Tennessee can win the SEC East in 2018

[FirstAndGoal]

A couple of seconds ago, y'all are complaining about having to play Auburn and Alabama from the West and it's the most difficult schedule in the history of college football.

Now, you're going to win the East?

Well, it could happen after we beat the Gators in K-town. Have to see how the other games play out. opcorn:

 

[HSTVol]

I see what you did here, going for a “Thread From TV Movie” thing. I’m guessing this was scarcasm, going for Burn After Reading.

In reality, a better movie to represent our program over the last 10 years would be, Groundhog Day.

 

[NEVolFan]

A couple of seconds ago, y'all are complaining about having to play Auburn and Alabama from the West and it's the most difficult schedule in the history of college football.

Now, you're going to win the East?

We might need help...no, I think we are ok...maybe.

 

[Catbone]

So your first thought is going to be to call me an idiot, so let me clarify. I am not saying UT "will" win the east, and I'm not even saying there is a great probability that they will. I am saying they "can" win the east. Lets break down the division by team:

- Florida: Tennessee broke the streak in 2016 and in 2017 1 play made the difference in possibly winning. 1 play where Florida committed multiple fouls that were not called. Let me re-state this; the WORST UT TEAM EVER could have beat florida last year if not for 1 play. Yes I know they have a new coach, but I don't expect Mullen to have the success in year 1 that he had at MSST after several years. And lets remember he was not their first choice so the fan base will turn on him quickly if things don't start great. The type of player that chooses UF (entitled) is not the same personality who chooses MSST (something to prove) and I don't think he has the personality to handle them.

- Georgia: When I look at Kirby Smart I see a coach like Phil Fulmer; a good coach who will succeed on how good a staff he has. Georgia was very lucky this year, they only had 1 starter injured (Eason) and had a very capable backup, and in that offense until the last game he really was a game manager. Their 2 graduating RB's carried the load. Auburn showed the blueprint to beat them, but we all know it's tough to beat the same team twice in a season. Georgia loses 31 seniors plus any juniors who go to the NFL. Yes they have a good class coming in but this could certainly be a rebuilding year for them. Georgia ran over the worst SEC East in history; I don't expect that will continue.

- South Carolina: I think Muschamp has learned a lot from his time at Florida, but the only reason he won over UT last year is because he had Butch's number. 15-9, does that really sound like a juggernaut? Tennessee still has more talent than SCAR, and they barely won last year. Beating SCAR gave Tennessee a resurgence a few years ago and can do so again in 2018.

- Mizzou: I don't really know what to make of Mizzou. If you look at talent they simply don't have the atheletes to hang with UT or Georgia or Florida. But they did last year beating UT and UF and hanging with UGA. Their players fit their mold much like GT has players that fit what they do even if they aren' 5 stars. Mizzou loses Heupel and his high powered offense and with the talent differential, UT should win this game most of the time.

- Kentucky: Once again UT should always out-talent the cats. I don't make much of Mark Stoops, he is a decent coach but I don't think he will out-scheme Pruitt. This is a game the players should be up for and I expect big things.

- Vandy: This may be the biggest shocker of all. Vandy and UT battled for worst in the East last year, and vandy looked head-and-shoulders above the Vols. Yes, there was an interim coach involved but the year prior Tennessee was embarrassed by vandy and you can't blame that on an interim. Injuries and this game being the end of the season have been contributors to the last 2 losses, but simply put, for Tennessee to get where they want to get they have to consistently win this game.

- BONUS - Auburn: Last time Gus got a big contract extension was after the 2013 BCS loss. HE followed that with a 8-5 season. He got a big contract after the bama win and proceeded to overlook your 2017 National Champion UCF Knights in the peach bowl. Auburn is certainly the more talented team right now but how motivated is Gus? He is fat and happy and would be easy to overlook UT.

Simply put, there is a path to success in 2018. The SEC East was bad last year and the West really wasn't all that much better. I'm not posting this to say I think Pruitt will be the 2nd coming of Neyland but I am saying I think this team is a better team than 4-8 and they have a chance to prove it.

No.

 

[Orange defense]

No.

No? How about yes?

 

[Rudy123]

Going to be a long off season...

I see Florida and UGA having a better roster than us. So doubt that we can win the East

 

[alambrec]

I agree with the OP that this is possible. Do I think it is likely? No. But it is in line with what I think the ceiling is, although I calculate it a little differently. I expect 8 wins. Winning one of the "so called" guaranteed losses makes that 9. Winning that, and allow of the others makes it 10. 9 or 10 requires a few planets to align, but I think it is certainly possible.

Those that seem to be happy with 4, 5, or 6 wins make me want to puke.

With slightly better coaching and development and a more normal level of injuries, the. 2017 team should have beat UK, UF, VU, and MO and maybe even LSU.

Yes, some players are moving on, but that is normal for everyone.

There are a lot of things that have to happen. QB needs to be developed. Other players need to be developed. Some freshmen need to contribute. Injuries need to be at a more normal level

There are no games that are guaranteed losses. If here are, why bother playing the.m and risking injuries.

