Would you call it a "successful" season?

#76
#76
If your kid came home with F's on his/her report card but brought them up to C-'s by the end the year, would you think that he/she had a successful school year? The "circumstances were self-inflicted. The 0-2 hole they dug themselves in didn't happen because of divine intervention. Sorry but I don't consider averting complete self-inflicted disaster a "success."
More like a F and a D followed by several Bs
 
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#77
#77
Most media and even VN posters predicted between 5-7 and 7-5. I don't recall seeing many 4-8s or 8-4s. I predicted 6-6.

I don't think it's fair to predict 6-6 or 7-5, then say "Oh it's not really successful because they should be 9-3".
So if anyone doesn't think it was a "successful" season, I am curious as to how you would have rather the 7-5 season play out.
Super pumped about finding out the bowl game matchup and then... bring on Oklahoma!

Yes, I think it was a successful season. HOWEVER, it should have been much better. We had by far the weakest schedule I can remember. This team should have been 9-3. I give Pruitt a B-. No way we should have lost those first two games. I did think 7-5 would be a really good season, but when you look closely at the teams we played, had we won those first two games, the only opponent we beat with more than 6 wins would have been UK, and UK's schedule was much weaker than ours. If we play a schedule that weak every year, we should never lose more than 3 games.
 
#78
#78
Yes, I think it was a successful season. HOWEVER, it should have been much better. We had by far the weakest schedule I can remember. This team should have been 9-3. I give Pruitt a B-. No way we should have lost those first two games. I did think 7-5 would be a really good season, but when you look closely at the teams we played, had we won those first two games, the only opponent we beat with more than 6 wins would have been UK, and UK's schedule was much weaker than ours. If we play a schedule that weak every year, we should never lose more than 3 games.
We played 9 bowl eligible teams. Not exactly as weak as you think
 
#79
#79
Yes, Pruitt saved his job and most importantly held ground in recruiting. This class may be weak but I don't want to think what it would look like at 4-8. A lot of good press and good show for visiting recruits. This has got to give them a lift.
 
#80
#80
We played 9 bowl eligible teams. Not exactly as weak as you think
We'll have to disagree. The schedule was the weakest schedule we have played in decades. A 6-win bowl eligible team with a weak schedule is not a good team. The best team we beat was probably SC (5-7).
 
#81
#81
We'll have to disagree. The schedule was the weakest schedule we have played in decades. A 6-win bowl eligible team with a weak schedule is not a good team. The best team we beat was probably SC (5-7).
Going from 2-6 in SEC to finishing 5-3 and 3rd in East isn’t too shabby. Anything less than a bowl bid would’ve been a disappointing season. And yes the Ga State game is really the outlier which brings everyone down but in reality UTs program is light years from 2 years ago and steadily improved from 2018
 
#82
#82
Yes, I think it was a successful season. HOWEVER, it should have been much better. We had by far the weakest schedule I can remember. This team should have been 9-3. I give Pruitt a B-. No way we should have lost those first two games. I did think 7-5 would be a really good season, but when you look closely at the teams we played, had we won those first two games, the only opponent we beat with more than 6 wins would have been UK, and UK's schedule was much weaker than ours. If we play a schedule that weak every year, we should never lose more than 3 games.
Once again, my counter question to the opposed isn't answered.
Which teams should they have lost to and been 7-5?
If you say you thought the schedule would be tougher, but had you known it was this week you would have said 9-3... I call unfair expectations. You can't expect a brand new head coach to take the laughing stock of cfb 4-8 team to 9 wins in year 2. Not to mention, you would be the same guy to say Pruitt should then win the East next year and have a close lose in Atlanta. That would also be unfair, as you yourself would admit to UT having only beaten horrible teams.
 
