Future of the SEC East

#1
Ericvol2096

Ericvol2096

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#1
I wanted to put this thought in here, because it pertains to the future of the division and the winning on and off the field (recruiting) that teams will have. Also I just wanted some good discussion:).

James Franklin is now officially gone from Vandy and I think they will have a VERY hard time replacing him. Tennessee will effectively own the state in recruiting for the near future. This is a near future that is stocked with some of the best talent the state has ever seen.

Spurrier, while building SC into a great program, is in his final years. I think it is safe to assume that SC is either at its peak or very near their peak as a program for the foreseeable future. I could see a couple more very good seasons for them, but in no way will the next coach there be able to sustain what he has done.

Florida is a disaster. While they could be one hire away from a complete quick turnaround, you can at least see a couple more seasons of average teams for them.

UGA fans are back on the fire Richt bandwagon after an 8-5 season. He is refusing to fire Grantham and Bobo and I think is on his final years as well. They will continue to under achieve under him and even if they do replace him are they guaranteed to even stay at the level he's had them?

Kentucky will always suck.

That leaves Missouri, which is a solid program with a good coach, but will never have recruiting advantages that others in the SEC East have. They will pop up every few years when the stars align for them, but overall they won't ever be the top East program, IMO.

That leaves the Vols and Butch freaking JONES. The early reports are that the EE's are some of the best talent we've had in years. Also with likelihood of adding a couple more 4 stars down the stretch and a very good beginning of the 2015 class, we look to be turning the Titantic around.

We do have the hardest West draw every year, but USC adds A&M now and LSU and Auburn are always great as well which UF and UGA have to play.

I really think the changing of the guard is in full motion, I see the light at the end of the seemingly endless tunnel. 2014 I think will give you a glimpse into that future, but there will likely be a few more bumps in the road. But in 2015, I think you will officially see the changing of the guard and the Vols will be back on top of the SEC East!

GO VOLS!:rock:
 
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#2
#2
I got my old crystal ball out of the attic and decided to ask it a question.
I said "Crystal ball, who will be the dominant team in the SEC east for the next decade?"

10 seconds later this showed up
Slide1.PNG
 
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#4
#4
My SEC picks for 2014:

SEC East:

1)South Carolina
2)Missouri
3)Georgia
4)Tennessee
5)Florida
6)Vanderbilt
7)Kentucky

SEC West:

1)Auburn
2)LSU
3)Alabama
4)Ole Miss
5)Texas A&M
6)Mississippi State
7)Arkansas
 
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#5
#5
eazyTD said:
I got my old crystal ball out of the attic and decided to ask it a question.
I said "Crystal ball, who will be the dominant team in the SEC east for the next decade?"

10 seconds later this showed up
Slide1.PNG
Click to expand...

I can't believe you actually wear a watch..
 
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#6
#6
Whoever has the best coach over the next couple of seasons... and they have to bring it to the field too... will have a real opportunity to own the East for awhile.

With Miami, FSU, Auburn, and UCF putting direct pressure on UF, I believe it was a mistake to keep Muschamp.

Richt will hang on because he's a good personality that Georgia fans are attracted to.

Spurrier hasn't made a living on tons of great talent like he did at UF. USCe is a reflection of HIS ability to coach, to change, to evolve... but he's almost done.

You nailed Mizzou... if they can hang on to Pinkel. However the HSFB out here IS improving.

That does leave UT and Butch Jones. And in spite of all the hopeful wishes... we really don't know what we have yet. He's selling a dream to recruits right now and selling it well. But that only sells for a year or at that absolute most two without results on the field. He doesn't have to win the SEC that quickly... but he needs to be much more competitive consistently than they were this year. They have to win some games they shouldn't plus all the ones they should. They have to outcoach the better coaches in the SEC.

I am certainly hoping they do it. But their ability to do it on the field is still a big question mark.
 
