Doesn’t that feel great?

[25vol]

2015 and 2016 were such a waste of talent. We should have been competing for SEC championships. We had the talent. Just a horrible coaching jobs

Yup. Our talent level then was enough to win a chip for sure. I think Vols football is alone in that during our down years we have always had the talent to compete, just never the coaching. Just goes to show you how hard it is to find a coach that has what it takes to compete in the modern SEC.

 

[ntxVOL]

I guess it’s a generational thing? I was born in late 90s(I’ll let you guess the year) so from my perspective the early 2000s was our peak. I never saw teams as talented as that for the rest of my time as a fan. It’s getting close now I think.

2001 was the peak but seeing the program build itself over time, we had some really good teams and some big disappointments sprinkled in there to get to that point.

I'm not quite sure we're there yet but, as I've said, I like the trajectory the program is on.

 

[utchs81]

Patience, grasshoppers, we haven't created anything close to our past consistency in higher poll rankings. Patience, the train is only just now pulling out from the station. It doesn't have a full head of steam yet.

View attachment 646770

Being a voice of reason there woodsman. I love it. And I have to agree.

 

[unfrozencvmanvol]

There’s no perfect measure but this is the best you can get. Thanks for posting!

I just don’t want people to get frustrated with Heupel. He's a good coach. I hope we do go 10-2 or better and make the playoffs this year, it's possible if most of the uncertainties resolve in our favor, but if we win "only" 8 or 9 we need to be patient. It's hard breaking into the most elite level of the SEC on a consistent basis. Fulmer's zenith didn't come out of nowhere, it was built on the shoulders of a decade or so of good, occasionally great teams and when a power vacuum presented itself, we stepped in it and 1995-2001 happened. If we keep ourselves in position where we are always respectable at worst, we can do it again. Heupel can keep us respectable, and he can do more when the right pieces fall in place, he's proven that, he just needs time to build a consistent high level winner.

 

[livefaith]

No sir. That doesn't wash.

In Johnny Majors' day, we played Memphis State almost every year. We played Army a few times, Rutgers a few times, UTEP a couple, Temple once or twice, Southwestern Louisiana, Cincinnati, Akron, New Mexico, the Citadel, and Wichita State.

So you can't say we didn't play FCS. We played on average two games a year against Group of 5* and FCS teams -- the near-guaranteed cupcake wins. Heck, in one extreme example, 1986, we played four (New Mexico, UTEP, Army, Memphis State).

We also got creative with at least one, sometimes two, of our out-of-conference Division I foes. We played Duke pretty often back then. Rutgers. Utah, when they were in the WAC. Colorado State. Iowa State. Wake Forest, when they sucked. Louisville. These were FBS teams, I think, most of them anyway, but they were cupcake games, make no mistake.

Call it an average of 3 cupcakes, FCS and bottom-feeder FBS, each season. Pretty much like these days.

So it is entirely reasonable to point out that Josh Heupel's win percentage is blowing Johnny's tenure out of the water. Legit point.

Go Vols!


* What would today be G5, anyway. I don't think the Power 5 vs Group of 5 distinction existed back then.

You forgot that we had to face mighty Pacific one time.

 

[unfrozencvmanvol]

2015 and 2016 were such a waste of talent. We should have been competing for SEC championships. We had the talent. Just a horrible coaching jobs

We definitely should have gone to Atlanta, both years.

 

[Hairy Vols]

Wow, talk about a tough crowd. I make my own observation that differed from the OP and get eviscerated.

Back to OP, the early 2000s felt more like the beginning of our downward trend. The 2001 team (probably the very best team Fulmer fielded) failing to win the SECC marked the beginning of the Saban era. It was all down hill from there.

Id hate it, but id watch a documentary on how his rise single handlely aligned with our downfall. Starting at that game.

 

[WoodsmanVol]

All Tennessee has to do is stop hiring bottom of the barrel HCs. Beyond that, we have, and I think, always had everything else needed to play championship level FB. Maybe also, get rid immediately of any AD who doesn't understand this.

 

[volmanNC]

Lmfao. We are recruiting better than the most recent national champion.

We need to first worry about the SEC! Compared to our peers in the SEC, we can improve! Without wins in the SEC we will never even sniff the NC game.

Of course the portal has greatly shifted how to view recruiting of high school players.