Does Tennessee ever achieve relevance in the SEC East?

Does Tennessee ever become a relevant team in the SEC again?

  • No

    Votes: 134 45.6%

  • Yes

    Votes: 163 55.4%
  • Total voters
    294
#51
#51
VolInNW said:
#soon
#staythecourse
#(insertcoachhere)justneedsmoretime

No. I didn't want to believe it, and still don't WANT to, but we are on the Nebraska/Minnesota course. Former powerhouse that got caught in the grist mill at the wrong time and for too long.

I'm sure there are 80 year old Gophers that still think Minnesota is coming back as a prominent power. They aren't. And neither are we.

Largely self-inflicted is the real tragedy.
Click to expand...

Just a ray of sunshine you are.
 
#52
#52
KeyVol14 said:
What's not sealing the deal is the on field results. UT has as good of facilities as anyone.
Click to expand...

I’m not saying ours are overrated. I’m saying the concept of facilities making a big difference are overrated. If a school is outside the norm in an over the top good way or dumpy facilities way then yes it matters. But 13 schools essentially have the same thing now.
 
#53
#53
UTwild82 said:
I guess this depends on your definition of relevant. If you mean win it, eventually but who knows when. If you mean competing for the title, we finished 2nd in 15 and 16, so that is relevant IMO.
Click to expand...

UF won the East both of those years and they couldn't wait to get rid of their coach. I HOPE UT can right the ship but it looking more and more doubtful as the games/ seasons go by.
 
  • Like
Reactions: UTwild82
#54
#54
swampfoxfan said:
Just a ray of sunshine you are.
Click to expand...

Yeah. I realize I'm not hopeful at all but this program has taken that out of me.

With the number and severity of our self inflicted wounds, right at the time that the SEC and P5 as a whole was tiering off and locking into place, I just do not see recovery to a place of national prominence. I just dont see the path any more. Especially with a lack of total commitment on the part of the admin and BOT.

And never forget, ths Haslams, who helped cause this, are lurking, waiting for their chance to seize control again.

I'm just out of hope.
 
#55
#55
WVU05UT09 said:
If you assume Georgia/Florida will win it this year then since the division split those schools have won the East 70% of the time. That’s more than picking the right coaches, getting lucky. That suggests something fundamentally advantageous at those schools and it’s my belief it’s demographic. Fast growing states, warm weather, sizable minority populations, and flagship status in the home state.

Those trends show no signs of reversing. It’s why I believe Tennessee needs to move the program or risk becoming a nobody.
Click to expand...
Move the program? To what...another state?
 
#56
#56
Boca Vol said:
UF won the East both of those years and they couldn't wait to get rid of their coach. I HOPE UT can right the ship but it looking more and more doubtful as the games/ seasons go by.
Click to expand...
Thats a good point. Plus the SEC East wasn't as tough those years as it is now.

I'm like you, I just hope at some point we can turn this thing around.
 
#57
#57
Not until the GA recruiting machine slows down. Until we do what they do...or they get brought down to a level field with us, this is what it is.

Also - we need to beat UF a couple of years in a row to get over the mental hump, otherwise we are going to continue to lose to them no matter what the rosters look like.
 
  • Like
Reactions: TrumpedUpVol and WVU05UT09
#58
#58
Matt2496 said:
Clemson was mediocre to average for years and years. All it took was the right guy and sticking with the right guy for them to be the powerhouse they are today.

Maybe I'm being too optimistic, but I think Tennessee can get back to where we were.
Click to expand...
They play in the ACC which makes a big difference. Also he recruited and developed a ton of talent. The offense by his 4th year....
Deandre Hopkins, Martavis Bryant, Sammy Watkins, Andre Ellington, Dwayne Allen, Adam Humphries, Tajh Boyd. The defense was littered w future NFLers too.

On top of recruiting and developing that talent, Dabo is an elite motivator. My impression of Pruitt is basically the opposite.
 
  • Like
Reactions: TrumpedUpVol and WVU05UT09
#59
#59
"Relevance in the East" is a very low bar in my opinion. Super easy to be relevant in the East.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Boca Vol
#60
#60
What is relevance? Like we should have won it in 2015 and 2016...that was relevance.

Main issue rn is we have UGA running away from everyone and will be 4 straight this year.
 
  • Like
Reactions: WVU05UT09
#63
#63
It will be hard. Much of the pre 1990s success was built on being the big state school without in state competition and our primary rivals being programs that didn't care as much about Football (Kentucky, Vandy) or were smaller market (Ole Miss and Auburn). Only Alabama of our main rivals really cared about Football like we did and they did it better than us most years.
The 90s come along and we lose Ole Miss and Auburn, but gain a hapless Carolina, a program in Georgia much like our current situation living in the past but not putting the pieces together, an okay Arkansas team and Florida. Florida outclassed us every year it seemed but Bama slipped post Bear and then got stuck in the NCAA halfway house. So we were able to continue to be the second best program among our yearly opponents.
Then UGA hired Mark Right ... A few years later Bama got their act together and hired Saban. Carolina even got serious and hired Holtz then Spurrier. Now we are in a fight to stay in the top 4 of the programs we see every year. Add on to this the huge windfall that even the lower tier programs fell into with the exploding tv contracts and the freebie games are gone.

