Ranking 15 Teams Capable of Winning 2017/2018 National Championship

We are a 8 win program ...we are a average football program....

p.s. And this is demonstrably false. Those two statements do not belong together.

An absolutely "average" division I team would win about 6.25 games per year (6 of 12 regular season, get to a bowl half the time, and win the bowl half the time...half of half is .25, so add a quarter-win per season on average).

And that's only in the past decade, since the NCAA allowed teams to schedule 12 regular season games a year.

Before that, and throughout most of college football history, "average" would probably be in the 5 to 5.5 range, give or take.

The very best programs are "nine-win" programs over time (see earlier post) ... the very worst are probably "two-win" or "three-win" over time ... that's how the math plays out.

So to say we're an 8-win program is actually very flattering (and true), and means that we're right up there with the best in college football.

So let's expect more, not less.
 
You might as well argue that a cheeseburger with tomato on it is the same as a pepperoni pizza because both are made with bread, meat, cheese and tomato.

You made the statement that we could have just as easily gone 11-1 as 6-6. The outcome of two plays in two different games was the difference in 8-4 and 6-6. For us to have gone 11-1 it would have taken literally dozens and dozens of plays to have different outcomes. Your statement is demonstrably false.

Once again. Those are the specific criteria that you used to make your argument. Doesn't make either of those wins or any of those losses any more or less probable than if somebody else's criteria was used to determine what was a fluke and what wasn't. It just boils down to me choosing to see the same glass as you, as half full. And considering we are talking about our favorite team, I would think the more optimistic outlook would be more beneficial. But to each his own.
 
Once again. Those are the specific criteria that you used to make your argument. Doesn't make either of those wins or any of those losses any more or less probable than if somebody else's criteria was used to determine what was a fluke and what wasn't. It just boils down to me choosing to see the same glass as you, as half full. And considering we are talking about our favorite team, I would think the more optimistic outlook would be more beneficial. But to each his own.

Also known as math and logic.:good!:
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 person
Blind optimism would surely be better for the health of the program, than the rampant unnecessary pessimism. I don't have a problem with people being angry about last season's results. But too many people paint everything in a negative light, when they could just as easily see the same thing positively. This type of behavior from "fans" have nothing but a negative impact on Tennessee Football.

Many fans don't think Social media has any impact on the performance in the field.

Some have even said even if it is a negative impact it's the players and coaches fault for allowing it to be a factor due to their weakness.

On top of that some have said if it does hurt, too bad they would still be negative.

I hope they are right about Volnation being irrelevant. So much Negabombing.
 
Last edited:
You might as well argue that a cheeseburger with tomato on it is the same as a pepperoni pizza because both are made with bread, meat, cheese and tomato.

You made the statement that we could have just as easily gone 11-1 as 6-6. The outcome of two plays in two different games was the difference in 8-4 and 6-6. For us to have gone 11-1 it would have taken literally dozens and dozens of plays to have different outcomes. Your statement is demonstrably false.

One play for each of 3 of our losses in theory could change the score to a win.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 person
One play for each of 3 of our losses in theory could change the score to a win.

Even if there were 3 individual plays whose outcome would have changed 3 losses into wins the way that the fumble recovery and the hail mary catch put App State and Georgia games into the W column, 3>2.
 
Last edited:
Even if there were 3 individual plays whose outcome would have changed 3 losses into wins the way that the fumble recovery and the hail mary catch put App State and Georgia games into the W column, 3>2.

Its why you never slow down.....
 

Attachments

  • DGlFPROMGWoMM.gif
    DGlFPROMGWoMM.gif
    777.7 KB · Views: 52
Even if there were 3 individual plays whose outcome would have changed 3 losses into wins the way that the fumble recovery and the hail mary catch put App State and Georgia games into the W column, 3>2.

If just 3 more breaks would have gone our way 11-1 would have been the result. Don't take away the ones that actually went our way.
 
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.

The lack of reasoning in the above word garble is astounding.

USC and Vandy beat us straight up. There was no more of a fluke result than what happened at UGA.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 4 people
If just 3 more breaks would have gone our way 11-1 would have been the result. Don't take away the ones that actually went our way.

Which 3 breaks in which 3 games would have immediately resulted in us winning the game the way the fumble recovery and the hail Mary catch did for in the App State and Georgia games respectively?
 
Media covering all bases... we're #15 ranked team capable of winning the national championship, but are also predicted to be in Liberty Bowl, and Butch is ranked #52 coach and on the "hottest of seats". Personally, I'm ready for team 121 to "open up a can" on everyone, and we'll have media nay-sayers jumping on the VN band wagon.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 person
Which 3 breaks in which 3 games would have immediately resulted in us winning the game the way the fumble recovery and the hail Mary catch did for in the App State and Georgia games respectively?

Only one would have been immediate. In the 1st OT against A&M all we needed after getting our points was a turnover.

The other 2 were more flukish plays than that.
 
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.

