Realistic expectations for UT program

#51
#51
BeattieFeathers said:
Why don't you learn to read? I am learning more about how unrealistic our fan base has become. It's scary we have so many " we are Tennessee by god" fans and that Bama success is our expectation. People talking about winning multiple national titles are dreaming. It should be the goal but never the expectation in terms of retaining and firing coaches. :eek:k:
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I guess I can learn to read... but maybe you should be more careful how you write if you don't mean what you say. You wrote that you have "zero" expectations for Jones.

I have spelled out my expectations... and didn't mention championships. I want to see UT playing championship caliber football every year. Bama doesn't win championships every year... but they are now always in the hunt. That's what I expect of UT.

Further, I expect competitiveness. Not blowout losses. Not losses to weaker teams. Not close games against the UAB's and USA's of the world.

I expect the same thing Jones says he expects "excellence in everything we do". Winning and championships follow doing the right things.

If you want that quantified then it would have meant 6 or 7 wins last fall. It means 6-8 wins this fall. If you want it over time then I'd like to see UT always in contention for the East and winning the SEC on avg once every 4 or 5 years. After the program gets back on its foundation, I'd like to see an avg of 10 wins per season (including post season play).

Not reasonable to expect that kind of consistent excellence? Spurrier is doing it at USCe (sans the championship so far) without signing recruiting classes in the top 4 of the SEC and without the kinds of resources UT has put into its football program.

It is VERY reasonable for the right coach.

There are some things you can observe about the top programs. One is that they have momentum. Winning boosts image... image draws the best players... which perpetuates winning. ALL of that is predicated on a program that has high expectations, standards and goals with excellent coaching, facilities, and support.

The linchpin is ALWAYS finding the right coach. Boise State has... ND hasn't. Bama has... Texas hasn't. FSU appears to have found a good one... UF appears to have found a dud.

I truly LOVE many of the things Jones is doing... and not necessarily those related to recruiting rankings. But at the end of the day... it has to translate to wins.
 
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#52
#52
We are not going to be as good as some think we are.....9-3
We are not going to be as bad either......5-7

We will be somewhere in between those records......outside of those records will be a pleasant surprise or a total disaster. Both extremes will have explaining to do....
 
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#53
#53
Sudden Impact said:
We are not going to be as good as some think we are.....9-3
We are not going to be as bad either......5-7

We will be somewhere in between those records......outside of those records will be a pleasant surprise or a total disaster. Both extremes will have explaining to do....
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During the later part of Johnny Majors years, my expectations were for us to win 8 games and also win our bowl game.

Once we started getting top #10 recruiting classes, my expectations jumped quiet a bit.

We have the fan support. We have a facilities. We have the best conference. Then we started to get some top recruiting classes, so my expectations of an 8 win season and a bowl win seem to be too low now.

THen we went from an 11 game schedule to a 12 game schedule and added a non conference game to the schedule, so that should be a 9 win season with a bowl win making it a 10 win season.


My expectations were to have 9 win seasons.

Now my expectations are to have 10 win seasons.

To go 9 - 3 in the regular season and get the 10th win in the bowl game.
 
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#54
#54
Jones has a very exciting and magnetic personality to the "right" kinds of talented recruits. I think the '14 class demonstrated that. Hopefully he has an eye for picking out underrated players as well.

All that he needs to get UT back to competing at the top of the SEC each year is to be a good "coach". That will get him wins which will keep the recruits coming.

The danger is that if a guy with the excitement I mentioned first can't back it up with substance... they become known as a blowhard that no one wants to be associated with.
 
#55
#55
We have it all at the moment and you are correct. Takes time and patience to implement, train and change the culture.

Not an overnight or 2 recruiting cycle event or task because the foundation was not on solid ground. Hence, Brick by Brick mentality.

I expect this team to be bowl eligible at the end of the season, to be major bowl eligible or playoff would or should exceed all expectations of any reasonable fan. Are we capable? With the wind blowing our way and several calls going our way.

9-3 has got to be the Ceiling, playing at Oklahoma and a possible loss leaves us with a 6-2 SEC record.

Recruiting does not equal immediate wins, but the EE class has a great influence on the outcome of our season and it is a plus.
 
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#56
#56
Volunteer forever said:
That was my point. Especially when the program is down. With better coaching and better recruiting we should see improvement.
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The harder you workout the more results you will see.

Sure, if you want to win a fight with a feather weight then train for feather weights. If you want to fight the big boys then you train for heavy weights.
 
#57
#57
OP- did you write this crappy thread while wearing your "Georgia Dawg" pajamas? Full length PJ's with feet covered as well? Sorry, I meant paws covered.
 
