Pruitt should thrive in this weakened SEC

[jakez4ut]

It will be interesting to see the evolution of the SEC over the next 3-5 years. Right now, the league overall is fairly weak outside of Alabama and Georgia. Auburn is pretty close. But then it's a pretty steep drop-off.

I'll admit I'm surprised that Kirby Smart has UGA at the level they're at. It's very possible that the balance of power shifts back to the SEC East very soon. Or, it may be that both divisions are equally strong. My prediction is that we're going to see the traditional powers rise to the top, and teams like Kentucky, Vandy, Missouri, Mississippi State, etc, fall to the bottom with more dominance seen from those powers over the bottom teams.

and Auburn beat GA and Bama. Auburn is one of the best teams in the league, though i'm sure it's probably hard to convince Auburn fans of that right now...lol.

LSU may be in trouble with coach O.....and i'm fine with that. Jimbo will get players to College Station. and they'll be good. i really don't think MSU is going to fall off that much. i think they're at least a perennial bowl team....

in the east, i think Stoops is doing a good job at KY, much like MSU, they should be a bowl team every year. and while Vandy will never threaten the conf, Mason puts a competitive team on the field.

i have no outlook on MO presently.

i do think USCe, FL, GA and TN all have the potential now to be factors year in and year out in the East.

i think the East is on the way back to balancing the league, and you'll have 4-6 teams a year capable of winning their division.

 

[MAUSERWERKE]

Sorry to say, but the Vols are at a distinct competitive disadvantage in the conference, at least for the time being. Having to play both UGA and Bama every year is about a close to 2 guaranteed losses as any team in the conference is going to face. And in 2018 throw in Auburn. With WVa on the schedule next year it is hard to see how the Vols do better than 6-6 in 2018. I hope only to be more competitive across the board.

 

[orangeluvr]

Hopefully, CJP was the right choice to lead the Vols back into the hierarchy of the SEC. Question is how long will it take him and will the fans be patient while he gets there???

After suffering through dooley and jones our patience has been severely tested,CJP should at least get the term of his contract. Who knows,.
he may be the answer.

 

[sechamp2012]

These teams will be hurting next year because no QB with a year of experience under belt. CFB is QB driven
Arkansas _Allen gone
LSU= Etling gone
Kentucky= Johnson gone
Missouri ? does Lock declare
Miss State? does Fitzgerald declare
Ole Miss= Patterson to Michigan

Teams in so so
UF has Franks back but not dynamic
UT has Guarantano back but not dynamic
TAM Hubenak gone Mond and Starkel will battle

good shape
UA- Hurts
USC= Bentley
Auburn- Stidham
UGA= Fromme
Vandy = Shummur

 

[dcm3w]

This x10000 we won games because we had Dobbs who was average to really good. UGA is winning for a great freshman, Kentucky will be down next year when Johnson leaves. SEC hasn’t had an elite QB since Cam.

Bama and Georgia are also showing that you don't need an elite QB but a game manager.

 

[KBVol]

I am disappointed too at the SEC post season but you have to remember how many of those programs had either a new coach or an interim coach. Mississippi State found a way to win with an interim staff but that is the exception. Arkansas and A&M looked disjointed with the staffing game and let's be honest, Coach O is not cutting it at LSU.

Arkansas?

 

[SayNoToJorts]

Sorry to say, but the Vols are at a distinct competitive disadvantage in the conference, at least for the time being. Having to play both UGA and Bama every year is about a close to 2 guaranteed losses as any team in the conference is going to face. And in 2018 throw in Auburn. With WVa on the schedule next year it is hard to see how the Vols do better than 6-6 in 2018. I hope only to be more competitive across the board.

Georgia has one good season and is now a yearly guaranteed loss? Strong case of Battered Vol Syndrome here

 

[OrangeSoddyDaisy]

No way! Memphis cannot play defense. And they can be stopped.

Memphis would have beat everyone we did plus Vanderbilt, Kentucky, Missouri, and of course us.

They can be stopped. By UCF. Like Auburn was.

 

[OrangeSoddyDaisy]

All SEC National Championship...and SEC is weak? I don't follow.

I'll explain.

Alabama and Georgia are national powerhouses. They are outliers and not representative of the SEC's level of play this year. Saying the SEC is strong because of them is like saying the Big 10 is weak because of Kansas.

I do relish the idea of the rest of the nation's jealousy of this matchup though.

 

[ukvols]

Not sure it's talent or coaching. I think the rest of the country has improved. UCF would beat Auburn 10 of 10 times. Nebraska will be there in 3 years. Memphis would have had a winning record in the SEC this year.

UCF is very good, but 10/10 times? They won by 7 with Aubie driving to the 21 at the end of the game. And, UCF had a pick six for their last score.

UCF was legit this season, but 10/10?

 

[ukvols]

I'll explain.

Alabama and Georgia are national powerhouses. They are outliers and not representative of the SEC's level of play this year. Saying the SEC is strong because of them is like saying the Big 10 is weak because of Kansas.

I do relish the idea of the rest of the nation's jealousy of this matchup though.

