Top Ten end of season rankings by decade from 1970

#1
B

BernardKingGOAT

Well-Known Member
Joined
Aug 15, 2022
Messages
20,723
Likes
25,039
#1
1970-1979 3
1980-1989 2
1990-1999. 5
2000-2009 1
2010-2019 0
2020-2025. 2

With 4 years left to finish the decade, we have a chance to equal or better our best decade of national relevance. I remember after the 1996 season, many fans were saying the same things about Fulmer as they are Heupel right now. "He'll never win a championship". Of course we all know how that turned out. I don't know that Heupel will ever win a championship here, but I like the direction the program is headed. It's a much tougher league now, but we're on pace to equal our best decade in the last 50+ years, and this one started out far worse than any situation in my lifetime
 
  • Like
Reactions: OneVolNation, ChiTownVol, LETTERMAN88 and 15 others
#2
#2
It could definitely happen. But there are still staff changes that I think will need to be made to get there. (OL, possibly OC)
 
#3
#3
BernardKingGOAT said:
1970-1979 3
1980-1989 2
1990-1999. 5
2000-2009 1
2010-2019 0
2020-2025. 2

With 4 years left to finish the decade, we have a chance to equal or better our best decade of national relevance. I remember after the 1996 season, many fans were saying the same things about Fulmer as they are Heupel right now. "He'll never win a championship". Of course we all know how that turned out. I don't know that Heupel will ever win a championship here, but I like the direction the program is headed. It's a much tougher league now, but we're on pace to equal our best decade in the last 50+ years, and this one started out far worse than any situation in my lifetime
Click to expand...
The only problem going forward as I see it for any coach to maintain an upward or high level position is NIL and how wild the payment per player is handled. In addition to the "money" equation, and it may be the worst or best depending on the situation, is the transfer ability of players. Which brings me to another side of the problem. What has happened to the academic side of to situation? Has this part of the "higher education" standards for ALL students just been forgotten or does the tail now wag the dog?
 
#4
#4
Man I sure hope so. When I've asked if it's possible to achieve that again, the response is usually that I'm expecting Saban level results (even though nothing from the 90s UT run compares to what Saban did) and/or have an unrealistic idea of what an elite program at UT should look like in this new era. Here's hoping the staff can prove them wrong!
 
  • Like
Reactions: BernardKingGOAT
#5
#5
savannahfan said:
The only problem going forward as I see it for any coach to maintain an upward or high level position is NIL and how wild the payment per player is handled. In addition to the "money" equation, and it may be the worst or best depending on the situation, is the transfer ability of players. Which brings me to another side of the problem. What has happened to the academic side of to situation? Has this part of the "higher education" standards for ALL students just been forgotten or does the tail now wag the dog?
Click to expand...

The disbursement of money is a huge deal. Two programs with $40 million each can end up with drastically different outcomes.

I don’t know how programs handle this now. Not sure why anyone would assume CJH can do that part. You can be a great coach and not be good at the management part/talent acquisition.

I believe some programs have created a general manager type role. No idea if UT has done that.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Woodlawn VOL, BernardKingGOAT and savannahfan
#6
#6
allvol123 said:
The disbursement of money is a huge deal. Two programs with $40 million each can end up with drastically different outcomes.

I don’t know how programs handle this now. Not sure why anyone would assume CJH can do that part. You can be a great coach and not be good at the management part/talent acquisition.

I believe some programs have created a general manager type role. No idea if UT has done that.
Click to expand...
There has been any announcement of a formal "GM". I got to believe there is someone capable filling that role.
 
#7
#7
allvol123 said:
The disbursement of money is a huge deal. Two programs with $40 million each can end up with drastically different outcomes.

I don’t know how programs handle this now. Not sure why anyone would assume CJH can do that part. You can be a great coach and not be good at the management part/talent acquisition.

I believe some programs have created a general manager type role. No idea if UT has done that.
Click to expand...
I have been calling for this for the last couple of years. If that position has control over vetting players mush like the pro's do. The playing ability is just one part of a guy they look at. So or read where Kiffen is doing this. I expect having grown up in his dad's world is where he picked up this evaluation process.
 