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#58
#58
terrypedigo said:
:rtfm:We are due for a 10 year run, win the East 3 or 4 times and where 8 wins is a down year maybe 1 NC, TOOKS US 43 IN BETWEEN NCs last time, so its not like we were tearing it up every year going on my 43rd year as fan over the years I learned we are a 7 or 8 win team most of the time that's when we played 11games instead of 12, I think we are due for a pretty good run, as bad as I hate Bama as long as you know who is there little nicky its going to be hard think about it we have to come out the East and play them and then if we are lucky enough to win then have 2 more games before we can win it all, its going to be hard but with the right coach I don't see why we cant win 1 or 2 every 10 years, or just be in the mix that would be nice, I think the BUTCHER can chop little nicks azz down to size to match his ugly face, GO VOLS BUCK BAMA TILL THE DAY I DIE AND FOREVER AFTER I HATE THEM SOBs.:rtfm:
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Terry you've got to be feeling better after getting all of that off your chest! We share the same sentiments when it comes to bamer.
 
#62
#62
99gator said:
see, this is where people are contradicting themselves.

there wasn't a ton of success in the 80's. there was 85 and 89 and a whole lot of blah.

same goes for the 2000's. there was 2001 and 2004 and a whole lot of blah.

the level of winning in the 80's is the kind of success the original poster is suggesting. a couple of titles and a bunch of 8-4 type seasons.
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And the gay-tors were tremendously successful prior to 1990. :rolleyes:
 
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#64
#64
orangeluvr said:
The "85 Rule" has changed CFB forever.
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This is true, da Bear down at Bammer had one year where he dressed 122 players for home games. Basically he paid to have kids on the team just to keep them from playing elsewhere ...nowadays Saban does something similar maybe not in the same numbers but he grey shirts a lot of kids ... ...nick yourself shaving never to be a starter you may find yourself medically unable to take the field again .. all sorts of stuff is going on wherever Saban goes, he nor Spurrier coul;dn't produce that edge in the NFL and bombed out when they had to actually coach...Buck FAMA 4L!
 
#66
#66
ALLVOL24/7/365 said:
99 I will grant you that UT would not be considered one of the top 10 coaching jobs at this moment in time. The UF job would be by many peoples estimate in the top 10. But it is all about perception and winning for a little while. Before CSS arrived the UF job would not have been held in such high esteem. But to his credit, he came in and kicked everybody's azz. Won the NC for his alma mater and kicked our tails several times. Bobby Bowden did the same thing for that teachers college over at F$U. He made that a high profile job. If, and it is a huge IF, CBJ gets it done at UT THEN UT WILL BE IN THE TOP 10. When General Neyland was hired his job was to "Beat 'Bama" and he owned them. It can be done on the Hill, a coach at TN is not blessed with the same number of great players that are in the states of FL, GA, or TX for example. So a coach at TN has to recruit harder and be on the top of his game but TENNESSEE WILL BE BACK IN THE THICK OF THE SEC AND AT SOME POINT THE NC.

To UGADawg4Life, hey you all have Richt. I hope GA keeps him for the long term, extend his contract. You said to be successful you must have great in state talent. I will grant you that is helpful. With as much talent as comes out of GA then all the other teams in the country except utjr and uscwest should award the NC to you 3 on a rotating basis and not bother playing. Well the old saying is the coach puts up a fence around the state to get the best recruits. IS RICHT USING INVISIBLE FENCING? Seems like every elite player in the state of GA is going everywhere but Athens. You all should have NC's out the ying yang but you have to go back to the real coach Dooley for the NC. JMO Dawg.
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Wrong buddy.........neyland was hired to beat vanderbilt.
 
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#69
#69
orangeluvr said:
More recently, us, texas, oklahoma , and nd. bamer is living proof programs can return from disaster.
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Yep. I hope 6-6 and maybe a bowl this year, but the schedule is murder.

Tennessee is a tradition-rich, legendary program in college football. The term “elite” is a bit misleading. Miami was elite in the 1980s and 1990s. The Vols were elite for decades into the late 1990s and early 2000s. The program hasn’t been elite in a few years. It was not elite during the latter years of Battle and early years of Majors. All this is cyclical.

I’ve followed Notre Dame for many years. A tradition-rich, legendary program but the luster was fading off the golden dome by the mid-80s. Lou Holtz brought a NC and restored them to “elite” status for a while. But the arrogance of “we’re Notre Dame, and you should be thrilled to be recruited by us” prevailed too long. Their leadership didn’t adjust to changing times and for 20 years Notre Dame was anti-elite joke. Brian Kelly restored some luster but who knows if that lasts. The same happened with here with Mike Hamilton at the helm. Unable to adjust and adapt to changing times and here we are. And back-to-back the two worst HC hires in the school’s history didn't help.

That aside, Butch Jones CAN do this. There is too much desire, too much tradition, and too much fan passion for it not to happen. Go Vols.
 
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#70
#70
KBVol said:
1998. Better part of a generation ago.
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Response to both you and 99 Gator! The answer is from 1925-2010 UT was the winningest team in college FB! Yes that's right UT! And most recently 1989-2004.