#84
#84
Most media and even VN posters predicted between 5-7 and 7-5. I don't recall seeing many 4-8s or 8-4s. I predicted 6-6.
So the team goes 7-5. Wouldn't anything better be overachieving, given the dumpster fire 2 years ago, young OL and even worse DL entering this season, and the disastrous start to QB play/injuries?
The opposed will point to losing to GSU and BYU and ask how could one say successful with inexcusable loses to them. I understand, and yes, they were inexcusable.
But did you consider what a 7-5 team that beat GSU and BYU would mean? They're losing to Miss St, Kentucky, Missouri, SCjr or Vandy. Had they upset someone that means they would have dropped 3 of those 5 games mentioned. Would you really rather them end on another sour note, or get the bad play out of the way and start rolling into 2020?
I don't think it's fair to predict 6-6 or 7-5, then say "Oh it's not really successful because they should be 9-3".
So if anyone doesn't think it was a "successful" season, I am curious as to how you would have rather the 7-5 season play out.
Super pumped about finding out the bowl game matchup and then... bring on Oklahoma!


Short answer...HELL YES it's a success
 
#85
#85
It’s a step forward. We could argue as to whether it should have been better or not, but it doesn’t change that fact.

It would nice to become a legitimate contender on a conference and national level. That probably is another 2-3 steps from here.
 
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#86
#86
Most media and even VN posters predicted between 5-7 and 7-5. I don't recall seeing many 4-8s or 8-4s. I predicted 6-6.
So the team goes 7-5. Wouldn't anything better be overachieving, given the dumpster fire 2 years ago, young OL and even worse DL entering this season, and the disastrous start to QB play/injuries?
The opposed will point to losing to GSU and BYU and ask how could one say successful with inexcusable loses to them. I understand, and yes, they were inexcusable.
But did you consider what a 7-5 team that beat GSU and BYU would mean? They're losing to Miss St, Kentucky, Missouri, SCjr or Vandy. Had they upset someone that means they would have dropped 3 of those 5 games mentioned. Would you really rather them end on another sour note, or get the bad play out of the way and start rolling into 2020?
I don't think it's fair to predict 6-6 or 7-5, then say "Oh it's not really successful because they should be 9-3".
So if anyone doesn't think it was a "successful" season, I am curious as to how you would have rather the 7-5 season play out.
Super pumped about finding out the bowl game matchup and then... bring on Oklahoma!


Longer answer....my expectations were 7-5 coming in, so it meets my criteria.

Additionally, while the G State and BYU losses are dismaying, I'll take an SEC win over those two any day, particularly any two of Mizzou, USC and (gag) Vandy, who have had recent unaccustomed success against us. I've said it before, but before we beat UF, Uga, or bammer we have to beat the middle of the pack teams. We swept them this season, exceeding my expectations.

Additionally no. 2, the Ga State and BYU losses were on the right end of the season (the beginning) and there has been improvements since. Unlike the embarassments against Mizzou and Vandy last year (which we righted this year!)
 
#88
#88
No; I'd never call a 7-5 season successful.

I would say we landed about where I expected in an unexpected way, and that for the first time in three seasons, we have a pulse and some promising leadership attending the program.
Second this!
 
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#90
#90
As a matter of improvement, coaches and players, over the course of a season, heck yeah, it was successful.

They all did a great job to get to this point and I am sure they had moments of doubt...but in the end, they are bowling.

The story doesn’t end here, it’s the first chapter, but Pruitt and the rest, control the destiny from here on out.

Expectations will only go up from here. How they meet that challenge is how they will be judged.
 
#92
#92
If your kid came home with F's on his/her report card but brought them up to C-'s by the end the year, would you think that he/she had a successful school year? The "circumstances were self-inflicted. The 0-2 hole they dug themselves in didn't happen because of divine intervention. Sorry but I don't consider averting complete self-inflicted disaster a "success."

Let's say my kid has the misfortune of going to school at Homer High School in Louisiana (one of the top 5 worst schools in the country) and then transferred to a respected private school. I'd be elated that their initial F's turned into C's by the end of the year. The hope is I would be able to get them some summer break tutoring and see the C's turn into B's and a sprinkling of A's.

