2018 Gazing Into My Crystal Ball

[DownNDirty]

Here's where I see us in 2018. For the first several games I give a typical Knoxville media question followed by what I interpret CJP's reaction will be:

September 1 - vs West Virginia (Charlotte) - WVU 34, Tennessee 21 (LOSS) - This is a game that I'm really torn on mostly because who the hell knows what West Virginia will do game-to-game. I do think that they score points though and this is CJP's first ever game as HFC. And it's in Charlotte..........I just see this game being one that we look decent in from time to time but ultimately just get outscored by a better Week 1 team.

Media: "Well coach, that was your first game as UT head coach and it didn't end like you had hoped. What will you take out of the loss?"

Pruitt: (Glaring at idiot) - "What will I take? Well, we got our ass beat so it appears we still have a lot of work to do. I'm not here to make excuses. We have to get better. I saw some soft players out there today and that will continue to be corrected through rigorous practice sessions. You don't feel good when you lose and there's no excuses when you lose. We just have to get better and that starts at the top with me."

September 8 - vs ETSU (Home) - UT 58, ETSU 10 (WIN)

Media: "Your first win as a head coach. How special is it to get that first one?"

Pruitt: (Glaring at idiot) - "I think today was a good opportunity for some of our younger players to get reps. I saw a lot of missed opportunities out there today though and know that we need to improve as a unit. ETSU has just had a football team for a couple of years and hats off to them for coming in here and playing hard. But I expected to see better execution out of our guys out there today and we didn't see that. As far as this one being special. Ask me that question again after we win a National Championship."

September 15 - vs UTEP (Home) - UT 62 UTEP 7 (WIN)

Media: "You are 2-1 on the season now getting ready for the Gators next weekend. What's this week going to be like heading into your first Florida week?"

Pruitt: (Glaring at idiot) - "This week will be like every other week. We'll watch film, practice hard, and prepare to fully execute. UTEP was 0-12 last year. I'm just happy we got a lot of the young guys reps again this week and the opportunity to be a little more rested for the Gators next weekend."

September 22 - vs Florida (Home) - UT 19, Florida 13 (WIN)

Media: "Coach, you were able to hold off the Gators late with a crucial goal line stand. What did you think of your teams execution down the stretch?"

Pruitt: (Glaring at idiot) - "I think today is just a testament for all of the practice and hard work the guys have put in this offseason buying into the system. We need some dogs out there and they stepped up big in this game. We limited Florida to less than 250 yards of total offense. The fans were loud and definitely made a difference at the end of the game."

September 29 - vs Georgia (Away) - UGA 24, UT 17 (LOSS)

Media: "Tough loss today coach. Georgia is undefeated on the year and you come up just short on the road against one of the toughest teams in the country. Even though this is a tough loss, does staying in the game for four quarters give you some positive outlook on the weeks ahead?"

Pruitt: (Glaring at idiot) - "WHAT? Positive outlook? Well, let's see Einstein. We lost our first SEC game of the season. I'm just tickled pink. What kind of.............ok, listen, there's nothing positive about losing. That may have been the culture before but that's just not good enough now. Close only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades. We just need to be ready for Auburn next week because this run of games isn't gonna get any easier."

October 13 - vs Auburn (Away) - Auburn 34, UT 13 (LOSS)

Media: "Coach........"

Pruitt: "SAVE IT. We got manhandled out there today and this is NOT what UT football is all about. I'm disgusted at the way we played today and there's no excuse for it.

October 20 - vs Alabama (Home) - Alabama 21, UT 19 (LOSS)

Media: "Coach, walk us through that missed field goal at the end of the game."

Pruitt: (Glares at idiot) - "Huh. Walk you through it? Well, he lined up a 53 yard field goal into the wind and had the leg for it and missed it just right. Can't blame him for that. It was a good effort on the kick we just needed to get a little closer. And before you start with this moral victory bullcrap there's no moral victories today. You go tell my guys with their head hanging down between their legs they got a moral victory out there today. We're worried about real victories not moral one's."

{I don't think all the rest of the games need blow-by-blows on Pruitt vs the media. It will be a very contentious relationship I'm sure. A LOT of the trumpet humper worshippers will HATE Pruitt just as soon as he gets a little sideways with the Knoxville media. He's not going to be a namby-pamby wimp about things and that's just not going to be good enough for a lot of people who become accustomed to the old regime . They will have to be conditioned to his "ways."}

October 27 - vs South Carolina (Away) - UT 38, USC-e 13 (WIN)

November 3 - vs Charlotte (Home) - UT 42, Charlotte 17 (WIN)

November 10 - vs Kentucky (Home) - UT 34, Kentucky 20 (WIN)

November 17 - vs Missouri (Home) - UT 17, Missouri 13 (WIN)

November 24 - vs Vanderbilt (Away) - UT 48, Vandy 21 (WIN)

We finish the 2018 season at 8-4 and win a decent bowl with positive momentum heading into 2019. We won't get killed by anyone (except a bigger loss to Auburn) and we will beat the teams we should beat. And we'll get close against Bama.

