Hell yes 9 wins is going to be Tennessee's win total during the 2020 regular season
To win 9 in 2020 we must beat all the teams we are expected to beat:
1) Charlotte
2) Furman
3) Troy
4) Vandy
5) Arkansas - Sam Pitman ALMOST got this one moved to a 50/50 game....but they have a long way to go
And all the teams that could go either way:
6) Missouri - New Coach, don't know what to expect
7) South Carolina - It's still Muschamp
8) Kentucky - They recruited well and will have a reall QB next year.
And then one we are expected to lose:
Oklahoma
Florida
Bama
UGA
If we lose any game we are expected to win OR one of the 50/50 games then we have to go .500 in that group of 4.
It will be VERY hard to win 9, virtually impossible to win 10.
We will either be playing with JG as QB1 - Doesn't turn the ball over much, but isn't someone who can beat you with his arm on a consistent basis, Mauer who completes almost as many balls to the other team as he does to Tennessee OR a true freshman. None of those are confidence inspiring options.
We should be better at O Line. Our line was serviceable this year....but not great. Hopefully Morris, Carvin and Wright can continue to improve alongside Trey and Kennedy. If we can add the depth of Cade and Cooper Mays we should be better equipped to run the ball.
With our inconsistency at QB and losing Calloway, Jennings, Byrd, and Wood-Anderson...we are going to struggle to be better in the passing game.
Losing Taylor, Bituli will make it hard for our front 7 to be better and Warrior's departure will for sure be felt in the backfield.
I am saying all this to say that even if this team goes 7-5, 8-4 next year....it's not going to be reason for alarm. It will take several years for this program to get back to a point where we can even think about contending for the East. Pruitt has improved a lot as a head coach over the last two years, he has a fairly competent staff and is recruiting at a satisfactory level. But I feel like he is building a program which will be better for longer. Our last staff sold their souls o the devil for short term gains....and we all see where that landed us. Be patient and be realistic with your expectations. We are on our way back to relevancy....but we were so far gone....it's going to be a long road.