My annual game by game prediction for 2015

#26
#26
ainge10heisman said:
8-4, losses to:
UF or Ark.
UGA
Bama
Mizzou
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This is a reasonable baseline expectation. 12-2 is more possible this season than any season in recent memory. But it shouldn't be the expectation. I don't want to listen to fans complaining about not going 12-2 in the third year of a major rebuild with a team loaded with sophomores and freshmen and serious depth concerns at RB and QB.
 
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#27
#27
Deputy Fife said:
Feckless until proven competent:

BGSU- W

Oklahoma- L

WC- W

Florida- L

Arkansas- L

Georgia- L

Alabama- L

Kentucky- W

USCe- W

North Texas- W

Mizzou- L

Vandy- W

The take home is that Butch's 3-0 record vs Spurrier proves he's a much better coach than Fulmer ever was.
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So you think we'll show ZERO progress next year eventhough we would be returning more starters than every other team in the SEC while adding a second consecutive top 5 recruiting class (something only Alabama has done)?

That simply cannot happen. If we go 6-6 next year (without a plethora of significant injuries to key players), then the seat will start to get warm for Coach Butch Jones. Regression like that would not be acceptable.
 
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#29
#29
Deputy Fife said:
Feckless until proven competent:

BGSU- W

Oklahoma- L

WC- W

Florida- L

Arkansas- L

Georgia- L

Alabama- L

Kentucky- W

USCe- W

North Texas- W

Mizzou- L

Vandy- W

The take home is that Butch's 3-0 record vs Spurrier proves he's a much better coach than Fulmer ever was.
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You're too far on the other side of the tracks than OP.

Nothing about Florida's situation gives me confidence in their ability to win big and Vols are on a huge upward trajectory, especially now that we have the right QB.

Arkansas is really good, but I give a lot of value to the game being in Neyland and the fact that our run game might rival theirs.
 
#32
#32
Lol to the OP. How exactly do we jump from #22 to #20 after beating BG at home when half the country will still be undefeated. The rest is full of orange koolaid, but at least you put some time into it.
 
#33
#33
2015 Regular Season

7 wins = below improvement line. Basically means we are not improving or some bizarre call or critical injury occurred that affected depth

8 wins = More or less on track and should be the expected pace

9 wins = Slightly ahead of schedule means that the team won an unexpected game or two

10 or More wins = turned the corner, the gap is closing or we caught some untangibles that normally don't pan our way. Beat 2 teams that were projected losses. This happens --- momentum, culture changing ---- it will be a matter of maintaining it in 2016.
 
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#34
#34
fade route said:
Lol to the OP. How exactly do we jump from #22 to #20 after beating BG at home when half the country will still be undefeated. The rest is full of orange koolaid, but at least you put some time into it.
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I only had us moving up on the account of some likely losses in week 1 by other top 25 teams. Most teams will go undefeated by playing other cupcakes. But there are always a few surprises.

And sure, I had a little bit of orange koolaid to drink last night when I wrote this. But trying to remain as objective as possible I can't justify more than maybe 2 or 3 losses at most. Bama, Arkansas, and UGA could all 3 be losses. But I see their depleted rosters from players graduating/going pro and look at who they have coming in all compared to Tennessee who brings back what? 18 of their 22 starters, some 25 rising sophomores that were pretty good even as freshmen (Barnett, Hurd, TK) and the new guys that will come in immediately at contribute like KMAC and yeah...I don't see us losing more than 3 games to those 3 teams. And perhaps it was the koolaid that decided we would only lose to one of them.
 
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#35
#35
Dave1967 said:
8-4 and 5-3 in the SEC. Tennessee will go to the Outback Bowl and play Michigan State,Wisconsin or Minnesota.
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Much more realistic...Too many delusional fans out there...This will be a team of freshmen and sophs...We will be better but not national title better.....Yet
 
#37
#37
VOLnMiami said:
Much more realistic...Too many delusional fans out there...This will be a team of freshmen and sophs...We will be better but not national title better.....Yet
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I agree. There will be mistakes. Game changing mistakes.

SECCG is the goal, but that's very hard.

UGA and MIZZOU are the teams to beat. MIZZOU more so.
Let's say we only lose to Bama in SEC play - MIZZOU has a very good chance of repeating a 7-1 year and topping UGA despite losing to UGA. UT will need to beat an experienced MIZZOU team with a beat up roster.

