As a older Alum........

[Evet Vols]

I think what we are seeing is just like the pro's. There is parity in all football now. Mostly because 18 year old kids do not want to wait a year or two to play. They want playing time now. So they go to "Lesser not traditional power" schools for playing time. Thus it is now harder to be a power in football every year.

I think the parity is a big reason. The recruiting services and Internet have changed a lot. I think it was Travis Stephens who said he thought he was "the" Running Back but showed up at UT and was surprised that two more RBs were there - Travis Henry and Jamal Lewis.

 

[jbr82]

Fans only hope is use your $ as your voice. This mediocre program wants fans to be blind sheep and just accept the mediocrity. And take your $

 

[Firebirdparts]

9-4 is not elite in my book.

This explains it all, right?

Historically, a team that averages 9-4 is the best team in the world. But in an imagination, a team can be much better than that.

 

[njvols]

at 56 almost 57 years of age I have accepted the fact that the University of Tennessee may never be elite in football. The administrative goofs and hires over the years are all the proof that is needed. The AD department is a complete mismanaged unit. UT and its boosters are not interested in putting the money and work in to be elite. When is the last time we won the East or a SECCG?

Quit wasting your time worrying about that special hire because its just not going to happen.

We are and will be a middle of the pack team for quite a while until the thought process changes at UT.

Enjoy the program for what it is and support the players for choosing UT as their school.

I'm kinda right there, a few years behind, but grew up in a down UT era knowing UT would get beat by Bama every year, and the Bluebonnet Bowl was something to cheer about. That being said, things can change, as they did for LSU w/ Saban/Miles, UF w/ Spurrier, and to much lesser degrees, SC and Ole Miss. Dang...was trying to make a case for Jones, and think I just got myself all reversed up.

 

[Face]

9-4 is not elite in my book.

I think the point here is 9-4 over time fluctuates. Might be 7-6 one time... might be 13-0 one time.

Teams can have runs of several straight 10-11 win seasons. But over time it evens out. A historical average of 9-4 that includes the down Years is pretty good.

9-4 is not good when you had the team to go 11-2. I think that's where the pain resides.

 

[VolFan4Life87]

Your math sucks. 54 times in 1- 15, 31 times NR???????? Either your years are screwed up or your caculator was on strike. Never mind I see what you did. Very confusing at first glance.

lol sorry for the confusion. I left out top 25 because finishing between 21-25 isn't really worth including IMO. That's why the sum of all those numbers equals 61 and not 66.

 

[Vol Main]

Good plan. Let's lower our standards, give up our position as a traditional power, because being more than average has become too hard.

I'm feeling it.

I take the point to be that Tennessee was a mid tier team during most of our adult years. Don't try to blow smoke my way about national prominence; I was there. There were many close games with Vandy and losses to mid tier teams. Let's face it; UT was a bottom tier team when Coach Jones came into the program. Thanks to Butch, we are mid tier again, longing to make one our our periodic runs as a top contender. That would happen faster if Coach recruited low character players with low character methods and then juiced them up to the maximum, but he is not that sort of coach. Is he perfect? No. Is he doing a good job? YES.

 

[IknoxvolsI]

The SEC was down back then with the exception of us and Florida. Coaches at GA, LSU, Auburn (Terry Bowden did well with Sullivans players), Stallings (did well recruiting), the Miss schools etc were nothing compared to the coaches now. Before Spurrior Fla was a joke! Unless other SEC schools start or continue hiring bad coaches we wont have another run like the 80's/90's.

I view us as alot of one time winners and not historically significant. Much like Houston, Washington, Colorado.. Etc. If Fulmer had one again in 99 and at least not blown the SECCG in 01 things may be different.

 

[onevol74]

You certainly don't get 10-11 win seasons (and championship opportunities) without prioritizing their importance.

It's borderline criminal to pay for the type of facilities we have, the recruiting budget, and the cost of operations, if we're to be happy at the middle of the pack. We can win 8 games, if that's the goal, while spending a lot less money. If we're going to to that let's drop out of the SEC and join the Conference USA.

We need to petition to move to the BIG TEN Western Division. Those are teams this coaching staff can beat. The SEC is out of our league.

 

[onevol74]

If you look back at the historical record there were periods of time in every decade where Tennessee was dominant, even achieving double digit wins multiple years in a row when they played fewer games.

Tennessee is #8 all time in wins (second only to Bama in the SEC) More wins than the likes of Ohio State, USC, Florida, etc. Most of the teams ahead of us in wins have been playing football longer that Tennessee.

They are also #6 all time in bowl games and bowl wins.

13 SEC titles again second only to Bama

I'm not sure where you get that Tennessee isn't an all time elite program? We aren't Bama, but but who else is?

How can you be relevant and not win a conference championship in 18 years? How can you be relevant and not appear in the conference championship game in 10 years?

You are talking about one of the past traditional powers in college football now. If we want to talk about something good then we have to go back 20 years ago because this program is not what it used to be. History and excuses are for losers.

 

[peppervol]

I am even older Alum who was there during 68-72 when I believe Tn lost only 5 games during that span. We were always in a dog fight with Alabama and we beat the dog out of Florida. I had many friends on those teams and it was a wonderful time. Doubt I will ever have those feelings again in my lifetime. Ah for the Good Ole Days.

I know exactly from whence you speak, Figivol. I was there in '65 when we first turned the corner and got the ball rollin' upward through '70. Magical times and, yes, "..the Good Ole Days" indeed.

 

[zeppelin128]

"As a older alum..."

Hello. The proper article before a vowel is "an," not "a"...as in "an older alum".

Moran.

Hey, this isn't the recruiting forum..

