Tennessee No. 13 in Sporting News preseason poll

[FlyFishnVol]

Ok, all good, UT getting the notoriety it deserves, what a journey...........whew! I don't want to go through that again.

Go Vols!!

 

[VFL-82-JP]

Can't say that I know for sure about where Stanford is expected to finish in the Pac-12. They're a perennial contender so I assume they'll be a favorite to challenge for the championship again out there again. They always play great defense and McCaffrey is electric. Gotta replace a senior QB and team leader though. Honestly, not sure.

As far as Michigan State, I think they're a cut above both Iowa and Northwestern....tough, hard nosed team that's very well coached. I can see us beating them in a hard fought battle, but I have little to no doubt that as a playoff team from last year, that the sharps in Vegas would make them a favorite vs a very talented, but still unproven Tennessee team.

Yeah, that makes sense on Stanford. It's amazing how good that program is, when it should by all rights be in the Vandy-Duke-Northwestern mold.

I agree Mich St is a cut above NU and Iowa, but not as far above them as we are above Mich State. In other words, MSU is more like NU than it is like the Vols, and I think the results would show that on a neutral field. Wouldn't be 45-7, but might be 35-14 or 35-17.

Could be wrong on that, though. Mich State has shown the ability to surpriese, the past few years.

 

[Orange_Crush]

Unbiased? Really? Take off the orange glasses. Yes we have talent, yes we have a dynamic backfield and QB and a defense poised to make some noise, but can you objectively sit here and say that we should be #6 right now without having beaten more than one team with a winning record that is worth a da#%?

This is the 2016 preseason rankings. Has *anyone* beaten *anyone* in 2016? This is a prediction of the upcoming season, not a recap of the past 10.

:hi:

 

[drylo]

So you agree with his opinions. I don't. So you think he's "on fire". I don't. So, my like or dislike of D4h notwithstanding, I won't be "admitting" anything about him today.

Just for the record, I didn't say you needed to admit anything. I just said D4H was right about what he's saying in this thread. So, yeah, you are correct in interpreting that as basically just that I agree with him.

 

[Dobbs 4 Heisman]

And D4H, you keep saying the Big 12 is a weak conference. That's not a stat you can back up without using your blind homerism and ignorance of the game of football.

Recruiting rankings. Big 12 on average recruits worse than the other power 5 conferences. College Football Recruiting Commitment Scorecard 2016 - ESPN

Player rankings may not individually predict how good a player will be. But team rankings generally do. Look no further than the last 3 national champs (Alabama, Ohio State, and Florida State) recruiting multiple top 5 classes on top of each other before winning it all.

 

[drylo]

#1, #2, #3, #6.......yeah, no

#1 and #2 shouldn't be that controversial around here, honestly. I'll let you quibble with #3 (to a very limited extent) and #6, but UT is going to be top-10 according to a large majority of serious pundits/polls/computer rankings, and UT would wax Michigan State.

 

[Orange_Crush]

You were probably saying the same thing about OU and Arkansas last year til they beat us on our own dang field with equal or lesser talent. Basically, until UT takes the talent they have against those teams, we won't know.

Predictions aren't about 'knowing'. They are about... well... predicting. Expectations. Foretelling. Chicken bones and tea leaves, my friend.

 

[VFL-82-JP]

Conference Strength -- using teams with a realistic chance to get to the playoffs:

SEC (8): Bama, Tennessee, LSU, Georgia, Ole Miss, Florida, Auburn, A&M.
B12 (4): Oklahoma, Baylor, TCU, Oklahoma State.
B10 (3): Ohio State, Michigan State, Michigan.
ACC (2): Clemson, FSU.
PAC (2): Stanford, Oregon.

That's how I rank them in my head. The funny thing is, results on the field the past several years have said that the PAC is better than that, they're actually the #2 conference. Just funny that they don't have a lot of schools with a realistic shot of getting through the season with 0 or 1 losses.

So I'd personally put B12 in the middle, after SEC and PAC but before B10 and ACC. I think they're a pretty good conference.

 

[Grand Vol]

Recruiting rankings. Big 12 on average recruits worse than the other power 5 conferences. College Football Recruiting Commitment Scorecard 2016 - ESPN

Player rankings may not individually predict how good a player will be. But team rankings generally do. Look no further than the last 3 national champs (Alabama, Ohio State, and Florida State) recruiting multiple top 5 classes on top of each other before winning it all.

If you are basing your entire hypothesis on recruit rankings and who won the NCG, you really are clueless.

You say the Big 12 is a weak conference. Back that up with some actual data. C'mon football guru, back it up.