Wow, I'm guessing you didn't watch the games or you would probably remember that one of A&M's TDs came on a very short field due to Berry fumbling on a BLATANT targeting hit. Officials flat out missed the call.
Then how about SCAR's 1st TD where replay clearly showed UT stripping the ball before it crossed the goal line and being recovered by a Vol. Again the officials refuse to review the play. 2 calls missed that resulted in 2 TDs against us in losses that would have been wins if they didn't happen.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 person
They still aren't even remotely the same. The win over App State ended up being solely decided by whichever team recovered the fumble. If App State recovered it they won, game over, luckily we did. Same with the Georgia game, if Georgia intercepts or breaks up the pass on the hail Mary, they win game over, luckily we did.

There were no instances of situations that are like those two, in any other game in 2016.

What are you talking about? Dobbs fumbled on the 1st possession of OT. If App State recovered it then it would have just ended the possession, not given them a TD. Or are you convinced their kicker, who had already missed an extra point and 2 kicks was going to be able to hit a 30+ yd field goal with even more pressure?
 
http://newarena.com/ncaaf/ranking-1..._source=fb_ae&utm_medium=fb-ytop&utm_term=SDS

15. Tennessee

USATSI_9966146.jpg
This could be a make-or-break year for Butch Jones. The Vols have yet to win 10 games during the Jones era — even though UT routinely ranks amongst the best in the nation annually when it comes to recruiting.
The overall amount of talent on this squad is perhaps the best of any school in the conference not named Alabama. In any case, Tennessee hasn’t won 10 games in a season since 2007. The quarterback position is an on-going battle between Quinten Dormady and Jarrett Guarantano (with the former potentially holding a slight edge). Should Tennessee not win the SEC East this season, it could signal the end of the Jones tenure.

I don't believe bunch has to win the East to keep his job but a 7 win season would mean a very hot seat for him in 2018.

7-9 wins is the ceiling for Lyle
 
Win the east....

I still say the problem is: you can win the east with one east loss, The East,,, add to that a loss to a west team (say bama) now you have to losses to consider to win the east, hardly ever does anyone face this challenge year in year out (like us),,, you could win every east game and still lose the east (say bama and Lsu or Alburn or TA&M).

What I'm saying is why have east and west divisions if total east and west games figure into who wins the east? (or for that matter the west). Only games played within the division should figure into the division winner....

Exactly!

TN: @bama, LSU (arguably 2 best teams in SEC), @FL, GA (H) ... 4 toughest SEC Games!
FL: LSU (H), aTm (H), TN (H), GA (Jax)
GA: MissSt (H), @Aub, @TN, FL (Jax)
 
Last edited:
Wow, I'm guessing you didn't watch the games or you would probably remember that one of A&M's TDs came on a very short field due to Berry fumbling on a BLATANT targeting hit. Officials flat out missed the call.
Then how about SCAR's 1st TD where replay clearly showed UT stripping the ball before it crossed the goal line and being recovered by a Vol. Again the officials refuse to review the play. 2 calls missed that resulted in 2 TDs against us in losses that would have been wins if they didn't happen.

So you are likening those two plays to the fumble recovery, and the hail mary, in that won use the App State and Georgia games. Considering how much game was left to play, it's not a logical comparison. If we didn't recover the fumble, App State gets a chip shot field goal (see below before you get triggered), and if Georgia intercepts or breaks up the pass, they win. Those two scenarios are not anything like the "what if we didn't get this call in the 1st quarter against USCE, or what if we didn't fumble 7 times in the first quarter against A&M". Those two plays against App State, and Georgia, were 100% "luck" in our favor, otherwise, we would have been 6-6 had the opposing team been "lucky".

What are you talking about? Dobbs fumbled on the 1st possession of OT. If App State recovered it then it would have just ended the possession, not given them a TD. Or are you convinced their kicker, who had already missed an extra point and 2 kicks was going to be able to hit a 30+ yd field goal with even more pressure?

Yeah, I am banking on him hitting a 25 yard or less field goal, considering the for the year on FG attempts inside the 39 , he was 100% accurate.
 
What are you talking about? Dobbs fumbled on the 1st possession of OT. If App State recovered it then it would have just ended the possession, not given them a TD. Or are you convinced their kicker, who had already missed an extra point and 2 kicks was going to be able to hit a 30+ yd field goal with even more pressure?

UT would have backed them up to the 35 on D only to give up a 52 yrd winner.

The Tennessee Way.
 
Wow, I'm guessing you didn't watch the games or you would probably remember that one of A&M's TDs came on a very short field due to Berry fumbling on a BLATANT targeting hit. Officials flat out missed the call.
Then how about SCAR's 1st TD where replay clearly showed UT stripping the ball before it crossed the goal line and being recovered by a Vol. Again the officials refuse to review the play. 2 calls missed that resulted in 2 TDs against us in losses that would have been wins if they didn't happen.

Exactly. It's either the schedule or the stripes.

#usagainsttheuniverse
 
Advertisement



Back
Top