#12
#12
Yeah people better appreciate that little run in the 1990s, because I'm not sure it'll ever come again. With more teams in the league and more conference games lurking to kneecap SEC teams, I don't know what to expect anymore. I don't think we'll ever see success like we did in the 90s. Hell, I don't even know what success will look like in the future. The national and even local media have been priming us - or trying to prime us - for two years now saying that "10 win seasons aren't going to be the norm" and that the NFL model of 8-8 is what we can expect in the future. 8 wins being a good year in this era of super conferences. And that's not even just for us, but for college teams in general. I've heard commentators say that on WNML as well as Youtube, ESPN, etc. People are saying that everywhere. As if that should somehow make any of us feel better about the idea of Tennessee going 7-5 or 8-4 every year.

And even beyond the scheduling, everything else is tougher too. Everything is tighter. I don't know how to judge coaches when they're each given disparate circumstances. NIL resources are all over the place, and every school is gonna be chasing the big 5-6 who have the most money year after year after year. Pushing further and further into their fans' pockets to keep up. I don't know how to judge against any of that. I certainly don't expect the 1990s to ever come again, though. And that kind of bums me out.
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: OffTackleVol
#13
#13
I'd settle for only one more top 10 finish this decade if it included an SEC or nationally championship.
 
#14
#14
Voltopia said:
Yeah people better appreciate that little run in the 1990s, because I'm not sure it'll ever come again. With more teams in the league and more conference games lurking to kneecap SEC teams, I don't know what to expect anymore. I don't think we'll ever see success like we did in the 90s. Hell, I don't even know what success will look like in the future. The national and even local media have been priming us - or trying to prime us - for two years now saying that "10 win seasons aren't going to be the norm" and that the NFL model of 8-8 is what we can expect in the future. 8 wins being a good year in this era of super conferences. And that's not even just for us, but for college teams in general. I've heard commentators say that on WNML as well as Youtube, ESPN, etc. People are saying that everywhere. As if that should somehow make any of us feel better about the idea of Tennessee going 7-5 or 8-4 every year.

And even beyond the scheduling, everything else is tougher too. Everything is tighter. I don't know how to judge coaches when they're each given disparate circumstances. NIL resources are all over the place, and every school is gonna be chasing the big 5-6 who have the most money year after year after year. Pushing further and further into their fans' pockets to keep up. I don't know how to judge against any of that. I certainly don't expect the 1990s to ever come again, though. And that kind of bums me out.
Click to expand...

Sad but true.

Tennessee doesn't have oil money (Texas), in-state talent (Florida/Georgia) or the willingness to bankrupt the state for football (LSU).

Fortunately Alabama's glory days are over too.
 
#15
#15
Voltopia said:
Yeah people better appreciate that little run in the 1990s, because I'm not sure it'll ever come again. With more teams in the league and more conference games lurking to kneecap SEC teams, I don't know what to expect anymore. I don't think we'll ever see success like we did in the 90s. Hell, I don't even know what success will look like in the future. The national and even local media have been priming us - or trying to prime us - for two years now saying that "10 win seasons aren't going to be the norm" and that the NFL model of 8-8 is what we can expect in the future. 8 wins being a good year in this era of super conferences. And that's not even just for us, but for college teams in general. I've heard commentators say that on WNML as well as Youtube, ESPN, etc. People are saying that everywhere. As if that should somehow make any of us feel better about the idea of Tennessee going 7-5 or 8-4 every year.

And even beyond the scheduling, everything else is tougher too. Everything is tighter. I don't know how to judge coaches when they're each given disparate circumstances. NIL resources are all over the place, and every school is gonna be chasing the big 5-6 who have the most money year after year after year. Pushing further and further into their fans' pockets to keep up. I don't know how to judge against any of that. I certainly don't expect the 1990s to ever come again, though. And that kind of bums me out.
Click to expand...
Yep, take this season as an example. Most, if not all schools, would consider 9-3 a very, very good record with 10-2 being borderline great. I've been impressed with Florida, Miss. State, and to a lesser degree, Kentucky. There's a good chance the Bullies pull the upset in Starkville this Saturday. Then, Alabama plays host to Georgia and follows that with a trip to K-town. Bama fans I know would take 10-2 right now.
 