 

[VOL 4 Life 83]

This is the 2016 preseason rankings. Has *anyone* beaten *anyone* in 2016? This is a prediction of the upcoming season, not a recap of the past 10.

:hi:

You're absolutely right. It's a "prediction." But to make accurate predictions you rely on models from the past and statistical trends. Yes UT has been trending up, specifically recruiting and having more quality depth and juniors/seniors, but the same UT team hasn't really beaten anyone of significance "yet" (I believe we will this year). But until then, you can't place them inside the top 10 without some significant information to rely on other than "that team is stacked."

 

[Vol737]

There are some good teams out there. Baylor is good enough to win it all.

Im not sure why anyone thinks we could walk over them.

Forget LSU... we all know what the problem is there.

I hate to say this... but watch out for UGA. Chaney can coach some offense. Smart will have that defense playing well.


Its us and UGA for the east. And im not sure we are more talented them...

13 is a great preseason ranking.

There is that little team out of Gainesville that is perpetually in our way like a blood clot. They still don't have enough talent, but they still had enough to ruin our hopes every year for the past 11. So it's not just us and UGA. FLA came out of nowhere to win it last year and McElwain isn't about to concede anything just because it's at Neyland Stadium. I think it's a three team race till we prove otherwise.

 

[drylo]

You're absolutely right. It's a "prediction." But to make accurate predictions you rely on models from the past and statistical trends. Yes UT has been trending up, specifically recruiting and having more quality depth and juniors/seniors, but the same UT team hasn't really beaten anyone of significance "yet" (I believe we will this year). But until then, you can't place them inside the top 10 without some significant information to rely on other than "that team is stacked."

Yes, you can. We have recruited at a top-10 level, we return practically everybody and our largest margin of defeat last year was a 5-point road loss to the national champion.

 

[KBVol]

Just for the record, I didn't say you needed to admit anything. I just said D4H was right about what he's saying in this thread. So, yeah, you are correct in interpreting that as basically just that I agree with him.

My bad Drylo, thought I recalled your post reading along the lines of "you may not like D4H but you gotta admit he's en fuego in this thread". Didn't mean to come off like a smartarse.

Everybody has their opinion, and I can respect an informed one as much as anybody. I also appreciate a somewhat humble one over an arrogant one, which is why D4H gets so much heat around here. Very few guys present their opinions in here as fact and tell other guys they're stupid, idiotic fools or "geniuses" if they disagree like D4H does. About half the time D4H swerves into a reasonable, thought out take....the rest of the time he pulls something outrageous out of his arse. Still, it's typically not what he says, it's HOW he says it.

 

[VOL 4 Life 83]

Yes, you can. We have recruited at a top-10 level, we return practically everybody and our largest margin of defeat last year was a 5-point road loss to the national champion.

Two top 5 classes and a top 25 class the before those didn't get us a top 10 ranking last year, nor was it warranted. Same as this year til we put our money where our mouths are, point blank period.

 

[ru4real-really?]

Last season does not matter.

However, the last game you played last season does matter. The way you played it and how many of those starters return next season also does matter.

Two games and four teams illustrate this. Think Florida and Michigan. Does it matter to Florida that Michigan handed them their lunch. Yes, it does. Florida is concerned and rightly so, even if they were SEC east champs. Should that concern carry over into next season? Yes, it should, and all pollsters and Vegas odds makers agree. Michigan looked good and that also should carry over into next season and it does, and that is reflected in pre-season polls and Vegas odds.

The same holds true for Tennessee and Northwestern. Tennessee looked like world beaters that last game and most starters return next year. Should that be a big consideration for pre-season and odds makers? Of course it should! That is why some put Tennessee in with a select few that have a legitimate shot at the title next year.

People talk about Northwester's victory over Stanford the first game last year. That would not have happened at the seasons end--and that is why the season matters little.

What matters is where you were at the end of the season and what is coming back. Urban's 2015 returning OSU team is an anomaly and he is too!

Yea, I think Tennessee is a legitimate top five team!

 

[WillisWG]

and last year's Sporting News preseason top 10 picks were OSU, TCU, Auburn, Oregon, Bama, USC, Baylor, Michigan St, FSU and ND. . .

 

[rtb1983]

Too high.

 

[VOL 4 Life 83]

Too high.

Agreed. 15 until proven otherwise

 

[KBVol]

Yes, you can. We have recruited at a top-10 level, we return practically everybody and our largest margin of defeat last year was a 5-point road loss to the national champion.

