My expectations/predictions for next year

[Memphisvol87]

This is the dumbest post I have seen in a while.

Funny because its the most realistic preview of next year I've seen on this site. Why on earth would anyone think this atrocious defense was solely bad coaching and losing 90% of our offensive production is going to lead to more wins? The more I think about it the more I realize our defense is so un talented its scary. This year is going to
Be very tough and I don't know why anyone thinks it will help us recruit in 2014 to lose close games to powerhouses, how's that working out right now?

 

[esarmstrong]

Until this team starts finishing better in recruiting with other SEC teams than 8th best on the league, predictions of 8 wins are wishful thinking.

But, by all means, go ahead and think what you want and then this fall start the predictable ranting when your unrealistic expectations are not met.

 

[99gator]

it's hard to get a read on things when you don't even know what talent is returning or starting in 2013 both at tennessee and for various competitors, however, imo......

the biggest problem is still mental. no one on that team knows how to win or has any experience in winning. will the players in that locker room actually believe they can win when they are sitting in the locker room before some of the games they will play. it's one thing for fans to think a certain way, but not players. i'm not sure how many players in that locker room believe they are going to go out and win before the game. they need to play with a belief in themselves that they can win, whether they actually win or not.

in conjunction with the first point (because this is also a mental aspect), the team has quit on numerous occasions. they didn't go out of their way to not make it obvious either. wherever this comes from, it must be eliminated.

they need a leader in the locker room. people can say what they want about dooley and the team's belief in him......but, players on the field are responsible for believing they can win and not quitting as well. if a team lays down on the field and gives up, that doesn't reflect well on the coach, but it also says there isn't a voice on the field that everyone respects and either kicks people in the rear or leads by example. one of the most shocking things i saw with regard to tennessee in 2012 is that while the defense was shredded by various teams, no one looked visibly ticked off about it. no one had a "not on my watch....this **** stops now" attitude. at least, not that i saw. leadership is desperately needed.

talent is an issue, although this is a point of debate. but, a lot stuff has nothing to do with talent that can be fixed. tackle. line up correcrtly. be fundamentally sound. don't do anything stupid. make the either team beat you, don't beat yourself. all those cliches can be applied.

imo, tennessee has the talent to compete. but, that's not saying much. most teams have enough talent to compete and being able to compete is mostly a state of mind anyway. i don't believe tennessee has the talent to win more than 7 games. what must be remembered is that for every potential upset tennessee could pull off, there is a team with the potential to pull an upset of tennessee.

what will eventually turn this thing around is recruiting, recruiting, recruiting.

 

[vol2002]

I think making a bowl game is a reasonable expectation for this team. If we do that and begin changing the negativity around this program, recruiting in 2014 could be amazing. I think CBJ was definitely the right hire.

 

[92volalum]

8 wins or we should all quit going to games.... not to quit supporting the team but to send a point. See below


I go back to if cdd recruiting suxs n hart wanted to keep that coaching staff around why in heck should we think he hired someone that could recruit better? Its just a basic question.

If hart hired someone that he knew would be average in recruiting and would need 2 or 3 years to get his type players to ut hart should be fired.

No way you hire someone without giving them the expectations to win now. Im sorry if we r given a product that is in rebuild mode we r screwed.

I say hart told him to win now.. at least that's what im telling myself to keep me watching.

 

[IndianaVolunteer]

Here is the problem with the OP line of thinking. We as fans are naturally close to our team in terms of what is going on with our team. The problem is our competitors are not static, see Vandy. So as we improve you must take in to account so are our competitors.

Three things that can give a struggling team a giant leap in the BCS landscape.
1. A ground breaking recruit, Cam Newton, Johnny Football, Clowney, Bo Jackson, Lattimore, Tebow etc.
2. A favorable schedule
3. A home run break through coaching staff, see Sumlin, Chip and Brian Kelly, Saban, Meyer,
3a. A back to back top 10 recruiting class
Now review where we are and see how many of the above we are likely to acheive.

This is my nominee for POY (Post of the Year). I hear fans of a lot of schools making wild predictions every year, ours included, without taking into consideration the list you provided. Logic 101.

Now that's something you Dawg fans would know about. huh?

 

[champyvol]

I just wanted to give my perspective of how I see things for next year.