That's where I'm at. At least I think this coach has a chance of breaking through the glass ceiling. The trumpet humper couldn't break through a glass ceiling strapped to a 100,000 mph rocket.
​

 

[Pacer92]

I’ll take it...just like that!

 

[RDU VOL#14]

I like your optimism, but there is no way we smoke South Carolina on the road like that . I think it’s a winnable game, but our games with them seem like they are always down to the wire.

 

[Rudy123]

Here's where I see us in 2018. For the first several games I give a typical Knoxville media question followed by what I interpret CJP's reaction will be:

September 1 - vs West Virginia (Charlotte) - WVU 34, Tennessee 21 (LOSS) - This is a game that I'm really torn on mostly because who the hell knows what West Virginia will do game-to-game. I do think that they score points though and this is CJP's first ever game as HFC. And it's in Charlotte..........I just see this game being one that we look decent in from time to time but ultimately just get outscored by a better Week 1 team.​

​

Media: "Well coach, that was your first game as UT head coach and it didn't end like you had hoped. What will you take out of the loss?"​

​

Pruitt: (Glaring at idiot) - "What will I take? Well, we got our ass beat so it appears we still have a lot of work to do. I'm not here to make excuses. We have to get better. I saw some soft players out there today and that will continue to be corrected through rigorous practice sessions. You don't feel good when you lose and there's no excuses when you lose. We just have to get better and that starts at the top with me."​

​

September 8 - vs ETSU (Home) - UT 58, ETSU 10 (WIN)​

​

Media: "Your first win as a head coach. How special is it to get that first one?"​

​

Pruitt: (Glaring at idiot) - "I think today was a good opportunity for some of our younger players to get reps. I saw a lot of missed opportunities out there today though and know that we need to improve as a unit. ETSU has just had a football team for a couple of years and hats off to them for coming in here and playing hard. But I expected to see better execution out of our guys out there today and we didn't see that. As far as this one being special. Ask me that question again after we win a National Championship."​

​

September 15 - vs UTEP (Home) - UT 62 UTEP 7 (WIN)​

​

Media: "You are 2-1 on the season now getting ready for the Gators next weekend. What's this week going to be like heading into your first Florida week?"​

​

Pruitt: (Glaring at idiot) - "This week will be like every other week. We'll watch film, practice hard, and prepare to fully execute. UTEP was 0-12 last year. I'm just happy we got a lot of the young guys reps again this week and the opportunity to be a little more rested for the Gators next weekend."​

​

September 22 - vs Florida (Home) - UT 19, Florida 13 (WIN)​

​

Media: "Coach, you were able to hold off the Gators late with a crucial goal line stand. What did you think of your teams execution down the stretch?"​

​

Pruitt: (Glaring at idiot) - "I think today is just a testament for all of the practice and hard work the guys have put in this offseason buying into the system. We need some dogs out there and they stepped up big in this game. We limited Florida to less than 250 yards of total offense. The fans were loud and definitely made a difference at the end of the game."​

​

September 29 - vs Georgia (Away) - UGA 24, UT 17 (LOSS)​

​

Media: "Tough loss today coach. Georgia is undefeated on the year and you come up just short on the road against one of the toughest teams in the country. Even though this is a tough loss, does staying in the game for four quarters give you some positive outlook on the weeks ahead?"​

​

Pruitt: (Glaring at idiot) - "WHAT? Positive outlook? Well, let's see Einstein. We lost our first SEC game of the season. I'm just tickled pink. What kind of.............ok, listen, there's nothing positive about losing. That may have been the culture before but that's just not good enough now. Close only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades. We just need to be ready for Auburn next week because this run of games isn't gonna get any easier."​

​

October 13 - vs Auburn (Away) - Auburn 34, UT 13 (LOSS)​

​

Media: "Coach........"​

​

Pruitt: "SAVE IT. We got manhandled out there today and this is NOT what UT football is all about. I'm disgusted at the way we played today and there's no excuse for it.​