#16
#16
BernardKingGOAT said:
1970-1979 3
1980-1989 2
1990-1999. 5
2000-2009 1
2010-2019 0
2020-2025. 2

With 4 years left to finish the decade, we have a chance to equal or better our best decade of national relevance. I remember after the 1996 season, many fans were saying the same things about Fulmer as they are Heupel right now. "He'll never win a championship". Of course we all know how that turned out. I don't know that Heupel will ever win a championship here, but I like the direction the program is headed. It's a much tougher league now, but we're on pace to equal our best decade in the last 50+ years, and this one started out far worse than any situation in my lifetime
Click to expand...
Good info.
What I'd like to see happen, when the CFP expands to whatever number, I hope the Conference Championship Game is done away. Team(s) with the best conference record is/are declared conference champ. If 3 teams finish 7-2, they're all considered an SEC Football Championship regardless of head-to-head matchups that occurred during the regular season (kind of like basketball). We'll never see 145-5 like we had the four seasons 1995-1998, again.
 
  • Like
Reactions: BernardKingGOAT
#17
#17
BernardKingGOAT said:
1970-1979 3
1980-1989 2
1990-1999. 5
2000-2009 1
2010-2019 0
2020-2025. 2

With 4 years left to finish the decade, we have a chance to equal or better our best decade of national relevance. I remember after the 1996 season, many fans were saying the same things about Fulmer as they are Heupel right now. "He'll never win a championship". Of course we all know how that turned out. I don't know that Heupel will ever win a championship here, but I like the direction the program is headed. It's a much tougher league now, but we're on pace to equal our best decade in the last 50+ years, and this one started out far worse than any situation in my lifetime
Click to expand...
The program was in much better condition when Fulmer took over. Majors had his faults, but somehow he had tons of talent up there and Fulmer reaped those benefits and was able to keep pulling in the talent.
 
  • Like
Reactions: BernardKingGOAT
#18
#18
OffTackleVol said:
Good info.
What I'd like to see happen, when the CFP expands to whatever number, I hope the Conference Championship Game is done away. Team(s) with the best conference record is/are declared conference champ. If 3 teams finish 7-2, they're all considered an SEC Football Championship regardless of head-to-head matchups that occurred during the regular season (kind of like basketball). We'll never see 145-5 like we had the four seasons 1995-1998, again.
Click to expand...
I agree with all of this.

P4 football will be NFL lite with the imminent parity
 
  • Like
Reactions: OffTackleVol
#19
#19
BernardKingGOAT said:
1970-1979 3
1980-1989 2
1990-1999. 5
2000-2009 1
2010-2019 0
2020-2025. 2

With 4 years left to finish the decade, we have a chance to equal or better our best decade of national relevance. I remember after the 1996 season, many fans were saying the same things about Fulmer as they are Heupel right now. "He'll never win a championship". Of course we all know how that turned out. I don't know that Heupel will ever win a championship here, but I like the direction the program is headed. It's a much tougher league now, but we're on pace to equal our best decade in the last 50+ years, and this one started out far worse than any situation in my lifetime
Click to expand...
All that success and a very down SEC and only one NC to show for it much less only one NC game. Should have played for at least a couple more.
 
#22
#22
allvol123 said:
The disbursement of money is a huge deal. Two programs with $40 million each can end up with drastically different outcomes.

I don’t know how programs handle this now. Not sure why anyone would assume CJH can do that part. You can be a great coach and not be good at the management part/talent acquisition.

I believe some programs have created a general manager type role. No idea if UT has done that.
Click to expand...
The general manager type role does exist. They just don't call it "general manager". There are a whole group of folks that are constantly evaluating both high school and portal players. Listen to Coach Mathews' show Big Orange Sunday and you will get good insight on that part of Tennessee's football program from time to time. Not so much during the season. Right now, the show focuses on the coaching perspective, mostly.
 
  • Like
Reactions: allvol123
#23
#23
sigmundoooz said:
The general manager type role does exist. They just don't call it "general manager". There are a whole group of folks that are constantly evaluating both high school and portal players. Listen to Coach Mathews' show Big Orange Sunday and you will get good insight on that part of Tennessee's football program from time to time. Not so much during the season. Right now, the show focuses on the coaching perspective, mostly.
Click to expand...
What channel and time does Coach Mathew's show come on? 104.5?
 
New Posts
You must log in or register to reply here.

Advertisement



Back
Top