Review of preseason prognostications

#26
#26
Exactly . . . The back half of the schedule always include tough games with the likes of Alabama, South Carolina, and Arkansas; not to mention when we have a west opponent like Auburn or LSU thrown in there or an out of conference game with somebody like Notre Dame or Miami.

I think under the old SEC system where we were closing with Ole Siss, Kentucky, Vandy 423 would have been right, but not so much now.
:thumbsup: i know it ain't gonna happen anytime soon, and this is going to sound like it's coming out of left feild coming from me, but one of the reaons i think TN is somewhat "irrelevenat" mid to late season is because the FL game is so early in the year.

by the 3rd week, we've had our litmus test, and we spend the majority of the rest of the year clawing back in with the rest of our sec tilt.

i look around and see the Bama/Aub, FL/GA, FSU/Mia, OK/TX, ND/USC, MICh/OSU type games later on in the year, those games building in anticipation as the season goes on as the teams beat many of the lesser opponents on their schedule, setting up "the big game" between teams that have compiled 5, 6, 7, 8 or more wins against each other.

we get 2-0 vs. 1-0 or 2-0 in the 3rd week....it's the equivelant of a bottle rocket going off, comparitively speaking.

I for one would like to at least swap the FL game for early Nov, where we usualy play a round table West opponent...and give it time to build up. or maybe at the least swap the GA and FL games....

something...caus as i look at teams like GA, BAma, TX...the only reason they are ranked, and relevant is who they played so far. none of those teams are THAT good, yet, the early season schedule affords them to hang around in the national eye a little longer than maybe they should...

and that's not saying that the back end of the scheudl is weak. it's a realization that some other teams have their superbowl toward the end of the year, like they should, and we have the equivelant of the Daytona 500, where no one remembers anything but the winner.

like i said, that's out of left feild...but it's something that has always caught my attention.
 
#27
#27
Ky & Alabama will finish better then 5-7.
Auburn will finish worse then 10-2, so will UT.

Phil Steele did a better job.
 
#28
#28
:thumbsup: i know it ain't gonna happen anytime soon, and this is going to sound like it's coming out of left feild coming from me, but one of the reaons i think TN is somewhat "irrelevenat" mid to late season is because the FL game is so early in the year.

by the 3rd week, we've had our litmus test, and we spend the majority of the rest of the year clawing back in with the rest of our sec tilt.

i look around and see the Bama/Aub, FL/GA, FSU/Mia, OK/TX, ND/USC, MICh/OSU type games later on in the year, those games building in anticipation as the season goes on as the teams beat many of the lesser opponents on their schedule, setting up "the big game" between teams that have compiled 5, 6, 7, 8 or more wins against each other.

we get 2-0 vs. 1-0 or 2-0 in the 3rd week....it's the equivelant of a bottle rocket going off, comparitively speaking.

I for one would like to at least swap the FL game for early Nov, where we usualy play a round table West opponent...and give it time to build up. or maybe at the least swap the GA and FL games....

something...caus as i look at teams like GA, BAma, TX...the only reason they are ranked, and relevant is who they played so far. none of those teams are THAT good, yet, the early season schedule affords them to hang around in the national eye a little longer than maybe they should...

and that's not saying that the back end of the scheudl is weak. it's a realization that some other teams have their superbowl toward the end of the year, like they should, and we have the equivelant of the Daytona 500, where no one remembers anything but the winner.

like i said, that's out of left feild...but it's something that has always caught my attention.
heck, play all of the weak teams first to ride up the rankings, then lose one at the end...you still end up in the top 10....
 
#29
#29
heck, play all of the weak teams first to ride up the rankings, then lose one at the end...you still end up in the top 10....
well, sort of...yes....worked for Mich and OSU last season. they played cupcakes all season, and they play each other in one good game, and all the sudden, it's actually debatable whether or not they should rematch each other in the NT game.

but i guess, how cool would it be if TN and FL both met 1/2 way thru the season, both having already won 2-3 SEC games....

that 01 season sold me though. that game late in the year with FL was awesome. everything on the line, winner goes to ATL for possible shot at a NT.....

that's how it should be.
 