​

October 20 - vs Alabama (Home) - Alabama 21, UT 19 (LOSS)​

​

Media: "Coach, walk us through that missed field goal at the end of the game."​

​

Pruitt: (Glares at idiot) - "Huh. Walk you through it? Well, he lined up a 53 yard field goal into the wind and had the leg for it and missed it just right. Can't blame him for that. It was a good effort on the kick we just needed to get a little closer. And before you start with this moral victory bullcrap there's no moral victories today. You go tell my guys with their head hanging down between their legs they got a moral victory out there today. We're worried about real victories not moral one's."​

​

{I don't think all the rest of the games need blow-by-blows on Pruitt vs the media. It will be a very contentious relationship I'm sure. A LOT of the trumpet humper worshippers will HATE Pruitt just as soon as he gets a little sideways with the Knoxville media. He's not going to be a namby-pamby wimp about things and that's just not going to be good enough for a lot of people who become accustomed to the old regime . They will have to be conditioned to his "ways."}​

​

October 27 - vs South Carolina (Away) - UT 38, USC-e 13 (WIN)​

​

November 3 - vs Charlotte (Home) - UT 42, Charlotte 17 (WIN)​

​

November 10 - vs Kentucky (Home) - UT 34, Kentucky 20 (WIN)​

​

November 17 - vs Missouri (Home) - UT 17, Missouri 13 (WIN)​

​

November 24 - vs Vanderbilt (Away) - UT 48, Vandy 21 (WIN)​

​

We finish the 2018 season at 8-4 and win a decent bowl with positive momentum heading into 2019. We won't get killed by anyone (except a bigger loss to Auburn) and we will beat the teams we should beat. And we'll get close against Bama.​

​

That's where I'm at. At least I think this coach has a chance of breaking through the glass ceiling. The trumpet humper couldn't break through a glass ceiling strapped to a 100,000 mph rocket.​

​

I am not positive but I think you may have gotten the WVU prediction wrong. I can see us either winning the game or losing the game. As of now, I lean slightly more to us losing.
You got the Florida game prediction wrong. It is a close game, but we lose again on a stupid player mistake not a coaching mistake.
Yes, we lose to UGA but we lose by a bigger margin.
Yes, we lose to Alabama but by a larger margin.
We lose to Missouri. their q.b. is good and our db's can't slow him down enough for us to win.
We lose to USC. U.T. has never beaten Muschamp. This is not the year to change that.

End result: 5 - 7 record

 

[Vols410]

I like your optimism, but there is no way we smoke South Carolina on the road like that . I think it’s a winnable game, but our games with them seem like they are always down to the wire.

For optimism’s sake though, it is still college football. So often there’s a game that makes you go “what!?” Hopefully we pull out one or two of those.

 

[Glocker_Alum_2005]

Likely we can go bowling at 5-7 this year.

 

[Jack Burton]

For optimism’s sake though, it is still college football. So often there’s a game that makes you go “what!?” Hopefully we pull out one or two of those.

Let’s hope that “what!?” game isn’t UTEP or ETSU.

 

[volmandu]

Here's where I see us in 2018. For the first several games I give a typical Knoxville media question followed by what I interpret CJP's reaction will be:

September 1 - vs West Virginia (Charlotte) - WVU 34, Tennessee 21 (LOSS) - This is a game that I'm really torn on mostly because who the hell knows what West Virginia will do game-to-game. I do think that they score points though and this is CJP's first ever game as HFC. And it's in Charlotte..........I just see this game being one that we look decent in from time to time but ultimately just get outscored by a better Week 1 team.​

​

Media: "Well coach, that was your first game as UT head coach and it didn't end like you had hoped. What will you take out of the loss?"​

​

Pruitt: (Glaring at idiot) - "What will I take? Well, we got our ass beat so it appears we still have a lot of work to do. I'm not here to make excuses. We have to get better. I saw some soft players out there today and that will continue to be corrected through rigorous practice sessions. You don't feel good when you lose and there's no excuses when you lose. We just have to get better and that starts at the top with me."​

​

September 8 - vs ETSU (Home) - UT 58, ETSU 10 (WIN)​

​

Media: "Your first win as a head coach. How special is it to get that first one?"​

​

Pruitt: (Glaring at idiot) - "I think today was a good opportunity for some of our younger players to get reps. I saw a lot of missed opportunities out there today though and know that we need to improve as a unit. ETSU has just had a football team for a couple of years and hats off to them for coming in here and playing hard. But I expected to see better execution out of our guys out there today and we didn't see that. As far as this one being special. Ask me that question again after we win a National Championship."​

​

September 15 - vs UTEP (Home) - UT 62 UTEP 7 (WIN)​

​

Media: "You are 2-1 on the season now getting ready for the Gators next weekend. What's this week going to be like heading into your first Florida week?"​

