For fun. If Johnny Majors had remained coach would he have won a NC?

#28
#28
1985volunteer said:
I’m going to answer your question with a question (don’t you hate it when people do that?). Do you think Coach Majors would have promoted Coach Cutcliffe from QB coach to OC? If so I suspect JM would have won a national championship. If not, I’d say unlikely.
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Agreed, Cut brings in Peyton who brings in elite talent for several years that push Tennessee to the top.
 
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#29
#29
1998 if Johnny Majors was the head coach in my opinion

9-2 and 6-2 in the SEC

Syracuse W
Florida L
Houston W
Auburn W
Georgia W
Alabama W
South Carolina W
UAB W
Arkansas L
Kentucky W
Vanderbilt W

Citrus Bowl
9-2 Tennessee vs 9-3 Michigan
 
#30
#30
Majors was a good coach but I think he got a little complacent just like Fulmer did and that is what got him gone. The funny thing is that the same thing got both of them fired, the fact that comfort set in and they forgot what got them there.
 
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#32
#32
GregAmsler said:
If Majors had stayed, Fulmer goes to Clemson. He takes Cutcliffe with him and possibly a few others.
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If Fulmer leaves, I don't think Cutcliffe goes with him; instead he's promoted to OC here. That's why I think we win a national title regardless. Cut still brings in Manning and Tee Martin.

Majors did pretty well in the late 80's, but Shuler was his first elite QB (and Majors was fired when Shuler was a Sophomore). Majors could've won a title with our QB talent in the 90's.

The trickier scenario is actually "what if Fulmer never got a head coaching offer"? Does Cut go elsewhere as OC? That scenario would've been more problematic because we might not end up with Manning.
 
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#33
#33
greenwheel said:
Wonder how things would have been different if Majors had replaced Doug Dickey instead of Bill Battle getting promoted.
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I think sometimes about what if Johnny Majors or Barry Switzer had been hired as Tennessee head football coach in January 1970 instead of Bill Battle. Barry Switzer wanted the job and talked to Bob Woodruff about it according to what was said in his book "Bootlegger's Boy". Two more interesting what ifs to me are what if Tennessee grad and then Florida head coach Ray Graves was hired as Tennessee head football coach in December 1963 and Tennessee grad and Georgia Tech head football coach Bobby Dodd was hired as Tennessee head football coach in December 1954.
 
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#37
#37
He was on the verge of winning them from 89 to 91.

1 loss in 1989 to top 10 Bama.

2 ties to top 10 teams in 1990.

2 losses by 8 points total to top 10 teams 1990.

3 losses all to top 10 teams in 1991.

Gotta think if he hadn't been taken out at the knees in 1992 and a little better QB play, he would have broken through at some point.
 
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#42
#42
No, he was still quick kicking on 3rd down. The game had passed him by just like it did Fulmer shortly after 2000.
 
#45
#45
GregAmsler said:
I suspect yes.

If Majors had stayed, Fulmer goes to Clemson. He takes Cutcliffe with him and possibly a few others.

But one thing that Majors could do that Fulmer could not...he recognized great assistant coaching talent and brought them on board. He'd have replaced those guys with other good coaches. And the new blood might've been good.

Getting Heath Shuler was huge. It led to Tennessee signing more top rated QBs. If Fulmer leaves and Shuler still has a great 1993, I think Tennessee would have continued to sign top notch QBs. Shuler always credited Majors with being the reason he signed with Tennessee.

The variables are:

1) Would Majors have broken the Bama curse? I suspect so, since Bama went downhill.
2) Would Majors have still brought in top talent like Fulmer did? That would have been tough, but recruiting was on an upward trend. The young talent Fulmer inherited was better than any other during the Majors era. I supsect the answer to this question depends largely on who Majors hired as assistants after Fulmer and Cutcliffe left.
3) Would Majors have settled for a DC like Chavis and a DB coach like Slade? I'm guessing no. The programs would probably have better defensive coaching.
4) Would Majors have the Spurrier hangup like Fulmer did? I don't think so. Majors personality wasn't the type to be intimidated by a Spurrier like Fulmer seemed to be (and it bled down to players). Doesn't mean he wouldn't have still lost a few to Spurrier, but I don't think Majors teams were going to play uptight and beat themselves against Florida like Fulmer teams so often did.

So I think Majors would have continued the upward trajectory and won a Natty. And he might not have blown as many other opportunities to win the SEC as Fulmer did because of his Spurrier hangup. But who knows.
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You mean East Carolina. Clemson didn't offer Fulmer. There were rumors about Clemson
 
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#46
#46
DiderotsGhost said:
If Fulmer leaves, I don't think Cutcliffe goes with him; instead he's promoted to OC here. That's why I think we win a national title regardless. Cut still brings in Manning and Tee Martin.

Majors did pretty well in the late 80's, but Shuler was his first elite QB (and Majors was fired when Shuler was a Sophomore). Majors could've won a title with our QB talent in the 90's.

The trickier scenario is actually "what if Fulmer never got a head coaching offer"? Does Cut go elsewhere as OC? That scenario would've been more problematic because we might not end up with Manning.
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Robinson was an elite QB. So was Cockrell
 
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