Poll: Will 2025 be a success if record is

[BubbaDoc]

We are Tennessee. Tradition dictates that we lose one game that we absoluetly should not.

 

[PEPPERJAX]

Man you all have such loser mentalities. This is Huepel's most talented team ever. 9-3 is a disappointment given he's won more with less talented teams. Tennessee should be a program that holds itself to the highest standards. Anything less than a championship should be a disappointment from here on out.

My expectation for this season is 11-1, SEC Championship Game appearance, and advancing deep in the playoffs. Anything less than that should be a disappointment for a program like Tennessee.

I’m not going to say 11-1 but 10-2 is a real possibility if the offense improves. I think we are going to see fewer SEC teams finish with 11 or more regular season wins especially with a 9 game conference schedule approaching. I’m at 9-3 right now, however, that can all change in our favor if QB play is closer to Heupel’s first two years. You are correct about Heupel’s collection of talent which gives me optimism about this season. GBO!!

 

[901 Orange]

We haven't won in Gainesville or Tuscaloosa in 22 years, haven't beaten Georgia in several years. Every year we lose a away game we shouldn't. How are we getting 10 wins?

Yet we have beaten both 2 out of the last 3 years and should have won both of the last road games. I actually thought we underachieved 2 seasons ago. UGA is the only team on the schedule that's clearly better than us. I got Bama as a toss-up. 10 wins is definitely achievable.

 

[Go47]

We are Tennessee. Tradition dictates that we lose one game that we absoluetly should not.

. . . Which is a main reason I have us going 9-3 or 8-4 . . . Dependent upon also defeating someone we probably should not. Bama, UF, and UGA all are better talent wise.

 

[NighthawkVol]

We haven't won in Gainesville or Tuscaloosa in 22 years, haven't beaten Georgia in several years. Every year we lose a away game we shouldn't. How are we getting 10 wins?

By changing that.

 

[Other_Guy]

We haven't won in Gainesville or Tuscaloosa in 22 years, haven't beaten Georgia in several years. Every year we lose a away game we shouldn't. How are we getting 10 wins?

Heupel keeps doing new things. First, broke the Gator/Bama streaks. Then, got 2 out of 3. He has 4 shots at something new, the 4th being not losing that bad away game lol I believe he'll get one. The season won't go chalk.

 

[Rickyvol77]

Please explain to me why this is idiotic.

Because advocating firing one of the winningiest HCs in the country who has had top ten teams, made the playoff, rebuilt the program from ashes and have had success against Florida and Bama with many huge wins in 5 seasons because he couldn’t win 10 games in a season is idiotic

 

[Lankykong]

Because advocating firing one of the winningiest HCs in the country who has had top ten teams, made the playoff, rebuilt the program from ashes and have had success against Florida and Bama with many huge wins in 5 seasons because he couldn’t win 10 games in a season is idiotic

Also would lose a great freshman QB next year

 

[LegionnaireOfTheMiserable]

Man you all have such loser mentalities. This is Huepel's most talented team ever. 9-3 is a disappointment given he's won more with less talented teams. Tennessee should be a program that holds itself to the highest standards. Anything less than a championship should be a disappointment from here on out.

My expectation for this season is 11-1, SEC Championship Game appearance, and advancing deep in the playoffs. Anything less than that should be a disappointment for a program like Tennessee.

Last August you said we were better than Georgia and would destroy Ohio State. In fact, you said nobody was better than us.

We got pushed around by Georgia again, got destroyed by the Ohio State team that you said we would destroy, and we also lost to Arkansas. I think it is fair to say you have no idea what you are talking about and that everything you say usually turns out to be as wrong as humanly possible.

 

[YankeeVol]

NC or bust. It's year 5

 

[Dobbs 4 Heisman]

Last August you said we were better than Georgia and would destroy Ohio State. In fact, you said nobody was better than us.

We got pushed around by Georgia again, got destroyed by the Ohio State team that you said we would destroy, and we also lost to Arkansas. I think it is fair to say you have no idea what you are talking about and that everything you say usually turns out to be as wrong as humanly possible.

So because my predictions are wrong I should excuse mediocrity?

I never said I 100% guarantee we go 11-1 this year. I said that SHOULD be the expectation for this program in year 5 of a coach. Especially when he's pulled off 2 ten win seasons already. I'm objecting to people accepting mediocrity at this program not that I'm a fortune teller and know with certainty what will happen this year.

 

[LegionnaireOfTheMiserable]

So because my predictions are wrong I should excuse mediocrity?

I never said I 100% guarantee we go 11-1 this year. I said that SHOULD be the expectation for this program in year 5 of a coach. Especially when he's pulled off 2 ten win seasons already. I'm objecting to people accepting mediocrity at this program not that I'm a fortune teller and know with certainty what will happen this year.

Here’s the thing: by your evaluation, he had the best team in the country last year and lost 3 games in varying degrees of embarrassing fashion. If we are as wonderful and talented as you say, it stands to reason that Heupel would have to be a bad coach to underachieve like that. 10-3 with 3 bad losses to lesser teams in your estimation? So predicting 11-1 from a coach that you must believe is mediocre sounds foolish.

The team simply isn’t as talented as you believe. Wasn’t last year, probably never has been in any year. You also probably haven’t thought any team we ever had was less talented than the team before it. 9-3 would be fine with this group, and top 15 isn’t mediocre.

