Good looking team

[Woke]

This is a rebuilding year it’s not about the W/L record per se it’s about making a smashmouth statement that real Tennessee football is back

We have to reestablish our identity Win Lose or Draw and quit trying to be Bama or UGA or FL

We need to play with that Johnny Majors RECKLESS ABANDON with a chip on our shoulders just like the band of castaways and survivors we are

If we do that the W/L record will take care of itself

 

[CA_Vol]

15-0!! Wooooooo!!!!

WGWTFA

 

[volinthenorth]

You do you,.and I'll do me.

I can set expectations and still enjoy good play even if they don't reach the goal.

10-2!!!

10-2, Murica and the Big Orange. I like the way you roll, LittleVol

 

[rdk4121]

You're looking at the UK roster and the UT roster... considering their QB option vs UT's options... what they lost vs what UT loss and predicting a likely loss then lecturing people about being "rational"?

UK lost the biggest chunk of the core of their team. There is a romantic myth that Mizzou became a good team after finding Bazelak (who is a good QB). They didn't. In fact, a 4-7 MSU team that was beaten convincingly by UK also and barely beat Tulsa took Mizzou to the woodshed in the last game of the regular season.

The FACT that UT has been very poorly coached for the last 3 years doesn't make those teams better than they are.

You think Vegas, FPI, and most college football experts are somehow wrong when they predict we will lose to them, and you guys are somehow the rational ones? Give me a break. Missouri also beat Kentucky, so what they had a bad game? Still won two more games than us, and beat both Arkansas and Kentucky, both of which beat us. Are you going to pretend we were playing well by the end of last year where we lost 7 of the last 8 games, all by double digits?

Also incredibly poor decision to bring Tulsa into this. 1, they were pretty solid and a top 25 team a good chunk of the year. 2, they beat UCF at UCF in Heupel's 3rd year. If he can't beat them, you think he should just have success here easily? I don't really care, but just a stupid point to make and has no bearing on the conversation.

You think Huepel can undo 3 years of poor coaching in the span of 8 months? Did Saban do that? No. Did Kirby Smart do that? Not really, and they were still pretty stacked.

We are not favored against them, the FPI predicts we will lose, pretty much everyone is picking us to finish behind them this year. You guys have no argument here other than "I think we'll win." You'll have a tough time convincing anyone outside of this fanbase of that point, when it's a FACT that most people don't agree with you.

Can we beat anyone outside of the big 3? Sure, no reason we can't, but we will only be favored in 6 of the games this year. There's not an argument to be had there, that's just a fact. Obviously things will change once we get into the season with injuries/momentum/etc, but that's just as it stands now.

I think one overlooked factor is that other schools lose key players, too, though of course we lost plenty thru the portal. But others lose them to injuries, or they just up and leave, like Gilbert and others at Georgia, or Prunty at SC.

And some of our opponents have new coaches also. Let's tee it up and see what happens.

Yes some of our opponents do have new coaches. The two schools pretty much everyone agrees we should beat anyway. That doesn't matter for the other 6 SEC teams we face this year. We've lost more players than anyone, it doesn't matter that much if everyone loses players. The fact remains though, we still lost way more and have also lost 3 to injury just since fall camp started. It somewhat equals out, but they have plenty of catching up to do.

 

[wmcovol]

He’s definitely not a Left Tackle. I think he can be a Right Tackle. He’s dropped 25 lbs this off-season to become quicker.

I’m going off his first 3 yrs college performance. If he’s trimmed down, improved his foot quickness, maybe. I hope he’s able.

 

[wmcovol]

Vols possession:
3rd and 3
1:25 to go in the 4th QTR at midfield
UT 24- UGA 22 no timeouts for the Bulldogs
Vols come out 3 wide with Fant off tackle.
6'5 230 lb Dee Beckwith the lone back.
Calloway goes in motion...
The snap and the handoff to Beckwith!
He cuts to the outside and turns the corner, finally dragged down after a 32 yard gain!
BALL GAME!!

Interesting but I think of Beckwith as a 2nd half RB also. Big strong & fast vs a tired D. Now they’ve just got to get to the 4th Qtr with a lead.

 

[LittleVol]

Let's make this clear, we are underdogs against Kentucky. It's at Kentucky with their 8th year head against our first year head coach with the most roster turnover in the nation. FPI gives us a 41% chance, which is slightly higher than the 40% chance of beating Missouri at Missouri.