 

[volfannbama]

I agree with the OP that this is possible. Do I think it is likely? No. But it is in line with what I think the ceiling is, although I calculate it a little differently. I expect 8 wins. Winning one of the "so called" guaranteed losses makes that 9. Winning that, and allow of the others makes it 10. 9 or 10 requires a few planets to align, but I think it is certainly possible.

Those that seem to be happy with 4, 5, or 6 wins make me want to puke.

With slightly better coaching and development and a more normal level of injuries, the. 2017 team should have beat UK, UF, VU, and MO and maybe even LSU.

Yes, some players are moving on, but that is normal for everyone.

There are a lot of things that have to happen. QB needs to be developed. Other players need to be developed. Some freshmen need to contribute. Injuries need to be at a more normal level

There are no games that are guaranteed losses. If here are, why bother playing the.m and risking injuries.

So technically vandy can win the east too?

 

[Vol8188]

Umass....lol

Are we the only team with injuries, or the only team that uses them as excuses to act like we are better than we actually are?

lol you're really going to pretend like we didn't have an extreme number of injuries? Yes, we are the only team with that many injuries.

We had 3 career ending injuries on the offensive line by mid season. You're welcome to pretend that's normal, but it just proves how dishonest you are

 

[Glocker_Alum_2005]

I see Florida and UGA having a better roster than us. So doubt that we can win the East

That is pretty much always the case. But we have still managed to win it every now and then...albeit we have been in longer than usual drought. I would say we should win the east about 25% of the time.

 

[Titan&Volfan4life]

That is pretty much always the case. But we have still managed to win it every now and then...albeit we have been in longer than usual drought. I would say we should win the east about 25% of the time.

I think that's a little low my friend.

After CJP has 100% of his recruits on the roster then I EXPECT to WIN the East at least 50% of the time or more.

That's at least 5 times in a decade and after that I EXPECT to WIN the SEC Championship at least 2 or 3 times or more.

2 or 3 times or more in the Playoffs then I EXPECT to WIN the National Championship at least 1 or 2 times.

I try to be realistic but I don't want what we expect to be lowered to a Vandy or USCe level because we should always expect much more than those teams, ALWAYS.

I think those are reasonable expectations for every decade after we have 100% Pruitt recruits on our roster.

VFL...GBO!!!

 

[HARTUPM]

I guess in college football anything can happen, but I think even the inkling of expectaction that we could win the east is unfair to this team (of mostly Botch recruits) and the new staff.

So you think we go from 0-8 to winning 10 or 11 games and beating Georgia, the team that railroaded us 41-0! Sure.

 

[volfannbama]

lol you're really going to pretend like we didn't have an extreme number of injuries? Yes, we are the only team with that many injuries.

We had 3 career ending injuries on the offensive line by mid season. You're welcome to pretend that's normal, but it just proves how dishonest you are

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&sou...FjADegQIFRAB&usg=AOvVaw2ufmWAFYoeoNkIwYLEh_uk

Lol, excuses. The reason we were 4-8 was because players were not developed. Saying we were 6-6 last year is dishonest. We were 4-8, we were not good enough to go 6-6. The reason i know this is because our record is 4-8. Now you should stop lecturing me about being dishonest as you are attempting to make some fictious point about us not being as bad as we were.

 

[Titan&Volfan4life]

6-6 and back in a bowl game should be our lowest expectation IMHO.

Any other WINS over 6 is icing on the cake and we should be very happy for year 1.

VFL...GBO!!!

 

[Titan05]

Yup. 6-6 would be a very nice improvement given the current circumstances.

 

[Greysondawg]

Simply put, there is a path to success in 2018. The SEC East was bad last year and the West really wasn't all that much better. I'm not posting this to say I think Pruitt will be the 2nd coming of Neyland but I am saying I think this team is a better team than 4-8 and they have a chance to prove it.

Tennessee has a really tough schedule for a first year coach putting together a new staff, and implementing new offensive and defensive schemes. Also, if Pruitt stays true to form, you can expect some house cleaning. The guy doesn't tolerate; or at least play players in games that don't practice well. Don't be surprised if you hear fans wondering why "so and so" isn't playing more or at all. Pruitt doesn't go by "stars". He goes by practice effort and football IQ. You may also want to consider the possibility that the QBs in the SEC will be better in 2018 than 2017.
Fromm
Stidham
Tua
Bentley
Lock

Then there is Will Grier for the out of conference opening game against West Virginia.

 

[Vol8188]

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&sou...FjADegQIFRAB&usg=AOvVaw2ufmWAFYoeoNkIwYLEh_uk

Lol, excuses. The reason we were 4-8 was because players were not developed. Saying we were 6-6 last year is dishonest. We were 4-8, we were not good enough to go 6-6. The reason i know this is because our record is 4-8. Now you should stop lecturing me about being dishonest as you are attempting to make some fictious point about us not being as bad as we were.

All you did was copy and paste an article from two years ago about florida's injuries. You really showed me!

Lol keep trolling brother

 

[Titan&Volfan4life]

On our O side of the ball we have loads of solid work to try to get done.

Step 1...Try to find enough good O linemen that can open holes for our RB's to get through.