#7
#7
I realize that to anyone who actually reads my posts, I've been redundant in the "why the Franklin worship" motif. And here's the thing this time:

"James Franklin is now officially gone from Vandy and I think they will have a VERY hard time replacing him. Tennessee will effectively own the state in recruiting for the near future. "

Why couple these two sentences together? Tennessee already owns the state in recruiting this season while we are down and Franklin is at his pinnacle, whining about the loss of Hurd on twitter and others along the way. He got E Smith. That's it.

I'd be happy to take 8 of the top 10 recruits in Tennessee in the state's good talent years, such as we have this year, and call it a day. The point- we did not need Franklin to leave to kick Vandy's tail in recruiting.

And further, we didn't need Franklin to leave to get back to winning. Part of the reason he left is that he understands that eventually he will have to start beating winning football teams in the SEC when his weak schedule turns strong, and he "lifted anchor" before that happened, like a rat off a sinking ship, so to speak!
 
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#8
#8
Ericvol2096 said:
I wanted to put this thought in here, because it pertains to the future of the division and the winning on and off the field (recruiting) that teams will have. Also I just wanted some good discussion:).

James Franklin is now officially gone from Vandy and I think they will have a VERY hard time replacing him. Tennessee will effectively own the state in recruiting for the near future. This is a near future that is stocked with some of the best talent the state has ever seen.

Spurrier, while building SC into a great program, is in his final years. I think it is safe to assume that SC is either at its peak or very near their peak as a program for the foreseeable future. I could see a couple more very good seasons for them, but in no way will the next coach there be able to sustain what he has done.

Florida is a disaster. While they could be one hire away from a complete quick turnaround, you can at least see a couple more seasons of average teams for them.

UGA fans are back on the fire Richt bandwagon after an 8-5 season. He is refusing to fire Grantham and Bobo and I think is on his final years as well. They will continue to under achieve under him and even if they do replace him are they guaranteed to even stay at the level he's had them?

Kentucky will always suck.

That leaves Missouri, which is a solid program with a good coach, but will never have recruiting advantages that others in the SEC East have. They will pop up every few years when the stars align for them, but overall they won't ever be the top East program, IMO.

That leaves the Vols and Butch freaking JONES. The early reports are that the EE's are some of the best talent we've had in years. Also with likelihood of adding a couple more 4 stars down the stretch, a very good beginning of the 2015 class and we look to be turning the Titantic around.

We do have the hardest West draw every year, but USC adds A&M now and LSU and Auburn are always great as well which UF and UGA have to play.

I really think the changing of the guard is in full motion, I see the light at the end of the seemingly endless tunnel. 2014 I think will give you a glimpse into that future, but there will likely be a few more bumps in the road. But in 2015, I think you will officially see the changing of the guard and the Vols will be back on top of the SEC East!

GO VOLS!:rock:
Click to expand...

I think the playing field is going to be very level for the next couple of years (in the East). There will be no dominant team, but 6 or 7 teams capable of cracking the top 20. I even expect to see Kentucky come up and maybe replace Vandy as a team not to be taken too lightly.

As soon as Tennessee can put good starters and backups on the OL and DL, we should be able to rise to the top though. I don't think that will likely happen this year, but hopefully in 2015.


I think adding Kiffin at Alabama (I know this is slightly off-topic) was a very risky move by Saban. Just because they lost two straight games, it was no time to panic. Anyway, just like when he was here, it is going to add to the entertainment factor for sure.
 
#10
#10
sjt18 said:
Whoever has the best coach over the next couple of seasons... and they have to bring it to the field too... will have a real opportunity to own the East for awhile.

With Miami, FSU, Auburn, and UCF putting direct pressure on UF, I believe it was a mistake to keep Muschamp.

Richt will hang on because he's a good personality that Georgia fans are attracted to.

Spurrier hasn't made a living on tons of great talent like he did at UF. USCe is a reflection of HIS ability to coach, to change, to evolve... but he's almost done.

You nailed Mizzou... if they can hang on to Pinkel. However the HSFB out here IS improving.

