2021 schedule/predictions/expectations

#1
Sad_vol

Sad_vol

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#1
8-4 to 9-3 achievable yet unlikely.
20210311_034259.png
Tier 1- Bama Georgia Florida
Tier 2- Pitt Missouri USC Ole Miss UK
Tier 3- BG TTU USA Vandy
With the new schedule out and a new coaching staff and AD this seems like a fresh start in alot of ways its the offseason not alot going on and people are discussing everything from press conferences to uniforms and whether Coach Ekeler may or may not have kicked Pruitts ass. Thought it as good a time as any to discuss the new schedule possible record and our expectations or milestones we want to see achieved.
At a minimum for me to feel like we are headed in the right direction and be able to stomach the season we should beat all tier 3 and atleast 1 tier 2 to go 5-7 but that is only if certain conditions are met being.

1. I need to see alot better team on Nov.27th then on Sept.4th player improvement and development is a must.

2. Proper game plan adjustments made at halftime as opposed to Pruitt take last year's UGA game for example.

3. Be competitive in losses especially tier 2 teams last years blow out by Kentucky was unacceptable.

4. Team and staff seem to have chemistry and look like they want to be there or are enthusiastic. Last year I saw players and coaches sitting on the sidelines looking like me at the in-laws.

5. I want to see good play/decision making at QB.

6. I wanna score some points and play exciting football, be entertained even if we lose a game. Under Pruitt we were losers and very boring to watch this is a rebuilt and I can accept a loss but want to see some to be excited about.

For me to be happy with this season we should beat all tier 3 and beat 2 or 3 tier 3 teams to finish 6-6 or 7-5 and meet the conditions above and not have anything too embarrassing happen and I'm happy. A nice bonus would be a bowl win or playing competitively with a tier 1 team although neither of the bonuses are mandatory.

Final thoughts: This is probably the easiest schedule we have seen in a long time it could be possible to go 8-5 or 9-3 though not likely considering all the odds stacked against us a full transfer portal, installing a completely new system etc. I'm predicting we go 6-6 or 7-5 beating tier 3 beating USC and possibly going .500 with the other tier 2 teams I like our chances against ole miss and Pitt although I wish the dates were swapped for Pitt and south alabama because Pitt won't be a cupcake by any standards and I'd like more time to get used to new system. Missouri and Kentucky are the tier 2 teams that make me nervous.
As a vol fan I wanna say my prediction for all 12 games is #wgwtfa but im gonna set reasonable expectations instead.
Well that was my thoughts as if any one cares I know it was probably a little lengthy but there's not a whole lot to talk about this time of year let me know what any of you guys think.

Edit* I think I could have said Pruitt was a better coach then Neyland and I get less of a rise out of people who new way to early predictions could be this controversial 😂 not claiming my predictions are prophecy or telling you to bet the house on them.
 
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#2
#2
Sad_vol said:
Tier 1- Bama Georgia Florida
Tier 2- Pitt Missouri USC Ole Miss UK
Tier 3- BG TTU USA Vandy

...I'm predicting we go 6-6 beating tier 3 beating USC and going .500 with the other tier 2 teams....
Click to expand...

I think your addition is a little off, Sparky. Beating the cupcakes (4), plus USCe, plus splitting the other four games you put in tier two, that totals 7-5. Not 6-6. :)

But let me ask a few questions of your analysis:

1. Who is our quarterback?
2. Who are our ILBs?
3. Who are our DBs?
4. Who is our place kicker? Yanno, the guy who typically scores more points than everyone else on the team.
5. How do all these lads look working together? How's the locker room chemistry? How's the dsicipline?

If you can't answer any of those questions (and none of us can, yet)...how can you begin to predict outcomes of games six to eight months from now?

Too soon for prognostication, in my opinion.

But I did enjoy reading your write-up, and agree that the schedule is favorable this year. Thanks for it.
 
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#5
#5
Sad_vol said:
8-4 to 9-3 achievable yet unlikely.
View attachment 356766
Tier 1- Bama Georgia Florida
Tier 2- Pitt Missouri USC Ole Miss UK
Tier 3- BG TTU USA Vandy
With the new schedule out and a new coaching staff and AD this seems like a fresh start in alot of ways its the offseason not alot going on and people are discussing everything from press conferences to uniforms and whether Coach Ekeler may or may not have kicked Pruitts ass. Thought it as good a time as any to discuss the new schedule possible record and our expectations or milestones we want to see achieved.
At a minimum for me to feel like we are headed in the right direction and be able to stomach the season we should beat all tier 3 and atleast 1 tier 2 to go 5-7 but that is only if certain conditions are met being.

1. I need to see alot better team on Nov.27th then on Sept.4th player improvement and development is a must.

2. Proper game plan adjustments made at halftime as opposed to Pruitt take last year's UGA game for example.

3. Be competitive in losses especially tier 2 teams last years blow out by Kentucky was unacceptable.

4. Team and staff seem to have chemistry and look like they want to be there or are enthusiastic. Last year I saw players and coaches sitting on the sidelines looking like me at the in-laws.