Step 2 is getting our O line to do good pass blocking so our WR's have time to get open and the QB has time to throw a good pass.

Step 3 is finding good WR's and TE's that know how to run routes, get open and then catch the dern ball.

Step 4 is finding a couple of good QB's.

Our RB's are good but that still leaves us many problems on the O side of the ball.

The good thing is that I believe we finally have a staff of good teaching coaches to get our players knowing exactly what they need to do and what to work hard to improve on.

VFL...GBO!!!

 

[SpaceCoastVol]

Georgia then everyone else. Our chances for winning the east are slim to none. Will be happy with 7 wins with this brutal schedule. Not to mention with uga, I think Swift is better than either Chubb or Michel.

brutal schedule? seriously?

 

[SpaceCoastVol]

Yup. 6-6 would be a very nice improvement given the current circumstances.

No it wouldn't. It would be a disappointment.

 

[TeddyYeti]

So your first thought is going to be to call me an idiot, so let me clarify. I am not saying UT "will" win the east, and I'm not even saying there is a great probability that they will. I am saying they "can" win the east. Lets break down the division by team:

- Florida: Tennessee broke the streak in 2016 and in 2017 1 play made the difference in possibly winning. 1 play where Florida committed multiple fouls that were not called. Let me re-state this; the WORST UT TEAM EVER could have beat florida last year if not for 1 play. Yes I know they have a new coach, but I don't expect Mullen to have the success in year 1 that he had at MSST after several years. And lets remember he was not their first choice so the fan base will turn on him quickly if things don't start great. The type of player that chooses UF (entitled) is not the same personality who chooses MSST (something to prove) and I don't think he has the personality to handle them.

- Georgia: When I look at Kirby Smart I see a coach like Phil Fulmer; a good coach who will succeed on how good a staff he has. Georgia was very lucky this year, they only had 1 starter injured (Eason) and had a very capable backup, and in that offense until the last game he really was a game manager. Their 2 graduating RB's carried the load. Auburn showed the blueprint to beat them, but we all know it's tough to beat the same team twice in a season. Georgia loses 31 seniors plus any juniors who go to the NFL. Yes they have a good class coming in but this could certainly be a rebuilding year for them. Georgia ran over the worst SEC East in history; I don't expect that will continue.

- South Carolina: I think Muschamp has learned a lot from his time at Florida, but the only reason he won over UT last year is because he had Butch's number. 15-9, does that really sound like a juggernaut? Tennessee still has more talent than SCAR, and they barely won last year. Beating SCAR gave Tennessee a resurgence a few years ago and can do so again in 2018.

- Mizzou: I don't really know what to make of Mizzou. If you look at talent they simply don't have the atheletes to hang with UT or Georgia or Florida. But they did last year beating UT and UF and hanging with UGA. Their players fit their mold much like GT has players that fit what they do even if they aren' 5 stars. Mizzou loses Heupel and his high powered offense and with the talent differential, UT should win this game most of the time.

- Kentucky: Once again UT should always out-talent the cats. I don't make much of Mark Stoops, he is a decent coach but I don't think he will out-scheme Pruitt. This is a game the players should be up for and I expect big things.

- Vandy: This may be the biggest shocker of all. Vandy and UT battled for worst in the East last year, and vandy looked head-and-shoulders above the Vols. Yes, there was an interim coach involved but the year prior Tennessee was embarrassed by vandy and you can't blame that on an interim. Injuries and this game being the end of the season have been contributors to the last 2 losses, but simply put, for Tennessee to get where they want to get they have to consistently win this game.

- BONUS - Auburn: Last time Gus got a big contract extension was after the 2013 BCS loss. HE followed that with a 8-5 season. He got a big contract after the bama win and proceeded to overlook your 2017 National Champion UCF Knights in the peach bowl. Auburn is certainly the more talented team right now but how motivated is Gus? He is fat and happy and would be easy to overlook UT.

Simply put, there is a path to success in 2018. The SEC East was bad last year and the West really wasn't all that much better. I'm not posting this to say I think Pruitt will be the 2nd coming of Neyland but I am saying I think this team is a better team than 4-8 and they have a chance to prove it.

I like it!

 

[Titan05]

No it wouldn't. It would be a disappointment.

Then get those pitchforks and mattresses ready.

 

[SpaceCoastVol]

Then get those pitchforks and mattresses ready.

Not riot worthy, it would just be sad with our schedule and all the hype of a national championship caliber HC and staff.

 

[volfannbama]

All you did was copy and paste an article from two years ago about florida's injuries. You really showed me!

Lol keep trolling brother

Yeah, an article about a team not using injuries as an excuse. Check out Alabama injuries this season and they won the nc. We you it as an excuse because we are not good. Again if it makes you feel better then great, but dont call me dishonest. We were 4-8 and not good enough to be 6-6.

 

[Vol8188]

Yeah, an article about a team not using injuries as an excuse. Check out Alabama injuries this season and they won the nc. We you it as an excuse because we are not good. Again if it makes you feel better then great, but dont call me dishonest. We were 4-8 and not good enough to be 6-6.

I've seen the articles on bamas injuries and they still had significantly less than us