That does leave UT and Butch Jones. And in spite of all the hopeful wishes... we really don't know what we have yet. He's selling a dream to recruits right now and selling it well. But that only sells for a year or at that absolute most two without results on the field. He doesn't have to win the SEC that quickly... but he needs to be much more competitive consistently than they were this year. They have to win some games they shouldn't plus all the ones they should. They have to outcoach the better coaches in the SEC.

I am certainly hoping they do it. But their ability to do it on the field is still a big question mark.
Click to expand...

I think you would have seen a better finish to the season if we didn't have to play our fourth string quarterback that the coaches obviously were trying very hard to redshirt.

The UGA and SC performances should be what resonates from this season, not the finish.

Once again that is just how I evaluate it and think the questions are fair.
 
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#11
#11
volshogs said:
I realize that to anyone who actually reads my posts, I've been redundant in the "why the Franklin worship" motif. And here's the thing this time:

"James Franklin is now officially gone from Vandy and I think they will have a VERY hard time replacing him. Tennessee will effectively own the state in recruiting for the near future. "

Why couple these two sentences together? Tennessee already owns the state in recruiting this season while we are down and Franklin is at his pinnacle, whining about the loss of Hurd on twitter and others along the way. He got E Smith. That's it.

I'd be happy to take 8 of the top 10 recruits in Tennessee in the state's good talent years, such as we have this year, and call it a day. The point- we did not need Franklin to leave to kick Vandy's tail in recruiting.

And further, we didn't need Franklin to leave to get back to winning. Part of the reason he left is that he understands that eventually he will have to start beating winning football teams in the SEC when his weak schedule turns strong, and he "lifted anchor" before that happened, like a rat off a sinking ship, so to speak!
Click to expand...

Good point and I almost added a sentence that said, which we've already begun to do, but my post was already long enough!:eek:lol:

Franklin was a good coach though and could have been a thorn in our side if it takes a few years for Butch to start showing the fruits of his labor.
 
#12
#12
Ericvol2096 said:
I think you would have seen a better finish to the season if we didn't have to play our fourth string quarterback that the coaches obviously were trying very hard to redshirt.

The UGA and SC performances should be what resonates from this season, not the finish.

Once again that is just how I evaluate it and think the questions are fair.
Click to expand...

That's somewhat fair. My bigger questions are with the DC though. I actually have some optimism about the O though the performance was not very good much of the year. I think the QB's as a group are better than most give them credit for. I think UT will run well as long as Jones is around. I REALLY like the OL coming up if a LT can be found.... and I think the receivers as a group will be better PRIMARILY on the strength of a bunch of guys who endured trial by fire this past season more than incoming players.
 
#13
#13
SC's last 2 coaching hires have been championship-caliber coaches. Who's to say they couldn't do it again?
 
#14
#14
Good write up, but something that is the wild card is some of the teams mentioned who will replace their coaches, might get better coaches. Who knows at this point.

I agree with sjt that we don't know how CBJ will do 2 to 3 years hence, but he is off to an amazing start recruiting with a 5-7 record. The better players will certainly improve the team in the next 3 seasons and give the staff more options to game plan and develop the players. Because of this, I am more optimistic than sjt about the future of the program.
 
#15
#15
Ericvol2096 said:
I wanted to put this thought in here, because it pertains to the future of the division and the winning on and off the field (recruiting) that teams will have. Also I just wanted some good discussion:).

James Franklin is now officially gone from Vandy and I think they will have a VERY hard time replacing him. Tennessee will effectively own the state in recruiting for the near future. This is a near future that is stocked with some of the best talent the state has ever seen.

Spurrier, while building SC into a great program, is in his final years. I think it is safe to assume that SC is either at its peak or very near their peak as a program for the foreseeable future. I could see a couple more very good seasons for them, but in no way will the next coach there be able to sustain what he has done.

Florida is a disaster. While they could be one hire away from a complete quick turnaround, you can at least see a couple more seasons of average teams for them.

UGA fans are back on the fire Richt bandwagon after an 8-5 season. He is refusing to fire Grantham and Bobo and I think is on his final years as well. They will continue to under achieve under him and even if they do replace him are they guaranteed to even stay at the level he's had them?