#30
#30
:thumbsup: i know it ain't gonna happen anytime soon, and this is going to sound like it's coming out of left feild coming from me, but one of the reaons i think TN is somewhat "irrelevenat" mid to late season is because the FL game is so early in the year.

by the 3rd week, we've had our litmus test, and we spend the majority of the rest of the year clawing back in with the rest of our sec tilt.

i look around and see the Bama/Aub, FL/GA, FSU/Mia, OK/TX, ND/USC, MICh/OSU type games later on in the year, those games building in anticipation as the season goes on as the teams beat many of the lesser opponents on their schedule, setting up "the big game" between teams that have compiled 5, 6, 7, 8 or more wins against each other.

we get 2-0 vs. 1-0 or 2-0 in the 3rd week....it's the equivelant of a bottle rocket going off, comparitively speaking.

I for one would like to at least swap the FL game for early Nov, where we usualy play a round table West opponent...and give it time to build up. or maybe at the least swap the GA and FL games....

something...caus as i look at teams like GA, BAma, TX...the only reason they are ranked, and relevant is who they played so far. none of those teams are THAT good, yet, the early season schedule affords them to hang around in the national eye a little longer than maybe they should...

and that's not saying that the back end of the scheudl is weak. it's a realization that some other teams have their superbowl toward the end of the year, like they should, and we have the equivelant of the Daytona 500, where no one remembers anything but the winner.

like i said, that's out of left feild...but it's something that has always caught my attention.

UT lost to Florida in the 90's still ended up with a top 10 program most of the time.
 
#31
#31
well, sort of...yes....worked for Mich and OSU last season. they played cupcakes all season, and they play each other in one good game, and all the sudden, it's actually debatable whether or not they should rematch each other in the NT game.

but i guess, how cool would it be if TN and FL both met 1/2 way thru the season, both having already won 2-3 SEC games....

that 01 season sold me though. that game late in the year with FL was awesome. everything on the line, winner goes to ATL for possible shot at a NT.....

that's how it should be.
I was agreeing with you although I suppose it sounded like sarcasm. This is what many other conferences do every year. OU/UTx Mich/OSU Cal/USC etc
 
#32
#32
We'll see how Kentucky finishes. Vanderbilt started 4-0 in 2005, only to finish the season with a 5-6 record.

Arkansas gave up 50 points to USC last season, settled down and then ran off 10 straight wins.
 
#36
#36
well, sort of...yes....worked for Mich and OSU last season. they played cupcakes all season, and they play each other in one good game, and all the sudden, it's actually debatable whether or not they should rematch each other in the NT game.

but i guess, how cool would it be if TN and FL both met 1/2 way thru the season, both having already won 2-3 SEC games....

that 01 season sold me though. that game late in the year with FL was awesome. everything on the line, winner goes to ATL for possible shot at a NT.....

that's how it should be.

There is no way of knowing but I believe our won/lost record against UF would be improved if the game date had fallen later in the season.
 
#39
#39
I wander if the poll predicted UT to lose by 40 points to FLA while one week later the team it predicted to be last in the SEC west (Ole Miss) would give them all they could handle.

No way we win 10 games this year. I like the optimism and I really hope I am wrong, but I am sick of getting disappointed with this team. Mark down at least 1-2 losses against Bama, Ark, SC, GA, and Kentucky. At best we finish 3rd in the east.
 
#40
#40
So the computer predicts that we will fare BETTER than:

South Carolina
Georgia
Kentucky
Arkansas
Alabama

I think they may need to fix the "glitch" in their computer...:crazy:
 
#41
#41
you said UT was irrelevant mid season because of the loss to Florida. How many teams ranked in the top 10 are considered irrelevant mid to late season.
i know....but that still isn't the point. it's about the build up to these big games each year. everyone looks at the OU/TX game in oct, the osu/mich game in nov, LSU/FL in Oct, LSU/GA in Oct, FL/GA in late oct etc...games like that, that actually mean something as to the winner having large stakes in division or conf. titles.

we play that game with FL so early, that the loser, which has usually been us, has to watch the rest of the season play out for us to be relevant in that conversation again.

i'm saying it'd be nice if the TN/FL game was just a little later on in the season...so the anticipation could build for that game after both teams have played some conf. games and have a few wins under the belt.
 
#44
#44
Georgia's "suspect" running game gained over 300 yards against Ole Miss.

I'd say TN's run defense will get gashed several times; because we couldn't even hold Ark St under 200 yds rushing (take out sacks).

Tennessee is not real a good football team. Bad run game, run defense, and terrible special teams (not kicking).
 
#45
#45
My pick was 8-4 preseason with losses to CAL and FL.

We need to win 3 of 5 assuming wins against VAN, MISST, and LAUGHYETTE:

GA, SC, @ BAMA, ARK, and @ KY

Somewhere between 8-4 and 7-5 is the likely finish.
 
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