Just to play devil's advocate.....we return "practically everybody" who went 1-4 in their 5 most important games last year (Oklahoma, Florida, Georgia, Arky, Alabama)....were 3-4 until rattling off 5 straight wins vs teams like North Texas, SCar, Mizz, Ky and Vandy, 5 teams that were a collective 18-42. We get full marks for destroying an overmatched NW team, but we boat raced Iowa the year before and that had no effect on our 2015 team to win big games vs our best competition. There are still questions about a talented Tennessee team that's long on potential but short on results to date. Not sure why a team that barely finished in the top 25 last year should justifiably jump 15-20 spots.....about 10 or so spots to #13 seems about right. Just playing devil's advocate.

 

[Orange_Crush]

You're absolutely right. It's a "prediction." But to make accurate predictions you rely on models from the past and statistical trends. Yes UT has been trending up, specifically recruiting and having more quality depth and juniors/seniors, but the same UT team hasn't really beaten anyone of significance "yet" (I believe we will this year). But until then, you can't place them inside the top 10 without some significant information to rely on other than "that team is stacked."

You are correct. Trends, analysis, recruiting, maturity... That all goes into the prediction. And they're all much more appropriate than counting historical wins/losses, in my most humble and correct opinion. This is the same team from last year, as far as jersey colors and some of the names on the jerseys, but it is also a very different team.

The bold is hogwash. I can do whatever I want to do per my predictions for next year, as can you. And I haven't stated where I would put them; I just pointed out the holes in your logic. I'm not very interested in putting them anywhere right now. I personally think preseason polls are an utter waste of time and vastly untrustworthy.

Instead, I'll watch game one. Game two. Three. Four... And I'll do it with admittedly high expectation. Know why?

Because this team is stacked.

 

[rtb1983]

Agreed. 15 until proven otherwise

Exactly. This guy gets it. The key word here is proven. We are unproven over the last 5+ years.

 

[KBVol]

There is that little team out of Gainesville that is perpetually in our way like a blood clot. They still don't have enough talent, but they still had enough to ruin our hopes every year for the past 11. So it's not just us and UGA. FLA came out of nowhere to win it last year and McElwain isn't about to concede anything just because it's at Neyland Stadium. I think it's a three team race till we prove otherwise.

Well said. Just amazed how people completely discount and write off a Florida team that went 10-2 on the way to the SECCG last year with a new staff, a MASH unit at OL, a redshirt freshman for half the season, and a Div 2 WR at QB for the other half. They did it with smoke and mirrors in a down, chaotic season.....they're only gonna be better and more talented this year. I think Georgia will be a factor, but the East will come down to Tennessee and Florida once again IMO.

 

[Rudy123]

Fair enough

I am cautious about all of this! In 2005, I was in Iraq and U.T. was expected to do great things and were even highly ranked in the pre season poll. We ended up having a losing season.
Again, in 2007, we got to the S.E.C. Championship game by going through the back door. In 2008, we ended up losing to Wyoming at home coming.
I hope the players are not taking these polls to heart. We need to be a team with a chip on our shoulder. "Us against Them" mentality. We do not need to be the favored, we need to be the under dogs.

 

[BearCat204]

#1 and #2 shouldn't be that controversial around here, honestly. I'll let you quibble with #3 (to a very limited extent) and #6, but UT is going to be top-10 according to a large majority of serious pundits/polls/computer rankings, and UT would wax Michigan State.

Where I think we finish is in the top 10. As far as putting together a preseason poll, as of right now, I don't see how anyone could justify putting UT in the top 10. 13 is a good spot IMO

 

[VOL 4 Life 83]

You are correct. Trends, analysis, recruiting, maturity... That all goes into the prediction. And they're all much more appropriate than counting historical wins/losses, in my most humble and correct opinion. This is the same team from last year, as far as jersey colors and some of the names on the jerseys, but it is also a very different team.

The bold is hogwash. I can do whatever I want to do per my predictions for next year, as can you. And I haven't stated where I would put them; I just pointed out the holes in your logic. I'm not very interested in putting them anywhere right now. I personally think preseason polls are an utter waste of time and vastly untrustworthy.

Instead, I'll watch game one. Game two. Three. Four... And I'll do it with admittedly high expectation. Know why?

Because this team is stacked.

I respect your opinion. I also agree with your statement about preseason polls. However, we can't act like teams don't look at those polls. I really hope we come out this year with a "prove it" mentality. Yes, this team is undoubtedly stacked. Subjectively, I think we are one of the three best teams in the SEC, with no specific order. Objectively, I HAVE to look at what we have done over the past two seasons. Last year the SEC East was basically laid in our laps but we just weren't able to take advantage of it. The OU and Florida games were also primed for us to make some noise nationally, and many thought we would with the talent we had (which was pretty dang good last year too). All I am saying is, let the chips fall as they may, but a top 10 ranking from ANY pollster is just not warranted IMHO.