Tldr: we used to have the second best house in the neighborhood. But the neighborhood has since gentrified and doesn't care that our floors are original hardwoods.
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: Big Al Orange, Undercs, TrumpedUpVol and 3 others
#64
#64
JP is Gonna have to out coach someone at some point. He has recruited ok but he's gonna have to get top athletes, to do that hes gotta produce better results. Losing to byu gast uk isn't gonna cut it. Negative recruiting is real, and losing to gast is still hard to shake. Lsu alabama Clemson uga osu get a completely different caliber ball player than we do.

At this point for ut to be relevant, its gonna take a major change within the program or ncaa.
 
#67
#67
Vol#17 said:
Ahh. That might increase the win column, but if we can’t get elite talent we are still not going to beat elite teams. Kind of seems like a loser mentality to want to play in a softer conference.
Click to expand...

theres a way forward. It’s the route Alabama and Auburn go. After all they also face the same demographic challenges as us compared to Florida and Georgia. But it requires 110% dedication, pay top dollars for top people, and willingness to play in the gray with recruits. 20 years show me we aren’t interested in that. As another poster said better than I. If you are gonna play in the sandbox you better get dirty or move along. My suggestion is we move along.
 
  • Like
Reactions: TrumpedUpVol
#70
#70
MSCE09 said:
It will be hard. Much of the pre 1990s success was built on being the big state school without in state competition and our primary rivals being programs that didn't care as much about Football (Kentucky, Vandy) or were smaller market (Ole Miss and Auburn). Only Alabama of our main rivals really cared about Football like we did and they did it better than us most years.
The 90s come along and we lose Ole Miss and Auburn, but gain a hapless Carolina, a program in Georgia much like our current situation living in the past but not putting the pieces together, an okay Arkansas team and Florida. Florida outclassed us every year it seemed but Bama slipped post Bear and then got stuck in the NCAA halfway house. So we were able to continue to be the second best program among our yearly opponents.
Then UGA hired Mark Right ... A few years later Bama got their act together and hired Saban. Carolina even got serious and hired Holtz then Spurrier. Now we are in a fight to stay on the to 4 of the programs we see every year. Add on to this the huge windfall that even the lower tier programs feel into with the exploding tv contracts and the freebie games are gone.

Tldr: we used to have the second best house on the neighborhood. But the neighborhood has since gentrified and doesn't care that our floors are original hardwoods.
Click to expand...

Dang that hurt my soul reading this...probably because it’s pretty dead on accurate.
 
  • Like
Reactions: TrumpedUpVol, MSCE09, HollowaytoSeivers and 1 other person
#72
#72
KeyVol14 said:
TN has better facilities then both UGA and UF. They can still recruit at a high level, the only advantage they have is in state talent. TN will be back, all big time programs go through this
Click to expand...

"All big time programs go through this" Nebraska and Miami (yes I know they have **** facilities) have been saying the same thing for just a long. Even Michigan to a degree.
 
#75
#75
TNnative said:
Yes, it is, Freak. And though for all intents and purposes, my Vols fandom might be viewed as on hold, ripped to shreds, or perhaps even receiving friends and picking pall bearers. I have lived in this state my entire life. Most of you do or have as well. And whether you are all in, over it, and one of those who respond, "Well that's nice." when the Vols do well? It sucks ass when they don't. Unless of course you are a Commodores fan. And who gives a damn what they think about anything?

I have three things I am hoping will happen that I hope coincides with a return to relevancy for the Vols. There are more, but they are not tied directly to the Football program. First, I hope Kesling retires. When he got the job to replace the "real" Voice of the Vols, it was the season after the last national championship. And not only have they fallen short ever since? You know the history. Losing stinks enough, but his bland contribution just makes it tougher. Second, I have said it before, but I await Fulmer stepping away. I read somewhere on here that some believe both he and Pruitt come on here. If so, GOOD. I hope the whole freakin state reads this. Some may agree with his decisions, but he simply doesn't have the pull or the wisdom to lead this University's sports programs.

Third, I hope somebody develops a helmet that makes (excuse me while I grab the mouthwash) the t-a-r-g-e-t-i-n-g penalty become a sad footnote in the history of college football, and is set aside. This ain't football.
Click to expand...
Neither Fulmer nor Pruitt read this board
 
New posts
You must log in or register to reply here.

VN Store



Back
Top