​

Pruitt: (Glaring at idiot) - "This week will be like every other week. We'll watch film, practice hard, and prepare to fully execute. UTEP was 0-12 last year. I'm just happy we got a lot of the young guys reps again this week and the opportunity to be a little more rested for the Gators next weekend."​

​

September 22 - vs Florida (Home) - UT 19, Florida 13 (WIN)​

​

Media: "Coach, you were able to hold off the Gators late with a crucial goal line stand. What did you think of your teams execution down the stretch?"​

​

Pruitt: (Glaring at idiot) - "I think today is just a testament for all of the practice and hard work the guys have put in this offseason buying into the system. We need some dogs out there and they stepped up big in this game. We limited Florida to less than 250 yards of total offense. The fans were loud and definitely made a difference at the end of the game."​

​

September 29 - vs Georgia (Away) - UGA 24, UT 17 (LOSS)​

​

Media: "Tough loss today coach. Georgia is undefeated on the year and you come up just short on the road against one of the toughest teams in the country. Even though this is a tough loss, does staying in the game for four quarters give you some positive outlook on the weeks ahead?"​

​

Pruitt: (Glaring at idiot) - "WHAT? Positive outlook? Well, let's see Einstein. We lost our first SEC game of the season. I'm just tickled pink. What kind of.............ok, listen, there's nothing positive about losing. That may have been the culture before but that's just not good enough now. Close only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades. We just need to be ready for Auburn next week because this run of games isn't gonna get any easier."​

​

October 13 - vs Auburn (Away) - Auburn 34, UT 13 (LOSS)​

​

Media: "Coach........"​

​

Pruitt: "SAVE IT. We got manhandled out there today and this is NOT what UT football is all about. I'm disgusted at the way we played today and there's no excuse for it.​

​

October 20 - vs Alabama (Home) - Alabama 21, UT 19 (LOSS)​

​

Media: "Coach, walk us through that missed field goal at the end of the game."​

​

Pruitt: (Glares at idiot) - "Huh. Walk you through it? Well, he lined up a 53 yard field goal into the wind and had the leg for it and missed it just right. Can't blame him for that. It was a good effort on the kick we just needed to get a little closer. And before you start with this moral victory bullcrap there's no moral victories today. You go tell my guys with their head hanging down between their legs they got a moral victory out there today. We're worried about real victories not moral one's."​

​

{I don't think all the rest of the games need blow-by-blows on Pruitt vs the media. It will be a very contentious relationship I'm sure. A LOT of the trumpet humper worshippers will HATE Pruitt just as soon as he gets a little sideways with the Knoxville media. He's not going to be a namby-pamby wimp about things and that's just not going to be good enough for a lot of people who become accustomed to the old regime . They will have to be conditioned to his "ways."}​

​

October 27 - vs South Carolina (Away) - UT 38, USC-e 13 (WIN)​

​

November 3 - vs Charlotte (Home) - UT 42, Charlotte 17 (WIN)​

​

November 10 - vs Kentucky (Home) - UT 34, Kentucky 20 (WIN)​

​

November 17 - vs Missouri (Home) - UT 17, Missouri 13 (WIN)​

​

November 24 - vs Vanderbilt (Away) - UT 48, Vandy 21 (WIN)​

​

We finish the 2018 season at 8-4 and win a decent bowl with positive momentum heading into 2019. We won't get killed by anyone (except a bigger loss to Auburn) and we will beat the teams we should beat. And we'll get close against Bama.​

​

That's where I'm at. At least I think this coach has a chance of breaking through the glass ceiling. The trumpet humper couldn't break through a glass ceiling strapped to a 100,000 mph rocket.​

​

8-4 with one score losses to Alabama and GA ? after a 4-8 season ? Pruitt may be unanimous candidate for coach of the year !!

 

[Manning Up]

Your crystal ball needs cleaning. We get curb stomped by Georgia, Alabama, and South Carolina, and lose to Missouri and Florida. You got the WVU score correct though. We'll win against the 3 high school teams. I have hope against Kentucky and Vanderbilt. Best case scenario.....6-6 if the team gels but most likely 5-7

 

[Vols410]

How different is this year from Kiffin’s year here. Coming off 5-7 then, with a loss to Wyoming, and depth starting to really suffer. Quarterback with talent, but nothing to show for it. Didn’t we blow out Georgia that year?

Not saying we’re going 8-5 and beating Georgia, but there’s a reason we play the games.

 

[CroKev]

I think Pruitt would be really pissed off at the defense for allowing UTEP and ETSU to even score!