1989 11-1
1991 9-2
1992 9-3 (Fulmer takes over)
1993 9-3
1994 8-4
1995 11-1
1996 10-2
1997 11-2
1998 13-0 (NC)
1999 9-3
2000 8-4
2001 11-2 (Should have been NC)
2002 8-5
2003 10-3
2004 10-3

That's right! 147-38! Hate to break this to you but the Gators have only been relevant since 1990.
Gators 1989-2004 152-47

Having played their first season in 1891, the Vols have amassed a successful tradition for well over a century, with their combined record of 804-361-53 ranking them tenth on the list of all-time won-lost records and eighth on the by victories list for college football programs as well as second on the all-time win/loss list of SEC programs.[3] This makes them one of the most successful football programs in NCAA history. Their all-time ranking in bowl appearances is third (49) and sixth in all-time bowl victories. They boast six national titles in their history and their last national championship was in the 1998 college football season.

The Vols play at historic Neyland Stadium, where Tennessee has an all-time winning record of 445 games, the highest home-field total in college football history for any school in the nation at its current home venue. Additionally, its 102,455 seat capacity makes Neyland the nation's fourth largest stadium. The team is currently coached by Butch Jones.

:hi:

Tennesseeduke
 
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#71
#71
tennesseeduke said:
Response to both you and 99 Gator! The answer is from 1925-2010 UT was the winningest team in college FB! Yes that's right UT! And most recently 1989-2004.

1989 11-1
1991 9-2
1992 9-3 (Fulmer takes over)
1993 9-3
1994 8-4
1995 11-1
1996 10-2
1997 11-2
1998 13-0 (NC)
1999 9-3
2000 8-4
2001 11-2 (Should have been NC)
2002 8-5
2003 10-3
2004 10-3

That's right! 147-38! Hate to break this to you but the Gators have only been relevant since 1990.

The Tennessee Volunteers football team (variously called "Tennessee", "Vols", or "UT") represents the University of Tennessee, Knoxville (UT) in the sport of American football. The Volunteers compete in the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) of the National Collegiate Athletics Association (NCAA) and the Eastern Division of the Southeastern Conference (SEC).

Having played their first season in 1891, the Vols have amassed a successful tradition for well over a century, with their combined record of 804-361-53 ranking them tenth on the list of all-time won-lost records and eighth on the by victories list for college football programs as well as second on the all-time win/loss list of SEC programs.[3] This makes them one of the most successful football programs in NCAA history. Their all-time ranking in bowl appearances is third (49) and sixth in all-time bowl victories. They boast six national titles in their history and their last national championship was in the 1998 college football season.

The Vols play at historic Neyland Stadium, where Tennessee has an all-time winning record of 445 games, the highest home-field total in college football history for any school in the nation at its current home venue. Additionally, its 102,455 seat capacity makes Neyland the nation's fourth largest stadium. The team is currently coached by Butch Jones.

:hi:

Tennesseeduke
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Relax Duke. He asked when was the LAST time Tennessee was THE dominant team in the SEC. The easy answer, the correct answer is 1998 when we were undefeated, won the conference and won the NC. That's dominant.

Tennessee is indeed, historically, one of the elite teams in college football, if for no other reason, because we are one of only 8 teams in history to win 800 games (and no, Penn, Harvard and Yale don't count).
 
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#72
#72
VolinDalton said:
The harder you workout the more results you will see.

Sure, if you want to win a fight with a feather weight then train for feather weights. If you want to fight the big boys then you train for heavy weights.
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This is true and again like I said better recruiting and better coaches will help get us back to the heavy weights.
 
#74
#74
chatt-townVOL said:
I've never bought into this notion. Having great local HS talent doesn't make or break a program. If that were the case, Penn State would have never had much of a history and Miami would always be on top.

When your program is known and respected your reach is endless. We are not respected right now like we once were. There's a reason in "The Blind Side" the coaches from other programs watching Oher play said "Fulmer's here, may as well go home." Tennessee was well known and respected at that time and recruited very well. I doubt local HS talent in Tennessee was much different than it is now.
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By your analysis, I would suspect that you are fairly young. PSU is in one of the best HFB recruiting areas of the country. Miami's success, and population of quality recruits, is very, very recent.

I'm not saying that a program can't rise every once in awhile with recruits from our of their close geographic recruiting base. But if you look at the past 15 NCs, they all have two things in common. Strong local HS football, and ability to leverage that with recruiting outside that base. UT could build a championship team. But the idea of a dominating program, which is the recent theme of this thread, won't happen, IMHO, until the quality of HS football in the state improves dramatically.
 
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#75
#75
UGADawg4Life said:
By your analysis, I would suspect that you are fairly young. PSU is in one of the best HFB recruiting areas of the country. Miami's success, and population of quality recruits, is very, very recent.

I'm not saying that a program can't rise every once in awhile with recruits from our of their close geographic recruiting base. But if you look at the past 15 NCs, they all have two things in common. Strong local HS football, and ability to leverage that with recruiting outside that base. UT could build a championship team. But the idea of a dominating program, which is the recent theme of this thread, won't happen, IMHO, until the quality of HS football in the state improves dramatically.
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True dat!
 
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