We got worse as the season went on, and Missouri got better. That's why Missouri is ahead of us despite us beating them pretty bad. Half the team that beat them last year isn't even here at this point.

Kentucky and Missouri are ahead of us because they finished ahead of us in the standings, and because we are going to be underdogs to both of those teams this year. Your last paragraph is a wild ride, and completely nonsense. Sometimes the better team loses, sure, but somehow you think we can be a better team than them by losing to them and losing more games overall? Talk about defeatist attitude. I'm not going to sit here and be willing to accept losses and say we're better than other people. If we're better, then we should prove it on the field. Nothing matters at the end of the day other than wins and losses. No one looks at a coaches record and says "yeah, but look at how many games he could have won."

Sure, I might sap the joy or whatever of a bunch of lunatics that think we're going to go 10-2. I'm fine with that.

A long post with again ZERO analysis about the supposed better team....

 

[LittleVol]

How about this:

We all meet up at G10 prior to the season opener, and you guys can duke it out with those oversized boxing gloves, or maybe use those pugil sticks (like from American Gladiators). Seriously though, if there’s anything this thread shows, it’s that despite a whole lot of BVS, we’ve still got a lot of passionate folks out there, and that makes me happy.

Personally, I tend to lean more into the optimistic side, so maybe I’ll put my money on LittleVol. I’m just a happy and optimistic person by nature. Sure it might mean disappointment at the end of the year, but it also makes for a way better time at the pregame tailgate.

Put your money on me for the fight for sure haha.

The football Season is out of my hands completely though, even though I EXPLAINED our rosters skillset and how they could have a lot of unexpected success this year.
It's not a very hard schedule...and for a variety of reasons- some unconnected - we find ourselves with a talented 3 deep at QB.
Very versatile RBs.
The fastest WR group in college. Didn't say the "best". But the fastest....absolutely.

You're already seeing improvement on the dline with Rodney G. Which will help our veteran secondary. And as far as LBs we'll at least match what Crouch and Henry To'oto'o brought last year. They were extremely average too often...

 

[LittleVol]

Interesting but I think of Beckwith as a 2nd half RB also. Big strong & fast vs a tired D. Now they’ve just got to get to the 4th Qtr with a lead.

You saw it in the spring game a bit. But I personally would categorize him as "offensive weapon " You'll see him.on the field at the same time as Evans or Small. Maybe in a bunch formation or a pro set or in the slot. He will see snaps at RB, WR, and probably flex TE.

Because, Small is so dependable and Evans has to see the field too.

It's a group filled with potential.

 

[wmcovol]

You saw it in the spring game a bit. But I personally would categorize him as "offensive weapon " You'll see him.on the field at the same time as Evans or Small. Maybe in a bunch formation or a pro set or in the slot. He will see snaps at RB, WR, and probably flex TE.

Because, Small is so dependable and Evans has to see the field too.

It's a group filled with potential.

Agree, he can give Def Coordinators fits trying to determine if we’re in 4 WR or 2RB sets.

 

[LittleVol]

What in the absolute F would make anyone believe this is a 9 win team? Seriously I love the Vols but rationally if we win 6 games I’ll be beyond impressed.

Why??

It's fine for people to disagree, but so far no one has actually explained WHY we're not as good as Pitt, UK, Ole Miss, Mizzou.

And Heupel was 1-1 vs Florida while at Mizzou.
I dare to say there is more offensive talent on the 2021 UT Vols than 2016-2017 Mizzou.

We'll see. But it would be nice for people to actually have a legitimate argument against why UT won't have success against 9 mediocre to bad teams...

 

[ftsandersvol]

Good looks and a $1 will get you a cup of coffee at McDonald's.

 

[calban]

Good looks and a $1 will get you a cup of coffee at McDonald's.

Not any more. Forget the tax?

 

[ftsandersvol]

Not any more. Forget the tax?

"Taxation without representation is tyranny." - James Otis 1761

"Over taxation, even with representation, is still tyranny." - Ftsandersvol 2021

 

[Orange_Crush]

You think Vegas, FPI, and most college football experts are somehow wrong when they predict we will lose to them, and you guys are somehow the rational ones?

Stooping to "appeal to authority" fallacies definitely doesn't make you rational.

 

[DaddyChad]

Why??