 

[a vol n tears]

Amazed at how many take Missouri for granted late in the season. They have a 4-2 record vs VOLS since joining the SEC. I see a better chance of winning UF or USCe than Missouri.

 

[OrangeByBirth]

Likely we can go bowling at 5-7 this year.

That is not going to happen.

 

[KINGSVOL]

I like your optimism, but there is no way we smoke South Carolina on the road like that . I think it’s a winnable game, but our games with them seem like they are always down to the wire.

This team can do 8-4 with one big IF, if the Oline shows up, and doesn't have major injuries we can get there! I am thinking, Trey Smith gets in at left guard, Richmond at left tackle, with the Brandon at center, that left side could be really nasty!!!!!! Its road grading time in Tennessee!

 

[JCHateSteve]

Auburn is a loss, they don't have to have a great season to beat us this year at Barn. SC is away, at the end of murders row, and the week after Bama. They will also be coming off a bye week. I'd be shocked if we win that game. As for the rest, given that we are thin in some places dropping a non cupcake game is very likely late in the season and neither UF or WVU are a given early. I'm saying 6-6. 7-5 is probably the ceiling and 5-6 better be the floor or we're in trouble.

 

[fatal1]

i agree on 8 of your predicition but I have us winning wvu and we get auburn after a bye week and I think cjp knows auburn pretty well.

 

[Pruitt Will Do It]

Looking into my Orange and White crystal ball here's how i think 2018 will go

West Virginia@ Charlotte W 28-24

ETSU W 62-17

UTEP W 38-17

Florida W 23-21

@Georgia L 34-21

@Auburn L 31-20

@Alabama L 42-21

@South Carolina L 27-24

Charlotte W 51-13

Kentucky W 31-21

Missouri W 31-28

@Vanderbilt W 28-13


Music City Bowl:

Tennessee 34-24 over Iowa

 

[BlackCreekVol]

I am not positive but I think you may have gotten the WVU prediction wrong. I can see us either winning the game or losing the game. As of now, I lean slightly more to us losing.
You got the Florida game prediction wrong. It is a close game, but we lose again on a stupid player mistake not a coaching mistake.
Yes, we lose to UGA but we lose by a bigger margin.
Yes, we lose to Alabama but by a larger margin.
We lose to Missouri. their q.b. is good and our db's can't slow him down enough for us to win.
We lose to USC. U.T. has never beaten Muschamp. This is not the year to change that.

End result: 5 - 7 record

 

[ballou1024]

Wishful thinking!

 

[stevenrich2003]

Wishful thinking!

.

 

[DaUndergroundMan]

It's so much easier to predict the outcome of a games in the week of, or the days leading up to that game.

You have so much more data with which an inference can be made: the "psychology" of the team, the current injury list, the accumulation of stats, individual and team....you just have a much better feel for the pulse and biorhythms of players and the team mindset at that point.

We are going into this season truly blind, so simply predicting the West Virginia game at this point is difficult enough; predicting the entire season, game-by-game is a blindfolded turkey shoot of a Herculean task.

Who knows what will happen, or the record going in, the toll of injuries, or even the starting qb when we roll into Columbia to complete what will be one of the toughest 5 game stretches in the history of college football.

For this reason I haven't yet made even the first guess regarding any outcome of the play of the 2018 Football Volunteers. The word prediction is this case seems somehow bold, and "educated guess" doesn't exactly fit either, as no amount of education into the matter would yield any applicable insights that would serve to raise the certainty level of any prediction involving this team, and it's coach, from "shot in the dark" to anything remotely near the halfway point down the road to "bet the farmsville".

In short, I don't envy Vegas, they have their work cut out for them when it comes to this team....very rarely does a college football team come along with so fee givens, so many uncertainties, and such a brutal schedule.

But then again, I ain't got no crystal ball.

 

[TNinSC]

OP, did you predict 4-8 last season?

 

[DownNDirty]

OP, did you predict 4-8 last season?

I predicted they'd implode and the carnival barker would lose his job.

2015 I predicted 7-5 with losses to Oklahoma, Arkansas, Georgia, Bama, and Missouri. They went 8-4. Lost to Florida but beat UGA and beat Missouri. Of course, I never imagined Mizzou's issues that year heading into the season.

2016 I predicted a 10-2 regular season with losses to Georgia and Bama and they went 8-4 again. I figured 2016 would be "the" year if the goof was ever going to have one and they underwhelmed.

I'm more of a realist than anything but I honestly think 8 games is do-able this year. I know South Carolina has a lot of good recruits but they also have Muschamp as their coach. And, much like the trumpet humper, you can't put a price on that kind of ineptitude.