Likely a typo, but KU is in the Big 12.
And, the Big 12 was weak this season.
Generally, I agree with your premise. Saying a league is strong because of the two best teams out of 14 is like criticizing another league because of the weakness of its worst team.

 

[BloomuVol]

Smart scares me more than Muschamp at the moment.

But Muschamp is definitely improving as a head coach.

That puts three saban defensive disciples as hc in the east, and a meyer protege in mullen as the top four teams in the east. We will see which approach is better.

 

[Matt2496]

Overall, the SEC East is trending upward. Georgia and Bama are basically guaranteed losses at this point. Florida now has an excellent quarterback developer. South Carolina is looking really good. Both Kentucky and Missouri are decent teams by making it to a bowl.

TBH, I don't think Pruitt will just have it all easy like the OP posits.

 

[BigOrangeTrain]

This x10000 we won games because we had Dobbs who was average to really good. UGA is winning for a great freshman, Kentucky will be down next year when Johnson leaves. SEC hasn’t had an elite QB since Cam.

Georgia is winning because they have the best stable of RBs in the nation and an elite defense. Fromm is average.

 

[BigOrangeTrain]

Never thought I'd see the day the SEC had such poor showings in the bowl season. Pruitt will do well in conference matchups. I don't feel so good about bowl championships.

Thats if he can get some real SEC level talent and coach them up. The East is on the upswing. UK is getting better. UF will get much better uner Mullen and even Missouri is improving. We have a long way to go to crawl out of the cellar of the East.

What has happened in the bowl games is not the end all indicator of how the East will be.

 

[OrangeSoddyDaisy]

UCF is very good, but 10/10 times? They won by 7 with Aubie driving to the 21 at the end of the game. And, UCF had a pick six for their last score.

UCF was legit this season, but 10/10?

UCF was off. They are the highest scoring team in the nation.

 

[AM64]

Not sure it's talent or coaching. I think the rest of the country has improved. UCF would beat Auburn 10 of 10 times. Nebraska will be there in 3 years. Memphis would have had a winning record in the SEC this year.

Nah, Auburn is too inconsistent to lose 10 of 10. They'd manage to blunder into a couple of wins. Talk about a team that needs a coaching upgrade - another offensive "genius" in over his head.

 

[AM64]

Memphis would have beat everyone we did plus Vanderbilt, Kentucky, Missouri, and of course us.

They can be stopped. By UCF. Like Auburn was.

Memphis was stopped ... by Iowa St. Iowa state finished 7th of 10 in the Big 12 (8-5 including the win over Memphis).

Never ever trust Malzahn and Auburn; they may deliver and they may not - too much like a semi competent Butch Jones with a decent staff.

 

[vol1950]

No way! Memphis cannot play defense. And they can be stopped.

But Memphis scored more against UCF than Auburn did.

 

[vol1950]

Georgia has one good season and is now a yearly guaranteed loss? Strong case of Battered Vol Syndrome here

Ga. will drop off this coming season, where would they be this year without their 2 great running backs who are seniors. They lose 31 seniors this year.

 

[BanditVol]

Hope you are correct OP. The East particularly is weak with the obvious exception of Uga.

As for how the rest of the SEC is doing...they can go to hell. I'm a Vol fan. I root for the rest of them to lose most of the time.

 

[orange_glory]

Georgia has one good season and is now a yearly guaranteed loss? Strong case of Battered Vol Syndrome here

Georgia is losing some good players after NC game and they won't be as good next year. However, they will probably still be the best team in the East.

 

[4everorange]

Bookmark it NOW. We will be back in contention in 2 years, much like Georgia
Has done.

 

[peytonmanningwoo]

Never thought I'd see the day the SEC had such poor showings in the bowl season. Pruitt will do well in conference matchups. I don't feel so good about bowl championships.

Wow. I don't see this at all. Georgia is playing for the national championship against another team we have to play every year, Alabama. Both of those two teams will finish far ahead of us in recruiting, possibly even 1 and 2 in the nation. South Carolina has a stud quarterback to go with Muschamp's tough defense, a position he never managed to recruit or develop while at Florida. The Gators hired a proven winner in Mullen. He will have that offense humming in no time, and Florida's defense has been good for 20+ years. That's four losses right there. That puts us in the middle of the pack at best with Missouri and Kentucky both improving. We should never lose to Vandy. Not even going there.

I don't see how we break out of this cycle of despair unless we somehow land a Johnny Football/Cam Newton type program changer, and even then... Do we have the surrounding cast?

The future is downright scary to ponder. We have an AD who has never been an AD. We have a head football coach who has never been a head football coach. We have a defensive coordinator who has never been a defensive coordinator, and we have an offensive coordinator who has never called plays. Nothing is impossible, but winning under all those circumstances feels like banking on the lottery.

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[TNnative]

Kentucky down, they are 7-6. The're always down

Well, Kentucky has always thrown most of their focus on Basketball. Just in the past few years, they have started investing into better training facilities for football. Think what you will, but if they can get a stronger more lasting level of support? They may start snagging more elite players.