It's fine for people to disagree, but so far no one has actually explained WHY we're not as good as Pitt, UK, Ole Miss, Mizzou.

And Heupel was 1-1 vs Florida while at Mizzou.
I dare to say there is more offensive talent on the 2021 UT Vols than 2016-2017 Mizzou.

We'll see. But it would be nice for people to actually have a legitimate argument against why UT won't have success against 9 mediocre to bad teams...

I mean I would be happier if you’re proven right than wrong, I just don’t see it.

 

[sjt18]

You think Vegas, FPI, and most college football experts are somehow wrong when they predict we will lose to them,

Yes. I do. All make assumptions about the upcoming year at this point based not on the teams that will face but the previous year. Last year, the Vols were a 7 or 8 win team that Pruitt mismanaged into a 3 win team. Had they actually done that... what would these "experts" be saying about this season?

Could Heupel be equally bad? Yes. But I don't think he is.

and you guys are somehow the rational ones? Give me a break. Missouri also beat Kentucky, so what they had a bad game?

And there you go again with the special pleading. Missouri had a bad game but there can be no reasons for UT's dismal performance against UK other than UK having a better roster THIS YEAR.

Still won two more games than us, and beat both Arkansas and Kentucky, both of which beat us. Are you going to pretend we were playing well by the end of last year where we lost 7 of the last 8 games, all by double digits?

I'm not pretending anything. You are. You are pretending that last year which was the product of bad coaching and worse leadership is a great predictor of this year.

Also incredibly poor decision to bring Tulsa into this. 1, they were pretty solid and a top 25 team a good chunk of the year.

LOL... they are a mid-major who finished 6-3... but their top 25 ranking for much of the year must be the real them... because it is convenient to the ridiculous argument you are trying to make.

I think UT should beat UK this year because UT has a better roster. UK may win. I don't think it will be because they're more talented.

2, they beat UCF at UCF in Heupel's 3rd year. If he can't beat them, you think he should just have success here easily? I don't really care, but just a stupid point to make and has no bearing on the conversation.

Yeah... there's no reason why last year might have been kind of screwy and more screwy for some than others, right?

You think Huepel can undo 3 years of poor coaching in the span of 8 months? Did Saban do that? No. Did Kirby Smart do that? Not really, and they were still pretty stacked.

Depends on what was poor. The culture has changed. The LOS coaching appears to have improved by a lot.

FWIW, you chose two examples that suited you and ignored dozens... that don't. Meyer had immediate impact at BGSU, Utah, UF, and OSU. Fisher made immediate impact at TAM. Even Pittman made immediate impact at Arkansas.

We are not favored against them, the FPI predicts we will lose, pretty much everyone is picking us to finish behind them this year. You guys have no argument here other than "I think we'll win." You'll have a tough time convincing anyone outside of this fanbase of that point, when it's a FACT that most people don't agree with you.

What did the same experts say this time last year concerning the same game and why? What did they predict for last season?

Can we beat anyone outside of the big 3? Sure, no reason we can't, but we will only be favored in 6 of the games this year. There's not an argument to be had there, that's just a fact. Obviously things will change once we get into the season with injuries/momentum/etc, but that's just as it stands now.

Now you're Nostradamus? This is a big part of your problem with every argument you make. You make assumptions and offer them as facts and then refuse to look at facts that contradict your assumptions.

UT may lose to UK this year but the Cats lost 10 guys they can't replace nor can they backfill their 2 deep very easily. Even with all that talent, they scored only 22 ppg while allowing 26.

Yes some of our opponents do have new coaches. The two schools pretty much everyone agrees we should beat anyway. That doesn't matter for the other 6 SEC teams we face this year. We've lost more players than anyone, it doesn't matter that much if everyone loses players. The fact remains though, we still lost way more and have also lost 3 to injury just since fall camp started. It somewhat equals out, but they have plenty of catching up to do.

It doesn't matter what anyone "lost". It only matters what they have. UK lost guys that they cannot replace to the degree UT can replace the guys they lost.... at least not with guys on their roster.

 

[Alto1]

I will be glad to see our linebackers get some good coaching with CBJM. The so called coach they had last year, “nieds” was pathetic…..

 

[rdk4121]

Stooping to "appeal to authority" fallacies definitely doesn't make you rational.