UGA because if MIZZOU falls on their faces like SCAR did, then we'll need that tiebreaker. UGA typically goes 6-2 - they'll lose to UT and a rival this year I reckon
 
#38
#38
Love that we are (finally back) in a condition where we can have serious discussions about whether 8-4 or 11-1 is more realistic. Thank you Orange gods of Football, thank you!

p.s. I'm still wavering between 8-4 and 10-2 ... we'll win the (6) games we should win ... lose the game ('bama, sadly) we're badly outgunned in ... and the rest, the tough games, we'll split ... but do we split them 2-3 or 4-1...?

Thanks, OP, for the very pleasant read.
 
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#39
#39
VFL-82-JP said:
Love that we are (finally back) in a condition where we can have serious discussions about whether 8-4 or 11-1 is more realistic. Thank you Orange gods of Football, thank you!

p.s. I'm still wavering between 8-4 and 10-2 ... we'll win the (6) games we should win ... lose the game ('bama, sadly) we're badly outgunned in ... and the rest, the tough games, we'll split ... but do we split them 2-3 or 4-1...?

Thanks, OP, for the very pleasant read.
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It was very pleasant to read, a trip to Fantasyland is always fun. But, this isn't Fantasyland, it's the real world and in reality with this schedule 8-4 should be the expectation.
 
#40
#40
An injury to Dobbs, depending on number of games missed, could easily put us back to 6-6. We have 3 true freshmen backing him up.
 
#41
#41
We lose to:
-Alabama (we get em in 2016)
-either UF or Mizzou on the road (hopefully Mizzou)
-One of Oklahoma, Arkansas, or Georgia at home (we win the other 2)

For exactness' sake, I'll say

Bowling Green W
Oklahoma W
W Carolina W
@Florida W
Arkansas L
Georgia W
@Alabama L
@Kentucky W
S Carolina W
North Texas W
@Mizzou L
Vandy W

9-3 (5-3)
 
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#43
#43
fade route said:
An injury to Dobbs, depending on number of games missed, could easily put us back to 6-6. We have 3 true freshmen backing him up.
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Pretty much. If Dobbs goes down the season is over.

The bad part is that won't matter to anyone. If Dobbs goes down and we go 6-6 the fanbase is still going to want Butch's head. Looking on the bright side, however, even with Peterman on the roster we were screwed if Dobbs went down. So there's that.
 
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#44
#44
chatt-townVOL said:
Pretty much. If Dobbs goes down the season is over.

The bad part is that won't matter to anyone. If Dobbs goes down and we go 6-6 the fanbase is still going to want Butch's head. Looking on the bright side, however, even with Peterman on the roster we were screwed if Dobbs went down. So there's that.
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It will be interesting to see who would get the first snap after Dobbs.
 
#45
#45
So you're predictions were perfect last year with the exception of UF? What about the year before? 11-1 seems very optimistic to me, but you do a good job of making it look realistic.
 
#46
#46
Dobbs 4 Heisman said:
Tennessee has been INFERIOR to Florida (in terms of talent) for the last 10 years. That why we've kept losing. Throw in some bad luck cause even when your roster is inferior, some teams can still win games.

Next year should be the first time we're CLEARLY the better team. If Butch Jones loses to Florida next year, we'll have to question whether he has what it takes to win the big games. Losing to Florida next season is INEXCUSABLE (as long as Dobbs is healthy).
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We've been doing this song and dance for 3 and 4 years now.

I, myself, have said in several of the past few seasons, "if you don't beat Florida this year, it's never going to happen".

Just last year, I saw a Florida QB go 11-23 for 59 yards, 0 TD's, and 3 Int's.....on the road in Knoxville and Florida still won the damn game.

I always teased KBVol, but count me in the "I'll believe it when I see it" category, especially in Gainesville where Tennessee has won twice since the Ford administration. At this point, even if I see it, I'll believe it was a mirage.

One of the problems with the "Tennessee is clearly the better team" argument is so many supposedly inferior teams have had no problem whipping the Gators at some point in the last 10 years. Vanderbilt has beaten Florida and Kentucky has taken Florida into overtime. Georgia Southern, famously, also got it done.
 
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#48
#48
Here Ya go OP...

KoolAidOhYeahman.gif


7-5/8-4 would be GREAT!
 
#50
#50
skasper06 said:
Who do you have us losing to? Where do you see 4 losses?
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Wait a minute. You don't see 4 losses in this schedule skas? I'll take a stab....Bama, Okla, Florida and Missouri are probable losses imo. Arkansas, Georgia and SCar are tossups. There are 7 potential losses in this schedule....I think and hope we win 3-4 of them to finish 8-4 or 9-3. Either would be a successful season.
 
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