I made a statement earlier in the year about the previous regime - "In my head, I reply to almost every post lately with "we only had football meetings twice a week." Then I mentally apologize to every player that has donned the O&W for the last few regimes for the lack of development."

Knowing what we know now - I'm surprised we won 5 games last year. S&C sucked... player development sucked.... the loser mentality sucked.... This team finally figured out that the old way wasn't working and started playing the way they were being taught and they started seeing results. So, yeah - a C this year is a success in my book. Let's hope we can start seeing some B's next year and continue the trend.
 
#94
#94
Most media and even VN posters predicted between 5-7 and 7-5. I don't recall seeing many 4-8s or 8-4s. I predicted 6-6.
So the team goes 7-5. Wouldn't anything better be overachieving, given the dumpster fire 2 years ago, young OL and even worse DL entering this season, and the disastrous start to QB play/injuries?
The opposed will point to losing to GSU and BYU and ask how could one say successful with inexcusable loses to them. I understand, and yes, they were inexcusable.
But did you consider what a 7-5 team that beat GSU and BYU would mean? They're losing to Miss St, Kentucky, Missouri, SCjr or Vandy. Had they upset someone that means they would have dropped 3 of those 5 games mentioned. Would you really rather them end on another sour note, or get the bad play out of the way and start rolling into 2020?
I don't think it's fair to predict 6-6 or 7-5, then say "Oh it's not really successful because they should be 9-3".
So if anyone doesn't think it was a "successful" season, I am curious as to how you would have rather the 7-5 season play out.
Super pumped about finding out the bowl game matchup and then... bring on Oklahoma!
I would absolutely call it a successful season based off last year, it’s improvement even with one bad loss and one we should have won. Georgia State was a bad loss, no way to spin that. BYU should have been a W but I also knew that wasn’t going to be as easy as some thought it would be. Had we beat Georgia State and lost to BYU I think many would have been able to tolerate that one a lot better.

That being said, this was by all means a successful season. It’s a bitter pill to swallow to know that 9-3 was on the table but it is what it is. Pruitt convinced me that he can turn this thing around. Not “win a natty” turn it around but we are certainly headed in the right direction. This team could have very well mailed it in after the 1-4 start we had. We bounced back and finished playing winning football. It says a lot about what these players thought of this coaching staff to keep digging and keep fighting.
 
#98
#98
Success? No. A success would be beating UF and being in the hunt for the East championship.
I think we improved and that is awesome and I honestly could not have asked for much more. We reached a lot of our goals while also having some of the most embarrassing loses I can remember. I think the future is bright but some things about this season will sting for a long time.
 
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Most media and even VN posters predicted between 5-7 and 7-5. I don't recall seeing many 4-8s or 8-4s. I predicted 6-6.
So the team goes 7-5. Wouldn't anything better be overachieving, given the dumpster fire 2 years ago, young OL and even worse DL entering this season, and the disastrous start to QB play/injuries?
The opposed will point to losing to GSU and BYU and ask how could one say successful with inexcusable loses to them. I understand, and yes, they were inexcusable.
But did you consider what a 7-5 team that beat GSU and BYU would mean? They're losing to Miss St, Kentucky, Missouri, SCjr or Vandy. Had they upset someone that means they would have dropped 3 of those 5 games mentioned. Would you really rather them end on another sour note, or get the bad play out of the way and start rolling into 2020?
I don't think it's fair to predict 6-6 or 7-5, then say "Oh it's not really successful because they should be 9-3".
So if anyone doesn't think it was a "successful" season, I am curious as to how you would have rather the 7-5 season play out.
Super pumped about finding out the bowl game matchup and then... bring on Oklahoma!
I believe I said 8-4. Hard to believe that if not for the horrible performance the first two games against cupcakes we may have gone 9-3. Even such an optimist as I would have never said 9-3.

But no, I wouldn't call this a successful season.
 

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