Yes the totally rational, very objective people are a very good source on who to trust in college football. That much is for sure.

 

[rdk4121]

Yes. I do. All make assumptions about the upcoming year at this point based not on the teams that will face but the previous year. Last year, the Vols were a 7 or 8 win team that Pruitt mismanaged into a 3 win team. Had they actually done that... what would these "experts" be saying about this season?

Could Heupel be equally bad? Yes. But I don't think he is.

And there you go again with the special pleading. Missouri had a bad game but there can be no reasons for UT's dismal performance against UK other than UK having a better roster THIS YEAR.

I'm not pretending anything. You are. You are pretending that last year which was the product of bad coaching and worse leadership is a great predictor of this year.

LOL... they are a mid-major who finished 6-3... but their top 25 ranking for much of the year must be the real them... because it is convenient to the ridiculous argument you are trying to make.

I think UT should beat UK this year because UT has a better roster. UK may win. I don't think it will be because they're more talented.

Yeah... there's no reason why last year might have been kind of screwy and more screwy for some than others, right?

Depends on what was poor. The culture has changed. The LOS coaching appears to have improved by a lot.

FWIW, you chose two examples that suited you and ignored dozens... that don't. Meyer had immediate impact at BGSU, Utah, UF, and OSU. Fisher made immediate impact at TAM. Even Pittman made immediate impact at Arkansas.

What did the same experts say this time last year concerning the same game and why? What did they predict for last season?

Now you're Nostradamus? This is a big part of your problem with every argument you make. You make assumptions and offer them as facts and then refuse to look at facts that contradict your assumptions.

UT may lose to UK this year but the Cats lost 10 guys they can't replace nor can they backfill their 2 deep very easily. Even with all that talent, they scored only 22 ppg while allowing 26.


It doesn't matter what anyone "lost". It only matters what they have. UK lost guys that they cannot replace to the degree UT can replace the guys they lost.... at least not with guys on their roster.

I'm not even going to bother for most of that reply since it barely makes sense. Either way, Sam Pittman went 3-7 last year, not like he lit the world on fire. Jimbo went 9-4 following a 7-5 campaign, which is decent, but they were also a very talented team that was poorly coached, which is what you're hoping happens here. We don't have the same stockpile of talent or depth that they did, nor was our freshman class as good.

FPI predicted we'd win 4 games last year and everyone was up in arms about that. It had Kentucky ahead of us at the beginning of the year (though it gave us a slight edge in the matchup since it was at home). Pretty good if you ask me. Certainly not infallible, but certainly an objective measure of talent and matchups.

FPI has us going 6-6. That's a fact that can't be denied. They change it every week once the season starts to be fair, but that is what it is right now. They overestimated us if anything last year, let's hope that isn't the case again. We have 4 easy games, and 5 winnable games, 3 unwinnable games. Let's hope we get at least 2-3 of the winnable games.

 

[TNnative]

I’m excited to see what this season holds.
I think it will be a positive turning point in the Volunteer football program.
The sleeping giant may be awakening!
GBO!

Or he may just take another few doses of Sominex. They must using a building on campus to hold a motherlode of a stash.

 

[LowKey]

Maybe we do end up 5-7...
But I'd be very surprised.
I lowkey think we have 9-3 , 10-2 talent.

This is a talented team.
We have a 5 star QB who might not even be starter because of other talented guys.

RBs that can play WR and RB about 4 deep
- Small ( runs hard)
- Beckwith ( plus power)
- Evans (plus power)
- Wright - can all do everything.

WRa that can run. Some ranked high in prep.
Others just talented
Hyatt 4*
Keyton 4 *
Calloway 4*
Payton 4 *
Jones - All Conference Return Man
And MORE!

Big strong higley ranked OL. Two 5 *s starting at the tackles and big strong men in between.

And the DEFENSE is just littered with athletic fast dudes that are relatively unknown.

10-2.
And I ain't saying it's going to be Florida .

I'm ready for this!!

O-Line should have been one of the best in the country last year too. Talent is still there. Hope it shows up.

 

[sjt18]

I'm not even going to bother for most of that reply since it barely makes sense. Either way, Sam Pittman went 3-7 last year, not like he lit the world on fire. Jimbo went 9-4 following a 7-5 campaign, which is decent, but they were also a very talented team that was poorly coached, which is what you're hoping happens here. We don't have the same stockpile of talent or depth that they did, nor was our freshman class as good.

