Win or lose where do you stand?

#76
#76
We are way ahead of schedule. I would love to beat Alabama and/or Georgia but even if we beat neither I am thrilled with this season. Heck, we could go 9-3 at this point and I’m not saying I wouldn’t be slightly disappointed but it’s still a phenomenal improvement over last season and nowhere near where I expected to be right now.

Also I had two dreams about the Alabama game last night. In one, it 42-41 Alabama and we got the ball back with a little under a minute to go. I don’t know if we won or not. In the other I was in some kind of cafeteria with Vol fans and Alabama fans and a brawl broke out. Had to fight off two bama fans who had baseball bats. This is of course ridiculous, but I have no idea what either dream meant.

I legitimately thought when Heupel was hired it’d be year 3 before we got back to bowl eligibility (it helps the NCAA doesn’t seem to care about the Pruitt recruiting violations lol). The fact we are currently a top 10 team, with a legit chance to beat Alabama is almost beyond comprehension.
 
#77
#77
Well we've heard the " feels like 98" thing a few years.... Lol
But it's time to break the Bama win streak and let Saban start contemplating his retirement.
Can this game be like 1982 when UT broke an 11 game win streak by Bear Bryant and Alabama. The Bear retired at the end of that season. Can their be a repeat?
 
#79
#79
Can this game be like 1982 when UT broke an 11 game win streak by Bear Bryant and Alabama. The Bear retired at the end of that season. Can their be a repeat?
I think both Tennessee and Ole Miss will beat Alabama knocking them out of the SECCG and into a bowl like the Cotton,Sugar or Orange Bowl. That might be enough for Nick to be considering retirement between the Auburn game and Alabama's Bowl Game.
 
#80
#80
There are reasons why Bama is favored among expert bettors in this game. Mostly, they have superior talent at more positions than we do. And they have Saban. It will be no embarrassment to lose this game, unless we get taken apart like in so many Bama games in recent past. No matter the outcome, we are a program on the rise, and we will beat them sooner than later. And whenever they lose Saban, look out.
 
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#82
#82
TN needs this win badly to keep forward momentum going and to get this Bama streak broken.

I'll never be OK with losing to these Bama a- holes. I can understand it as good as their teams have been but I'll never like it.

Regardless of the outcome, Heupel is doing an overall excellent job to this point though.
 
#85
#85
There are reasons why Bama is favored among expert bettors in this game. Mostly, they have superior talent at more positions than we do. And they have Saban. It will be no embarrassment to lose this game, unless we get taken apart like in so many Bama games in recent past. No matter the outcome, we are a program on the rise, and we will beat them sooner than later. And whenever they lose Saban, look out.
As I recall, you're a Bama fan pretending to be a Tennessee fan. The "you can call me AL(abama)" thing rings in my memory as a clue to who you really are.

If the "experts" you claim to know have any sense, they'll be saying, "And they have Heupel."

I see no value in your perspective. But nice try.

Oh, and ps: the expert bettors haven't placed their bets yet. They're waiting to see if anything is given away about Young's status. They'll be placing their bets in the final 12-24 hours.

Go Vols!
 
#86
#86
Depends on how the rest of season goes. If we bounce back and keep rolling... maybe 2 losses for the year I wouldn't be angry...disappointed maybe but I sure didn't come into this season with high expectations...well any e
 
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#87
#87
Win or lose this game, I still feel good overall about the team coach and season. Best chance we’ve had to win in a while and want to take advantage.

One thing I am sure of, the days of being alabamas whipping boy are over. We’re going to fight hard no doubt about it and I couldn’t really say that in years past. We were beat before the game started. The Florida game this year (and LSU) are good proofs of my point
 
#88
#88
No doubt last week's game exceeded our expectations & fulfilled many dreams. This week's game will not yield many favorable bounces & no favorable officiant calls.
Our margin for error is zero.
 
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#89
#89
This, see here, this is how our expectations change over the course of a season.

Up front I need to say: not picking on Zues. He reflects most of us. We're all doing this. He simply provided an opportunity to discuss it.

Here was Zues (and many of us) Just four games ago, right before we played Pitt:



And this was his summary after the game:



Totally fair comments, all of them. But very different from saying "meh, 10-2 sounds great, but IMO we need to beat Bama or UGa."