 

[Dobbs 4 Heisman]

Here’s the thing: by your evaluation, he had the best team in the country last year and lost 3 games in varying degrees of embarrassing fashion. If we are as wonderful and talented as you say, it stands to reason that Heupel would have to be a bad coach to underachieve like that. 10-3 with 3 bad losses to lesser teams in your estimation? So predicting 11-1 from a coach that you must believe is mediocre sounds foolish.

The team simply isn’t as talented as you believe. Wasn’t last year, probably never has been in any year. You also probably haven’t thought any team we ever had was less talented than the team before it. 9-3 would be fine with this group, and top 15 isn’t mediocre.

This is a fair criticism. I did overrate the team last year. I overlooked how bad the o-line was at pass protection and I was more hopeful about Nico becoming elite than I should have been. Nonetheless, we still made the playoffs (which is the goal every year) and we lost to the eventual national champion. Who if you remember ended up destroying the #1 seed Oregon the following week by a similar margin after losing to them earlier that year. Maybe Ohio State got hot at the right time and nobody was beating them.

Imagine if we had swaped places with Penn State in the playoff seedings. Its possible we go to the championship game. While I may have been wrong about us being the most talented team I don't think I was as far off as you claim. I think we're closer to winning it all than you think. I think this year's team is more talented than last year's team. Especially along the offensive line. If that happens to be true then we should EXPECT to be a championship contender this year and far better than 9-3.

 

[rocketskates]

We gotta beat UF. I am confident we are better than they are if we still healthy.

I would love to finally beat UGA, but I can accept losing to a more talented team, even if I think their QB wouldn't start for like 90 FBS schools.

Similarly, I feel like Bama could be really good or their QB situation could cost them 4 games or more in the regular season. But obviously they are tough to beat at home.

In short, 9-3 while beating UF would make me really happy in what feels like a transition year.

I agree. I suspect by the time we meet them in November they will be pretty banged up. Their schedule is brutal. That being said, there does seem to be some type of voodoo at work in Gainesville that makes us continue to lose there.

 

[unfrozencvmanvol]

9-3 by any means would be good.

 

[sami]

We haven't won in Gainesville or Tuscaloosa in 22 years, haven't beaten Georgia in several years. Every year we lose a away game we shouldn't. How are we getting 10 wins?

Maybe you'll enlighten all of us what the hell any of that has to do with this season.

But I suppose your "realistic" (negative loser mentality) outlook on everything pretty much explains it.

 

[Oldvoldad]

Because advocating firing one of the winningiest HCs in the country who has had top ten teams, made the playoff, rebuilt the program from ashes and have had success against Florida and Bama with many huge wins in 5 seasons because he couldn’t win 10 games in a season is idiotic

The guy you just described has the deepest, most talented roster he has ever had as a coach. Less than 10 is very disappointing and hard for me to see how he could improve this team going forward.

 

[Rocky Top T]

Maybe you'll enlighten all of us what the hell any of that has to do with this season.

But I suppose your "realistic" (negative loser mentality) outlook on everything pretty much explains it.

It has to do with I don't think we win in Gainesville or Tuscaloosa and unlikely we beat Georgia, it's pretty simple

 

[camp_steveo]

If the Vols lose to UGA, Alabama, and UF, that is not a success.

 

[sami]

It has to do with I don't think we win in Gainesville or Tuscaloosa and unlikely we beat Georgia, it's pretty simple

My question was what anything that happened before this season has to do with what might happen this season. You asked how we get to 10 wins based on nothing but what has happened in the past. I guess it's not so simple.

 

[Rocky Top T]

My question was what anything that happened before this season has to do with what might happen this season. You asked how we get to 10 wins based on nothing but what has happened in the past. I guess it's not so simple.

Ok

 

[VawlIn]

I care more about what we look like than who the losses are to. The main thing outside of winning that needs to come out of this year is rebuilding the passing game and getting our offensive balance back. It doesn’t even have to be the deep balls from 22. It can and probably should be more chunk passing plays. Or a guy taking a slant or hitch to the house. Tighten the splits up some from time to time and hit the backs out of the backfield or Matthews on a drag and let them run. With the studs we have in the backfield this year I don’t think we necessarily have to have the amount of grass we typically have with our wide splits. I think that’s a big reason he brought Landry Jones and Seth Littrell in. Jones ran a lot of air raid intermediate stuff with him rather than the veer and shoot, and I thought Littrell called as good of a game against us as he could have as far as balance and creativity goes

 

[chuckiepoo]

I care more about what we look like than who the losses are to. The main thing outside of winning that needs to come out of this year is rebuilding the passing game and getting our offensive balance back. It doesn’t even have to be the deep balls from 22. It can and probably should be more chunk passing plays. Or a guy taking a slant or hitch to the house. Tighten the splits up some from time to time and hit the backs out of the backfield or Matthews on a drag and let them run. With the studs we have in the backfield this year I don’t think we necessarily have to have the amount of grass we typically have with our wide splits. I think that’s a big reason he brought Landry Jones and Seth Littrell in. Jones ran a lot of air raid intermediate stuff with him rather than the veer and shoot, and I thought Littrell called as good of a game against us as he could have as far as balance and creativity goes

Landry Jones - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

Seth Littrell - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

Stacking coaching candidates, too!