LOL... you really are determined. I'll give you that. This is a talent plus schedule question. If UT had OU rather than Pitt then I would say a 5-7 win roster.... but they don't.

Do you have a link to last year's pre-season FPI? Better yet... say the last 5 seasons or so?

FPI has us going 6-6. That's a fact that can't be denied.

I haven't tried to "deny" what they say. I have challenged the reasoning behind what they claim which relies heavily on last year's results. How could they look in depth at every situation like UT's at QB and come up with even accurate assumptions? The answer is that they cannot.

They change it every week once the season starts to be fair, but that is what it is right now.

But that's not the tone or apparent point of your posts.

They overestimated us if anything last year, let's hope that isn't the case again. We have 4 easy games, and 5 winnable games, 3 unwinnable games. Let's hope we get at least 2-3 of the winnable games.

That... finally... is reasonable though I would say 5 "should wins" and 3 winnable games. This is a 6-8 win roster. I think more highly of Ole Miss than others. I think they are roughly equal to UF as far as being winnable with UGA and Bama much more unlikely.

 

[rdk4121]

LOL... you really are determined. I'll give you that. This is a talent plus schedule question. If UT had OU rather than Pitt then I would say a 5-7 win roster.... but they don't.

Do you have a link to last year's pre-season FPI? Better yet... say the last 5 seasons or so?

I haven't tried to "deny" what they say. I have challenged the reasoning behind what they claim which relies heavily on last year's results. How could they look in depth at every situation like UT's at QB and come up with even accurate assumptions? The answer is that they cannot. But that's not the tone or apparent point of your posts.


That... finally... is reasonable though I would say 5 "should wins" and 3 winnable games. This is a 6-8 win roster. I think more highly of Ole Miss than others. I think they are roughly equal to UF as far as being winnable with UGA and Bama much more unlikely.

ESPN FPI predicts every game on Tennessee's new 2020 schedule
Please just read this article. It explains everything I've been saying.
The only thing it was wrong about was switching USCe and Kentucky outcomes (but both fell under a toss-up category), and it predicted we'd beat Arkansas, who was supposed to be horrible. The other 7 games were right though. It predicted 4-6.

Here's what you need the most from the article
"The preseason FPI is determined by four factors: Team performance over the past four seasons with the greatest emphasis on this past season; returning starters at quarterback and on offense and defense overall; Whether a team has a returning head coach; and recruiting rankings over the past four seasons." Even if you want to say our QB issues are magically fixed, which is a huge question mark, we don't have many returning starters overall. Lost 3-4 starters on the offensive line, our top 2 running backs, our top receiver, both inside and outside linebackers, best cornerback, and we haven't had much production out of the remaining DBs or DLine outside of a couple of guys. I'm not saying there's not talent at every position that could certainly improve with better coaching, but that's what we said with Pruitt as well. We can certainly improve, but pretty much everyone can say that.

As for winnable vs should win, I assume USCe is in the should win category, which is fine. It is always a close game no matter what with them. I think the most likely scenario is 6-6, but I can see 5-7 or 7-5. I've been pretty consistent about that from the get go, I just scoff at the people thinking it should be fairly easy to get to 9-3 or even 10-2. I don't see a chance in that. I'll feel a lot better about the team if they can beat Pitt.

 

[LittleVol]

O-Line should have been one of the best in the country last year too. Talent is still there. Hope it shows up.

So, a lot of fans just don't get consider the psychological aspect of football.

Oline success is very dependent on how many people they have to block.
In the run game, those lanes will get clogged if there;s too many defenders- Even just one extra...
In the passing game, you can lose containment if two guy are coming at you.

The key is to make the defense play honest. The ONLY way that happens is if the QB creates CONSISTENCY throwing the ball downfield. This makes those safetys have to play deep. it makes the LBs "hesitate" which slows down penetration. This makes your flex 3rd level defenders (CB, NB) have to focus on the WRS and paying more man, which put the "in the box" numbers more favorable to the Oline.

So in regards to psychology: Imagine if the majority of the time you were blocking for a guy, who couldn't move the offense forward. Who couldn't consistently complete the football downfield- so you were most of the time playing outnumbered.
And you had to do this game, after game, after game. Season, after season, after season. They went into each game knowing they had the lesser QB than the opposition.