Here was Zues just two weeks later, leading into the Florida game:



And here was him two weeks after that, going into LSU:



These are not the pronouncements of a fella who thinks 10-2 is just okay, but we really need to beat Bama or UGa.

...

Again, I have to emphasize--NOT picking on Zues. This is all of us (well, many of us). We're moving the goalposts of our expectations.

And that's okay. It's perfectly fine. Folks reassess and refocus their goals all the time, in all walks of life. Football fandom is no different.

But it is also useful to remain grounded, to remember what came before, to not ENTIRELY lose sight of the pre-season expectations and what success would look like.

Because we're already there. We're smack dab in the middle of success. We are striding forward at a heady pace toward championship football.

It may not come this year. That's okay, because we can all tell it is coming.

Thanks, Zues, for representing the rest of us here. No negativity intended, at all.

Go Vols!

This exactly. We all do it , or most of us. It's human nature to want more when we get what we want , especially if it comes easier than we expected. Had we squeaked by LSU , I think the majority would be ready to throw a parade if we finish 10-2 . Some realization of reality would probably save us some pets and furniture though. We still have weakness on our roster that "they" don't have to the same degree.
 
#91
#91
Since I posted from the beginning I felt similarities between this season and the 98 season which I had season tickets (only time ever) I was wondering will you be okay if we lose close or are you tired of excuses as I am? I mean nearly fifteen years out of the last twenty years we been a laugher up on the hill. Just wondering.
I'm tired of excuses, but I've seen none from this coach. He's made mistakes, but he's human. I have no worries about the state of the program. Zero. It is in good hands. There will be mistakes along the way. Hopefully they are little mistakes.

I think we have a good program again. All signs are pointed up. He doesn't have to beat Bama to keep my faith. I hope he does, though.
 
#93
#93
Going 10-2 even with losses to Alabama and Georgia is a huge step up for the program and will probably mean Tennessee plays in the Sugar,Orange or Citrus Bowls.

Agreed, but we need to be more than just competitive in both games. We're way ahead of schedule, but going toe to toe with all those 5-stars and showing that this isn't the UT of the last 15 years is vital IMO, both to send a message to the league but most importantly to recruits that this is a place they can play in a fun system while being in the national spotlight.

10-2 with close losses to Bama and UGa and a NY6 bowl would have been a pipe dream a year ago, but now it's more than realistic and would serve as the launching pad for a great new era of Vol football.
 
#94
#94
As I recall, you're a Bama fan pretending to be a Tennessee fan. The "you can call me AL(abama)" thing rings in my memory as a clue to who you really are.

If the "experts" you claim to know have any sense, they'll be saying, "And they have Heupel."

I see no value in your perspective. But nice try.

Oh, and ps: the expert bettors haven't placed their bets yet. They're waiting to see if anything is given away about Young's status. They'll be placing their bets in the final 12-24 hours.

Go Vols!

You don't recall well. I'm a University of Tennessee graduate, class of 1972. My blood runs Orange, not crimson. I try to look at things without the orange colored glasses as well as with them. It was just a post to try to temper unrealistic expectations.
 
#96
#96
I think we going to beat them both with my orange glasses on . But if I had to chose to lose one it would be Georgia because UT can still get in the playoffs with 1 loss I think . But since undefeated is better they both going down lol
 
#97
#97
If we put up a fight, I’m content with it either way. I’d be ecstatic if they win. No one expected us to be where we are right now with this opportunity. You can’t put the last 15 years on this current staff and players. It’s the progress that matters. GO VOLS!!!
 
#98
#98
You don't recall well. I'm a University of Tennessee graduate, class of 1972. My blood runs Orange, not crimson. I try to look at things without the orange colored glasses as well as with them. It was just a post to try to temper unrealistic expectations.
Okay, so just who are the "expert bettors" you said favor Bama? Can you provide a source?

In my experience, the wisdom goes like this: "amateurs place their bets the week prior. Experts decide and place their bets in the last 24 hours."

So what experts are you talking about?
 
Win or lose I’m all vol.

If you’d ask me last year if I thought we’d be in this position this quick I’d have told you you’re crazy.

I was hoping for 8-4. Now 10-2 is very realistic and 12-0 isn’t impossible.

I love this staff and how they seem to prepare and unite the team.
 

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