5. I want to see good play/decision making at QB.

6. I wanna score some points and play exciting football, be entertained even if we lose a game. Under Pruitt we were losers and very boring to watch this is a rebuilt and I can accept a loss but want to see some to be excited about.

For me to be happy with this season we should beat all tier 3 and beat 2 or 3 tier 3 teams to finish 6-6 or 7-5 and meet the conditions above and not have anything too embarrassing happen and I'm happy. A nice bonus would be a bowl win or playing competitively with a tier 1 team although neither of the bonuses are mandatory.

Final thoughts: This is probably the easiest schedule we have seen in a long time it could be possible to go 8-5 or 9-3 though not likely considering all the odds stacked against us a full transfer portal, installing a completely new system etc. I'm predicting we go 6-6 beating tier 3 beating USC and going .500 with the other tier 2 teams I like our chances against ole miss and Pitt although I wish the dates were swapped for Pitt and south alabama because Pitt won't be a cupcake by any standards and I'd like more time to get used to new system. Missouri and Kentucky are the tier 2 teams that make me nervous.
As a vol fan I wanna say my prediction for all 12 games is #wgwtfa but im gonna set reasonable expectations instead.
Well that was my thoughts as if any one cares I know it was probably a little lengthy but there's not a whole lot to talk about this time of year let me know what any of you guys think.
Click to expand...

Your gonna get what you get. No matter what you hope or expect. The Vols will win what they win and lose what they lose. We gotta wait and see!
 
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#6
#6
It's way too early to tell and anything said at this point is just speculation but here's my thought process we have have a new staff so maybe it can be a fresh start for the players I think alot of the dysfunction with the players rooted from the dysfunction among the coaches and hopefully the ones who have transferred were responsible for said dysfunction since they obviously didn't want to be here. They have been doing team building and leadership exercises for weeks that may help as well. We have 3 non conference games that should be handed to us if we win those 3 and the 3 pruitt won last year we are 6-6 I feel like CJH is alot better coach then CJP was he was way over his head so I feel like we should still win the 3 games we won last year even with the hits the roster has taken due to transfers. We have had a recruiting class in the top 25 each of the last 4 years if you adjust it from the transfers say we average a top 35 or even 40 roster. CUD over the past 4 years each class has been in the 50s or 60s so even with the depleted roster we have way more talent. With that 50s-60s roster they beat #10 Auburn that went 7-1 in sec play and beat #1 Georgia and #1 Alabama 2 weeks apart. My point being CJH has played high level football with alot less talent then he is inheriting here. There is alot that can happen between now and sept. And alot of moving parts all I was saying is my expectations of what I would like to see happen and my way to early predictions of what I think we could do never said it was gospel or to bet your life savings on it just thinking what could be possible CJH seems to have his players performing way above there recruit ranking and as vol fans we are used to recruiting really well and having players seem to regress the longer they are here kinda makes the idea of coaching players up hard to grasp. Again record predictions this early is about like checking preseason AP rankings pointless but still kinda fun.
 
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#12
#12
If we go 9-3 we've managed a miracle. At my orange glasses-est I can manage 7-5 if Pitt is bad and Kentucky or Mizzou are much worse than expected. I find it weird that we've done this song and dance before going from a run heavy, possession offense to a tempo spread and it was a disaster the first time. Hell we went from explosive offense to tempo and we were awful on offense then as well. Conventional wisdom says it takes at least a year to see such a drastic philosophy change pay off, if it ever does. The only potential upside is that there's a lot of guys who seem to have been underutilized.
 
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#13
#13
VFL-82-JP said:
stfu gator
Click to expand...

I use this example all the time because I think it’s a good one.

Most people think Steve Spurrier is a good coach and a really good offensive coach.

When he got to Florida in 1990, Kyle Morris was the starting QB. And Spurrier couldn’t do anything to make him any better than the bad QB he was.

But, he found a fifth stringer named Shane Matthews that went on to become the two time SEC player of the year.

So, the question is not only is how good is Heupel and company but how many Kyle Morris types (guys you can’t fix) are on that roster and how many Shane Matthews types (guys who need the right coach and system to flourish) are on that roster.

My belief is that there are too many guys you can’t fix to have a breakout year.
 
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#18
#18
I think we will be in the 5-7 to 8-4 range. Will all depend on how quick the players pick up the new offense and improvement on the defensive side of the ball.
 
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#25
#25
The Tall Gguy said:
No expectations.
Click to expand...
This is probably the healthiest way to approach the 2021 season.

Think of the program as a restart. Blank canvas. Not a single mark. No promise, but no blemish. No reason to think we will do well. No reason to think we will do poorly.

Relaxed and ready to take it all in, waiting to form opinions until there is evidence to guide them.

Healthy approach.
 
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