 

[barrylee]

at 56 almost 57 years of age I have accepted the fact that the University of Tennessee may never be elite in football. The administrative goofs and hires over the years are all the proof that is needed. The AD department is a complete mismanaged unit. UT and its boosters are not interested in putting the money and work in to be elite. When is the last time we won the East or a SECCG?

Quit wasting your time worrying about that special hire because its just not going to happen.

We are and will be a middle of the pack team for quite a while until the thought process changes at UT.

Enjoy the program for what it is and support the players for choosing UT as their school.

Maybe but as an older alum, you probably went to school as I did when they still taught the basics such as if the following word begins with a vowel you should use the word an instead of a. Not trying to be a smart azz just a pet peeve of mine. As an older alum.

 

[ncvol17]

Fans only hope is use your $ as your voice. This mediocre program wants fans to be blind sheep and just accept the mediocrity. And take your $

It's working. I keep donating to my university in order to a) help my AD 2) keep my seats , I like them, alot.:hi:

 

[tm3]

If you look back at the historical record there were periods of time in every decade where Tennessee was dominant, even achieving double digit wins multiple years in a row when they played fewer games.

Tennessee is #8 all time in wins (second only to Bama in the SEC) More wins than the likes of Ohio State, USC, Florida, etc. Most of the teams ahead of us in wins have been playing football longer that Tennessee.

They are also #6 all time in bowl games and bowl wins.

13 SEC titles again second only to Bama

I'm not sure where you get that Tennessee isn't an all time elite program? We aren't Bama, but but who else is?

Keep in mind also that the above stats (wins, SECC, etc.) hold true despite UT having taken a hiatus from competitive football for the last (almost) 20 years.

Nevertheless I agree with the OP - - the problem on the Hill is so entrenched and complex that it is very unlikely to be fixed in the forseeble future.

 

[m1al]

Not trying to be a smart azz.....

You forgot the blue font in this passage....

 

[Wishbone]

My friends, it's NOT the coaches.

It most certainly IS the increasing Liberal Admin and Board of Trustees.

Their Liberal agenda has been for many years to try to turn our beloved Tennessee into a Yale, Princeton, Harvard type of brainwashing school and to get rid of our Southern, hillbilly, redneck school that actually teaches kids rather than brainwashing them.

A blind person can see this has been happening for a couple of decades or longer if they really paid attention.

A top program in any sport is simply NOT on their agenda.

As long as the AD can get enough wins, keep the tickets selling and turn a decent profit at the end of the year then they are now and will always be happy.

I fear that Ms. Davenport will only keep this agenda moving forward and we'll see when she oversees the hiring of our new AD to replace Hart.

I'll soon be 63 years old and I seriously doubt that I'll ever again see my beloved Vols Win the SEC Championship much less another National Championship.

We need a total change of our Admin and our BoT and I don't see that happening without riots in the streets and that also will never happen.

Welcome to middle of the pack UT sports my friends.

It really sucks!

VFL...GBO!!!

This person is correct. Who sought and hired Saban? The former assistant coach to the Bear, Mal Moore. Without his insight and stubbornness Bama would still have some coach named Mike Something and be 7-5 every year. The University has to be committed. The AD needs to be up to date on the latest and greatest in college football.

I just don't see the same level of AD in Knoxville as there is at Alabama. TN's may be better qualified, but that doesn't mean he makes the best decision hiring a coach! It's what is the schools top priority? At Bama it may be football, and that's ok as long as the academic side is up there also.

The hard part is to be able to do both!

 

[WVU05UT09]

https://www.google.com/amp/mobile.n...bama-crimson-tide-football-marketing.amp.html

Funny thing is Alabama is mastering both right now. They have passed many SEC schools academically and stand right behind UF, UGA, and A&M.

 

[82_VOL_83]

Here are some cold hard facts to validate this.

Since 1951 (66 years) Tennessee has finished the season....

Per AP Poll
Top 5 - 9 times
Top 10 - 17 times (8 times between 6-10)
Top 15 - 28 times (11 times between 11-15)
Top 20 - 30 times (2 times between 16-20)
NR - 31 times

What that equates to, is in the last 66 years of Tennessee football we have finished un-ranked in the AP poll at season's end 47% of the time and in the top 15 only 42% of the time.

Bringing facts to a pity party doesn't work. Don't you know UT tradition started in 1993?

 

[zeppelin128]

Bringing facts to a pity party doesn't work. Don't you know UT tradition started in 1993?

No, UT tradition began in the 1880s. We are STILL, after Kiffen and Dooley, second in the SEC in wins, SEC championships, and National Championships. No one has defeated Bama more than the Vols.

We haven't won an SEC title since 98 and we still are second.

Stop selling our proud, storied program short.

 

[82_VOL_83]

No, UT tradition began in the 1880s. We are STILL, after Kiffen and Dooley, second in the SEC in wins, SEC championships, and National Championships. No one has defeated Bama more than the Vols.

We haven't won an SEC title since 98 and we still are second.

Stop selling our proud, storied program short.

As soon as people stop firing a coach after 4 years because he can only win 69% of his games, I will stop reminding them that we aren't Alabama and that magically we aren't going to win 11-12 games a year in perpetuity. And I think you have to add Majors and Fulmer to the list. At the end of his tenure, he was about a 69-70% guy. The tradition has more to do than wins and losses. Please remember that.

I'm older than the OP.

 

[82_VOL_83]

Maybe but as an older alum, you probably went to school as I did when they still taught the basics such as if the following word begins with a vowel you should use the word an instead of a. Not trying to be a smart azz just a pet peeve of mine. As an older alum.

Or a silent h, just sayin.