In looking at Team 120, I chose to go back to Team 102, and 119, for an idea what a "Championship Caliber Team" looks like on any given week.
To me, you have to play solid defense, solid special teams, and have a solid running game. Line play is critical. You have to be the more aggressive team. Then you have to win the games you should win; win all but one of the games you probably should have lost; and win all of the 50/50's. It's an oversimplification, but I'm trying to avoid a full page post here.
Team 102 did all of the above, and more. They went, IMO, 3-0 on the tough games that could have gone either way.
It's subjective on my part, but I think Team 119 went 0-1 on "should have won" (UF); 1-1 on "Should have lost" (UGA and Bama); and 0-2 on the 50/50's. Again, JMO.
I have my concerns about the offensive scheme. I have my concerns (now) about game prep and team motivation. I have concerns about in-game adjustments. Any one of those can...and at least one likely will...cost us a win if not fixed.
That being said, we're 1-0. We gutted out a tough win against an opponent that proved tougher than we expected. Shades of '98? Maybe. Maybe not.
I'm much more interested in where we're ranked on November 1st than I was on September 1st. I have held from the beginning that I would reserve judgement on this team, and this staff, until after the UF game. Nothing I saw on Thursday night changed my mind; it only served to make this Saturday, and the next two after that, all the more critical for this team and staff. How they respond in Bristol to what happened in Knoxville this year, and how they respond in Knoxville to what happened in Gainesville last year, will tell us a lot about what we can expect from Team 120.
I remain a fan, regardless.
Go Vols.