluke for UGA's defenders to have a breakdown and let JJ jump in front of them? Basically you are saying that their defensive breakdown wasn't a fluke because it happened at the end of the game.

It was certainly was bust on their behalf to let Jennings get in front of them just like it was a mistake for UT to let their receiver get behind them.

 

[Iam4utalways]

Please, do elaborate. In both the App State, and Georgia games, our opponent held the lead for the majority of the game, and we won of off an end zone fumble recovery and a hail mary. Which other 2016 games fit that bill, and could have seen us go to 11-1?

A&M, SC, and Vandy were winnable games.

At times we looked confused about how to play winning football. We need to run a drill on how to not fumble.

Maybe Rock will make them Beasts for on the field and CBJ can make Scholars and Gentlemen for off the field.

From Beast to Gentleman, that's a range.

I have to admit, the way the players have represented UT during press conferences is a plus.

I'm glad Rock is here, I honestly believe he will put an edge on our guys. They needed it.

JRM was the Gentleman.

JD was the scholar.

DB was the Beast.

 

[BeardedVol]

A&M, SC, and Vandy were winnable games.

So you are saying that A&M, USCe, and Vandy all won their respective games against UT on single plays the involved more luck than skill, after trailing in score for the majority of the game?

I don't recall that to be the case in any of those games, and as such, would make them nothing like our wins over App State or Georgia.

 

[The Artful Dodger]

Please, do elaborate. In both the App State, and Georgia games, our opponent held the lead for the majority of the game, and we won of off an end zone fumble recovery and a hail mary. Which other 2016 games fit that bill, and could have seen us go to 11-1?

Simple. Tennessee completes the comeback in OT over A&M and also beats two teams that they historically handle. Doesn't matter who leads most of the game, just who wins and all three of those games could have gone either way, just like Appy, UF, and UGA. It's easy to see if you don't take the negative out of every situation involving the current team.

 

[The Artful Dodger]

Our Hail Mary was a well executed play that every body knew was coming but Ga was unable to stop.

Ga ran the wrong defense, they should have put pressure on Dobbs rather than rush three and try to make the play in the endzone. Poor coaching.

I agree with you. I'm just trying to point out that UGA's hail mary is the same as ours. Defensive breakdown and good execution by the offense. It's short-sided to paint one as lucky and the other not.

 

[The Artful Dodger]

It was certainly was bust on their behalf to let Jennings get in front of them just like it was a mistake for UT to let their receiver get behind them.

Agreed. I was just trying to point out that both plays were successful because of defensive breakdowns and offensive execution. Some of these other posters were trying to paint UGA's bomb in a different light than Tennessee's TD and that was their reasoning behind why UT's was a fluke and Jawja's wasn't.

 

[BeardedVol]

Simple. Tennessee completes the comeback in OT over A&M and also beats two teams that they historically handle. Doesn't matter who leads most of the game, just who wins and all three of those games could have gone either way, just like Appy, UF, and UGA. It's easy to see if you don't take the negative out of every situation involving the current team.

I can see where you are going with the A&M game, but losing to A&M in OT due to poor execution, is not the same as winning against App State in OT off of a recovered end zone fumble. How you can equate the two is beyond me really.

As far as beating teams that we "historically handle", that's not been the case with USCe since the end of our 12 game winnings streak in 2004, and that's not been the case with Vandy during CBJ's tenure. Regardless, of those games were similar to the App State, nor the Georgia game, in which winning the game came down to a single play that relied more on luck than skill execute.

Given as such, there's no parity in how close we were to being 6-6, than to how close we were to being 11-1. It takes a phenomenal leap of logic, and a revisionist historical perspective on the season to even suggest as much.

 

[Iam4utalways]

So you are saying that A&M, USCe, and Vandy all won their respective games against UT on single plays the involved more luck than skill, after trailing in score for the majority of the game?

I don't recall that to be the case in any of those games, and as such, would make them nothing like our wins over App State or Georgia.

Fumbles are where luck shows up. We had a season littered with fumbles.