5 years down the road

What will be the Vols highest accomplishment in the next 5 years?

  • Win the National Championship

    Votes: 143 53.8%

  • Make the title game but fall short

    Votes: 24 9.0%

  • SEC Champs

    Votes: 52 19.5%

  • SEC runner up

    Votes: 30 11.3%

  • None of the above

    Votes: 17 6.4%
  • Total voters
    266
#34
#34
Come on guys, the ceiling is absolutely a NC. I’m a Dawg and even I can see this as the goal for TN football within the next 5 years. Hell, look how good your offense was in 22 under CJH!

That 22 team was much closer to making the playoff than many give them credit for. You kinda hit a buzz saw playing that GA team, but honestly there is a reason Kirby got so conservative in the second half. He knew what that offense was capable of, so he wanted to limit possessions, ie chances they had to score, and he desperately wanted to limit the chances for costly turnovers. Basically he wanted to protect the lead we had bc he knew it could quickly flip. In that weather it turned out to be a smart strategy. The other loss was just a terrible defensive game against SC. Point being, it could have played out much differently. Any knowledge fan knows this.

I say all this only to reiterate that a NC is a reasonable goal. Sure you had a great QB in 22, but hell, you got Nico now. And Nico is likely to have a better team around him within the next few years than Hooker had. Sure the SEC is going to continue to be tough, but now it’s a 12 team playoff. You get close to matching that offense from 22 and maybe field a better defense who knows? Surely a NC isn’t beyond crazy to think possible.

I’m not saying it’s likely, because it’s crazy tough. Even very good teams usually gotta have the breaks go their way. I’m just saying that CJH has you guys playing much better ball than in years past, and is building a stronger team top to bottom it seems. I think a Natty isn’t an unreasonable goal.

I hate to admit it, but TN football has gotten stronger since CJH took over. If the trend continues, who knows? I hope I’m wrong, but this just seems a logical possibility to me.
 
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#38
#38
DirtyDawg said:
Come on guys, the ceiling is absolutely a NC. I’m a Dawg and even I can see this as the goal for TN football within the next 5 years. Hell, look how good your offense was in 22 under CJH!

That 22 team was much closer to making the playoff than many give them credit for. You kinda hit a buzz saw playing that GA team, but honestly there is a reason Kirby got so conservative in the second half. He knew what that offense was capable of, so he wanted to limit possessions, ie chances they had to score, and he desperately wanted to limit the chances for costly turnovers. Basically he wanted to protect the lead we had bc he knew it could quickly flip. In that weather it turned out to be a smart strategy. The other loss was just a terrible defensive game against SC. Point being, it could have played out much differently. Any knowledge fan knows this.

I say all this only to reiterate that a NC is a reasonable goal. Sure you had a great QB in 22, but hell, you got Nico now. And Nico is likely to have a better team around him within the next few years than Hooker had. Sure the SEC is going to continue to be tough, but now it’s a 12 team playoff. You get close to matching that offense from 22 and maybe field a better defense who knows? Surely a NC isn’t beyond crazy to think possible.

I’m not saying it’s likely, because it’s crazy tough. Even very good teams usually gotta have the breaks go their way. I’m just saying that CJH has you guys playing much better ball than in years past, and is building a stronger team top to bottom it seems. I think a Natty isn’t an unreasonable goal.

I hate to admit it, but TN football has gotten stronger since CJH took over. If the trend continues, who knows? I hope I’m wrong, but this just seems a logical possibility to me.
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There was something posted about South Carolina having gotten info from Harbaugh concerning sign stealing that Beamer had gotten a copy of that to know what Tennessee would do offensively. Whether true or not, anybody's guess, but I have never seen Spencer Rattler look as good as he did that night.
 
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#40
#40
Rocky Top T said:
We will average 8-9 wins a year. Might make the playoffs a couple of times. Will not win the SEC
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My scariest feeling is that CJH plateaued early as in ‘22 and, unless this is a ‘22 esq year, I’m afraid you may be correct. Now, if we go to nine SEC games per year, that 8-9 could go to 7-8 or, 6-7.
 
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#42
#42
WoodsmanVol said:
I think we should eat our slice of humble pie for now. It was a long fall down into the abyss of irrelevancy. The climb up will not be at hyperspeed. In the ebb and flow of changes in the sport, rise and fall of roster quality for opponents as well as our own, the whims of that finicky wench called Luck. Key injuries for ourselves and opponents, all this stuff works together to dictate fates. We will have times of disappointments, great disappointments, times of encouraging achievements, times of great success, and all that jive. The current excitement is justified, but so is common sense. Seasons, come and go, they transverse through cycles. Eat that slice of humble pie, and remember the realities of: Ecclesiastes 3:1 - Ecclesiastes 3:8.
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I agree with all you state. Where Heupel messed up was vastly over achieving in year 2. That was going to be impossible to maintain. The talent gap is still significant in relation to the teams at the very top. It's closing, but there is still a ways to go. I truly believe we've got the right guy, but patience is still needed.
 
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#43
#43
Total crapshoot when it comes to conference accomplishments vs national in the new format.

I'll go with we make a Final Four.
 
#44
#44
Rockytop10nessee said:
You’d accept being a top 12 team only once every 5 years. We should make the playoff more often than not.
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Wouldn't say more than not. We could become a top-12 talented team soon, but you're also up against 5-6 teams with equal or more talent in the SEC. If we had an ACC or any other schedule, I'd agree.

Imo with top-12 talent, but in the SEC, you're looking at 40% (twice every 5 years). After all, there's not a lot of room left for your Texas, OU, LSU, Ole Miss, Florida, TAMU, and Auburns of the world...and that's just behind UGA and Bama who are near locks to make the playoffs. Leaving maybe 1-2 spots/year for others (unless Bama miraculously falls off...but now you've added TEX and OU smh)
 
#45
#45
Devo182 said:
Wouldn't say more than not. We could become a top-12 talented team soon, but you're also up against 5-6 teams with equal or more talent in the SEC. If we had an ACC or any other schedule, I'd agree.

Imo with top-12 talent, but in the SEC, you're looking at 40% (twice every 5 years). After all, there's not a lot of room left for your Texas, OU, LSU, Ole Miss, Florida, TAMU, and Auburns of the world...and that's just behind UGA and Bama who are near locks to make the playoffs. Leaving maybe 1-2 spots/year for others (unless Bama miraculously falls off...but now you've added TEX and OU smh)
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There will be 4-6 team from the sec most year that make the layoffs. I think we’ll be consistently in the top 5.
 
#47
#47
marvin616 said:
We can only vaguely see how the upcoming season will go. I'm prepared for 7-5 with Nico showing flashes like Hooker in 20. That should be the absolute floor. 4 years from that? Who knows..
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Shoooo... If we go 7-5 this year... Heupel is on the hot seat ASAP! Barring an avalanche of injuries, of course.
 
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#49
#49
2-3 playoff appearances. Make the Final Four once or twice. Limit will be depth on the lines once the Vols have advanced that far. With 12 teams, line depth, I believe, will be the critical factor.
 
#50
#50
#1HomeGrownUTVOL said:
Between you and BOT I already knew what you guys response would be. It’s like clockwork.
The negativity that you all spew is tiresome!
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What is negative about averaging 8-9 wins and making a couple of playoffs. We probably have a couple of 10 win seasons mixed in too. I want to win them all, but also know that's not likely to happen.
 
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