Caesars sets Vols Over/Under win total for 2020 at 7.5

#26
#26
BigOrangeMojo said:
I'm going to take the under. I think we will go 7-5 and win the bowl game (Liberty) to get to 8-5. I think we will be very competitive in 3 of the 4 big games (OU, UF, Bama, and UGA) but will come up a bit short. I think we are still challenged enough offensively that we will lose a game we shouldn't (picking USCe).

Until the struggles at the beginning and ending of halves are fixed and the red zone issues are fixed, I don't feel overly confident in anything more than 8 regular season wins...
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UT will be better on O if the OL is as good as it should be. If it is not as good as it should be... Pruitt may be in trouble sooner than most think.

I am worried about one position falling short. QB. If UT solves that problem then there's no reason the Vols cannot take a serious step forward this fall.
 
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#28
#28
sjt18 said:
UT will be better on O if the OL is as good as it should be. If it is not as good as it should be... Pruitt may be in trouble sooner than most think.

I am worried about one position falling short. QB. If UT solves that problem then there's no reason the Vols cannot take a serious step forward this fall.
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Here are the concerns I see:

Red Zone was atrocious last year. It was worse than Butch's 0-8 team and Butch was awful in the RZ.

Consistent struggles at the beginning and end of halves.

Concerned about WR/TE. Don't see high end talent from returning players and incoming freshmen are still freshmen

Can we generate enough pass rush to go from a good defensive to an elite defense?

QB Play - Either this team will have to rely on a true freshmen to win at OU, at UGA, and against Bama and UF or it will have to rely on JG. That's a tough spot for a true freshman to win and while I'm not as down on JG as many, I don't know if he's good enough to beat an elite team especially with some of the issues at WR/TE.
 
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#29
#29
Here is my early prediction:

Charlotte - W
at Oklahoma - L
Furman - W
Florida - W
Missouri - W
at South Carolina - W
OFF
Alabama - L
at Arkansas - W
Kentucky - W
at Georgia - L
Troy - W
at Vanderbilt - W

9 wins, 3 losses

5-1 going into Bama game will be fun.
 
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#30
#30
Man, I hope you are right about that win over Florida. There is nothing I love more than beating Florida.
 
#32
#32
The LV over/under line is designed to get bets equally on both sides. LV makes the most money they way. Would not necessarily take this as a refection on how good or bad TN is going to be as it is all about what line number will get equal bets. Its just business for them.
 
#33
#33
Tennesseefan2019 said:
My predictions on how many games the teams of the SEC will win in 2020

SEC East

Georgia 10-2
Florida 9-3
Tennessee 9-3
Kentucky 7-5
Missouri 5-7
South Carolina 4-8
Vanderbilt 2-10

SEC West

LSU 11-1
Alabama 11-1
Texas A&M 10-2
Auburn 8-4
Mississippi State 8-4
Ole Miss 6-6
Arkansas 3-9
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#34
#34
Hawkeye4588 said:
I agree with you on all except LSU. Like RockyTopTexas stated, LSU has lost too much to get that many wins. I bet they finish 3rd or 4th in the West, depending on what Jimbo is cooking in College Station.
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Jimbo better be cooking something up special with that paycheck he's collecting.
 
#41
#41
Probably right. I could see 7 wins, no more than 8 (unless another QB shows up and shows out. Love JG, tough as nails, but I think he is what he is at this point. Would love to be wrong).
 
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#42
#42
goldvol said:
I did an earlier analysis on the upcoming season schedule. Long story short, next season scheduling wise is about the best we could hope for. The 4 big games, Alabama, Georgia, Florida, and Oklahoma are all spread out with easier games or byes ahead of them. Also, we get Arkansas from the west while Georgia and Florida have tougher west schedules for once. Since we play Georgia in November, we will still be mathematically alive for the SEC east at the point. I'm not saying take the over, but if we just win 7, Pruitt will have lost the fanbase.
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I don't agree with this statement, because 7 is the most likely scenario.
 
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#47
#47
BigOrangeMojo said:
Here are the concerns I see:

Red Zone was atrocious last year. It was worse than Butch's 0-8 team and Butch was awful in the RZ.

Consistent struggles at the beginning and end of halves.
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I honestly think these go back to the QB position. Specifically the inability to make quick decisions and deliver the ball on time in compressed space. The OL can help with that by making the run game more of a threat but little else can compensate. Play calling can't overcome it. WR play can't overcome it. It is one place the QB has to have particular skills or else the O can't succeed.

Concerned about WR/TE. Don't see high end talent from returning players and incoming freshmen are still freshmen
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Compared to past groups over the years... I don't share that concern. I don't know that it is a "great" group. But it is better than some past groups who had a lot of passing success. Ainge had great success with a particularly untalented receiver group in 2007. Bray averaged almost 300 ypg in 2011 throwing to a group that IMO is not nearly as deep or talented as the current group.

The right QB can have success with these guys.

Can we generate enough pass rush to go from a good defensive to an elite defense?
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Valid question but Pruitt has "schemed" pressure for his first two years. UT had a lot of sacks in spite of not having what you might think of as an elite pass rushing DL. If you think back to those really good Bama D's though... they had the same model. They got push from their down DL's but the focus was to maintain lanes and push the pocket rather than getting sacks or hits.

QB Play - Either this team will have to rely on a true freshmen to win at OU, at UGA, and against Bama and UF or it will have to rely on JG. That's a tough spot for a true freshman to win and while I'm not as down on JG as many, I don't know if he's good enough to beat an elite team especially with some of the issues at WR/TE.
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Disagree with your either/or but not with the conclusion that this program is one upper SEC tier QB away from competing.

I think both Maurer and Shrout have the talent to beat out JG and perform at a high level. Both need to manage the O better. Both need to eliminate mistakes. But there is more than enough talent in both of them to be what UT needs. Bailey will make a lot of mistakes and will limit the O as well. Probably more than either of the guys who will have had experience and time in an SEC program.

The one we probably "know" is JG. His limitations are what they are. He's worked hard. He has toughness. He's really done all anyone could ask him to do. But it seems he lacks the innate ability to read a D... to "see it" before it happens... and then anticipate throws. He probably took a step back in accuracy last year trying to overcome that limitation... unsuccessfully. I think the chances are slim he can fix that. It relates to innate ability just like being able to throw a ball 70 yards does.
 
#49
#49
If itā€™s anything less than 8-4 itā€™s going to get ugly around here.
 
#50
#50
Volsfaninva917 said:
Depends on how much JG has improved, based off of recent years I'm going to say under. He's going to start and Pruitt already seems married to the guy so I don't expect that to change
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I just hope we get to HAVE football this year. However my stomach turns just thinking about another season with #2 behind center!
 
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