I read this bs on Vols247 and this is just asanine to me honestly..So some unknown previously ranked qb,a 2nd year head coach who didnt have a 3rd of the troubles Hype did but the guy whos returning ONE OF THE BEST offenses in college for year 2 isnt the favorite based on some dumbass transfer qb and tight end??It just really flippin amazes me how they will do anythung to discredit what were building over here i mean literally anythung
South Carolina Gamecocks
Georgia dominated the SEC in 2021 en route to its first national championship in over 40 years. While the Bulldogs are primed to make another run, the waters are rising all across the division. Truly, Tennessee and perennial dark horse Kentucky could take this spot, but South Carolina gets a slight edge thanks to the work it has done thus far to shore up its roster via the transfer portal. The Gamecocks landed quarterback Spencer Rattler and one of the best tight ends in the nation in Austin Stogner. They further improved their pass-catching situation, a desperate need without a clear-cut WR1, with the addition of James Madison wide receiver Antwane Wells. Defensively, they added NC State EDGE transfer Terrell Dawkins to what should be an already loaded front seven. Central Michigan safety transfer Devonni Reed will be an instant impact player on the back end.
It’s probably too early to say with conviction what teams are going to look like at the beginning of fall because so much can change so fast nowadays.
Missouri may end up with a QB which would be a really huge improvement for their team. They’re trying to get JT Daniels out of Georgia once he graduates this spring. I’ve seen it said that Missouri may be his best option. If he could stay healthy he might be a godsend for their program. They have other issues like needing to replace Tyler Badie at RB and Steve Wilks, their new DC they brought in last year, is gone. I think they promoted from within this time so I don’t know how that’s going to shake out. Missouri has some potential that may go overlooked.
Pittsburgh was one of our opponents last year who slowed down our run game which is the key to beating us. Their D-line was 3rd best in the nation last year vs their schedule according to football outsiders. They’re back so we’ll get a rematch. Last year in our game rushing yards were mostly Milton and Hooker because all of our running backs were injured. That last bit is why when following the recent chatter in the Eric Gray thread I just rolled my eyes at those who were saying we don’t need another RB. Pitt’s run game has sucked the last couple of years but it didn’t matter because Kenny Pickett. They brought in Slovis from USC to sort of replace Pickett. They also have a new OC this year. Narduzzi said earlier this week that their offense will be a much better running team this year. We’ll see.
South Carolina got a lot of attention for beating Florida, Auburn, and North Carolina, all in the back half of their season. I’m personally not as impressed as some because to some extent all those opponents were in disarray by the time they faced the gamecocks but it still counts in the wider world of CFB. Last year we took advantage of a green staff at South Carolina and a non-existent defense at Missouri. It counts. Kentucky was our best win last year. That’s not really going to impress a lot of people. Here’s the thing to watch with South Carolina. Their RBs are healthy right now and they’ve got some good ones BUT they don’t have an offensive line, at least they didn’t last year. Football Outsiders ranked their offensive line at #108 in 2021 and their defensive line at #125. It’s a line of scrimmage league, right? Flashy QBs can’t fix that. Just ask Jarrett Stidham about his expected Heisman season at Auburn in 2018. Finally, South Carolina’s talent level on paper is similar to ours. I’m not sold on their coaching staff yet but if they’re any good, South Carolina should be a much improved team this year – and most objective observers seem to be somewhat giving them the benefit of the doubt with caveats.
In conclusion, right now I would say I’m 85% confident we will beat all three of the above teams this year, and Kentucky too. Kentucky has a new OC and some other issues. We, of course, have our own issues which I’m 85% confident we’ll mostly have fixed or improved before we kick off the season.
I think Florida is the team to watch. They have the talent, better than the rest of us. Our offense went from ranked around number 10 thousand to top 10 in the nation last year. That’s not only impressive; it rarely ever happens. If Napier and his staff know what they’re doing Florida will be back and be back quick.
Alabama’s defense will return to glory in 2022 or it should but I think Georgia could be beatable, as crazy as that sounds. LSU has a really talented roster too. How quick can Kelly get them going is going to be the big question plus we’re going into DEATH VALLEY.
Reminder:: Bill Connelly's SP+ rankings on ESPN has us as the 9th best team in the nation coming into 2022 with the 3rd best offense and as of right now the 42nd best defense.
It should be a damn fun year for Tennessee football. I’m looking forward to it. jmo.