Kentucky will always suck.

That leaves Missouri, which is a solid program with a good coach, but will never have recruiting advantages that others in the SEC East have. They will pop up every few years when the stars align for them, but overall they won't ever be the top East program, IMO.

That leaves the Vols and Butch freaking JONES. The early reports are that the EE's are some of the best talent we've had in years. Also with likelihood of adding a couple more 4 stars down the stretch and a very good beginning of the 2015 class, we look to be turning the Titantic around.

We do have the hardest West draw every year, but USC adds A&M now and LSU and Auburn are always great as well which UF and UGA have to play.

I really think the changing of the guard is in full motion, I see the light at the end of the seemingly endless tunnel. 2014 I think will give you a glimpse into that future, but there will likely be a few more bumps in the road. But in 2015, I think you will officially see the changing of the guard and the Vols will be back on top of the SEC East!

GO VOLS!:rock:
Click to expand...



Wait, what do you mean Vandy will have a hard time replacing Franklin?? According to most on here, Franklin is waaaaaaay overrated because of his "weak schedule" and atrocious recruiting.
 
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#16
#16
volroadwarrior said:
Because of this, I am more optimistic than sjt about the future of the program.
Click to expand...

It would be inaccurate to characterize me as optimistic or pessimistic. Right now, my eyes are just open... taking everything in... looking for a reason ON the field to be hopeful. Off the field looks good if not excellent.

In every off the field respect we can see, Jones is as close to ideal for UT as you could find. Enthusiasm like Kiffin sans the cult like creepiness. Appreciation for the program and history almost as much as Fulmer in spite of no previous ties. Great ability to connect with supporters, alums, former players, and supporters. He represents the program well in the media.

Off the field, there's not much more you could ask for. The questions are on the field... and how he will manage his staff. For instance, is he Saban or Fulmer when it comes to loyalty to underperforming coaches?
 
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#17
#17
OP makes some valid points. I agree for the most part. Just think you and others are under selling UF and overselling Sc and LSU. They both are getting gutted by NFL and replacing fr/soph in key position.
Posted via VolNation Mobile
 
#18
#18
Ericvol2096 said:
I think you would have seen a better finish to the season if we didn't have to play our fourth string quarterback that the coaches obviously were trying very hard to redshirt.

The UGA and SC performances should be what resonates from this season, not the finish.

Once again that is just how I evaluate it and think the questions are fair.
Click to expand...

Good post. I also believe one other factor could have made a 1 possibly 2 game difference. We had no TE play to speak of. Had we gotten anything worth while out of that position I truely believe we would have been bowling this year......even with the 4th string QB finishing the season. JMO though.
 
#19
#19
HialeahGator said:
OP makes some valid points. I agree for the most part. Just think you and others are under selling UF and overselling Sc and LSU. They both are getting gutted by NFL and replacing fr/soph in key position.
Posted via VolNation Mobile
Click to expand...

As much as I hate to say it, because I really dislike the Gators, I agree with you. Florida has a chance at being good to really good next year.

Aren't you guys returning 11 pretty good players from injury next year?
 
#22
#22
The landscape is changing for FL. Everyone recruits UF. FSU is now the hot program. Miami is always a draw.

At least for now, UF cannot get away with a bad coach like they did with Zook.
 
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#23
#23
ajvol01 said:
How many championships have they won :)
Click to expand...

What Spurrier has done at SC is the story of the decade. It's the equivalent of Vandy having three 11-win seasons in a row against a good schedule, and a 5-game winning streak against UT when we had yearly top-20 finishes.

I never thought I'd see the day when Clemson fans were calling out SC fans about graduation rates.
 
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#24
#24
HialeahGator said:
OP makes some valid points. I agree for the most part. Just think you and others are under selling UF and overselling Sc and LSU. They both are getting gutted by NFL and replacing fr/soph in key position.
Posted via VolNation Mobile
Click to expand...

I don't think he's too far off HG. Between FSU's NC and the year UF has had, I'd be real concerned about your instate recruiting.
 
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