In response to Stj18:
In year 2? We don't have SEC talent even 2 deep across the 11 positions of offense and 11 defense.
I would disagree with that and especially when you don't look at it in a vacuum. Every team in the SEC not named UGA or Bama has question marks.
And... depth is a factor in what games you should/should not win.
We just aren't there yet after playing last season with 65 to 70 scholarship players instead of 85 like every other SEC team.
That was a bit of hyperbole. You can go back and look for yourself but including the Covid seniors UT had over 80 guys on scholarship last fall. They were still at a disadvantage because the Covid rule allowed others to carry more than 85. But UT will be around 80 or just above this fall. That isn't crippling.
Bama and UGA have backups...their 2nd 22 players...who average more stars out of HS than our starters do. On paper FU and LSU still significantly ahead of us talent wise as well.
UF is close to the same. Not sure about LSU due to their roster changes.
Who across college football is NOT like that compared to Bama and UGA? I don't expect to beat either. I would like to see UT compete better. But UT really doesn't have the quality or depth to be expected to beat them.
As an unranked team playing 5 certain ranked teams...
LOL... Pre-season AP and Coaches rankings are all but arbitrary. They're usually more a reflection of the previous year as anything else.
FOURTEEN of last year's preseason AP top 25 teams finished unranked.
USCjr may or may not be ranked higher than us when we play them...i guess we SHOULD go 7 and 5 or maybe 6 and 6....so this season i do think we will exceed the objective and realistic expectations for this team based on ranking and vegas lines...by simply going 8-4. We may see 7-5 and still beat 1 more team that outranks us at kickoff than we SHOULD beat.
I think we have to get into the season to know what UT has and what the opponents have. I think we have clearer vision on some teams than others. But I do not accept your premise that UT "should go" 7-5 or 6-6". I see no reason to believe that. You mentioned "talent on paper" before. "On paper", UT has as much talent as UF. They have significantly MORE than Pitt, Vandy, UK, USCe, MU, 3 OOC's... That's 8 wins just against those that the recruiting sites say have less talent.
We are exactly 1 season removed from 3-7....and went 4-8 losing 8 games for the only time in the history of UT football the season before that.
Coaching incompetence means a lot in college football. Coaches who far exceed their talent are very rare. They very seldom sustain success. However LOTS of coaches completely underperform their talent.
Lmao....yall kill me with these expectations of 9 and 10 win seasons just because we dominated 30 years ago in the 90s....before any of our players or my 21yo son were ever born.
Who gave that for a reason? I didn't. I haven't said 10 wins either. I think UT should beat the 8 teams mentioned above that according to the recruiting sites have less talent. I think they should beat an equally talented (on paper) UF team this year due in large measure to the problems and lack of depth
THEY have. LSU is an enigma. They could be as good as their talent or as bad as their chaos has been... and Coach O has somewhat of a history of signing overrated players.
Thats the reality of where we started when Coach Heup took over. The only folks who remember UT being a feared program that was always ranked are in their 40s like me or older.
Which has absolutely nothing to do with expectations and hopes for the upcoming season.
It could definitely go sideways with injuries at the wrong positions. No one can account for that. But that again is true of every program in America outside of Bama, UGA, OSU, and Clemson.
CJH has what it takes to make us interesting and exciting with a chance at the East every year. I believe that...despite BVSyndrome. Even with UGA being preseason a top 5 team every season lately. His high scoring offense rivaled only by Lincoln Riley gives us a punchers chance in any game.
We are super lucky to have Coach IMO...great coaches were not just beating down the door to come to the Hill where we play Bama every season just for fun and expectations are sky high. This was a home run hire IMO.
Great coaches, coach great. They don't lose lots of games to teams they should have beaten and when they have more talent. They challenge better teams. This team should not go 6-6 or 7-5... and it will be a big concern if it does. Lots of folks attacked me when I said similar things about Jones and Pruitt for that matter. But the right coach will be the
difference in those 50/50 range games.
I am more encouraged by Heupel than I have been really in all my years following the Vols closely... about 30. I got to the point of expecting Fulmer to choke a game or two and always be outclassed by Spurrier. I think CJH has first and foremost the exact right kind of leadership. I think he's a very bright coach as well.
All of that said... the bar should NEVER be lowered for ANYONE.