1. I'm not settling

I know we have had an excruciating last 5 years. However, some of you all are underestimating the talent on the team. It is my opinion that the coaching really was THAT bad. Good coaches get the most out of what they have, which in our case I think is more than we realize. Muschamp, Franklin, Freeze and Sumlin all got way more out of their teams than what was projected. I know the schedule is brutal, but I don't care. No more laying down. No more defeatist attitudes. Though not the same as it used to be, we are still Tennessee, and if we ever want to get back to the way things were, we're going to have to start demanding more. Beat someone you're not supposed to. Expectation: 8 wins for reg. season.

2. Top 30 defense

This may seem like a very bold prediction, but like I mentioned in the first paragraph, I believe the coaching was such a hinderance to the talent we had. Going back to a simpler 4-3 defense will do wonders for them IMO. Virtually everybody returning from the 2011 defense which was top 30. Not expecting them to set the world on fire, but definitely expecting them to be respectable.

3. Top 40 offense

There's no question that we lose a lot on offense. However, we return one of if not THE best lines in the country. Both top running backs return. We will stay up-tempo; however, I think we will run way more as it should be the strength of the offense. Some dynamic and potentially explosive players such as Pig Howard and Devrin Young could really be electric in this offense if Coach Bajakian is fond of the screen game which I imagine he will be. I also predict Peterman will beat out Worley just based on mobility. That one will be interesting to watch though. Need some WRs like Dallas, Carter, Croom and Bowles to step up. A new system combined with a lot of inexperience at the skill positions leads to this prediction. However, with this type of system (up-tempo, spread), we still should rack up some yards.

Projected Starters

Offense
QB - Peterman
RB - Neal
WR - Dallas, Croom
Slot - Pig
TE - Downs
OL (5) - Tiny, Jackson, Stone, Fulton, James

Defense

DE - Sentimore, Williams
DT - McCullers, Couch
LB - Johnson, Maggitt, Sapp/Harris/Bynum
CB- Coleman, Bonner/Gray/Jones (not sure on Gray/Bonner status)
S - Randolph, McNeil

Special Teams

K - Palardy
P - Palardy/Darr

i see 5 wins max.

 

[andrewh]

What are your predictions?

Looking at the schedule, returning skill players, new offensive/defensive schemes and systems, etc. I say 4-5 wins is the most realistic. 6 is the ABSOLUTE ceiling in my opinion. That being said, I could see a jump to 8 wins in 2014. The schedule this year is brutal and we lose almost all offensive production from a year ago.

 

[Catbone]

I just hope we don't lose our status of never losing 8 games. 5-7 sounds right but 6-6 wouldn't surprise me.

 

[Aesius]

I have three wishes for next year:

1. Break a losing streak against an SEC opponent. I don't care if it's Auburn or Florida, just do it.

2. Beat Vandy. It's at Neyland. They'll be without their playmakers from 2012. No excuses to lose this one. Revenge game at its finest.

3. Make a bowl game--and win it. A 7-6 finish would be huge momentum going into 2014 and CBJ could show recruits that his system works.

 

[beachbums624]

My Expectations are the same as EVERY season , 14-0 . NC . Nothing hard about that . So maybe I will be a tad bit disappointed . GBO Whip Dey Azz's

 

[Other_Guy]

I just wanted to give my perspective of how I see things for next year.

1. I'm not settling

I know we have had an excruciating last 5 years. However, some of you all are underestimating the talent on the team. It is my opinion that the coaching really was THAT bad. Good coaches get the most out of what they have, which in our case I think is more than we realize. Muschamp, Franklin, Freeze and Sumlin all got way more out of their teams than what was projected. I know the schedule is brutal, but I don't care. No more laying down. No more defeatist attitudes. Though not the same as it used to be, we are still Tennessee, and if we ever want to get back to the way things were, we're going to have to start demanding more. Beat someone you're not supposed to. Expectation: 8 wins for reg. season.

2. Top 30 defense

This may seem like a very bold prediction, but like I mentioned in the first paragraph, I believe the coaching was such a hinderance to the talent we had. Going back to a simpler 4-3 defense will do wonders for them IMO. Virtually everybody returning from the 2011 defense which was top 30. Not expecting them to set the world on fire, but definitely expecting them to be respectable.

3. Top 40 offense

There's no question that we lose a lot on offense. However, we return one of if not THE best lines in the country. Both top running backs return. We will stay up-tempo; however, I think we will run way more as it should be the strength of the offense. Some dynamic and potentially explosive players such as Pig Howard and Devrin Young could really be electric in this offense if Coach Bajakian is fond of the screen game which I imagine he will be. I also predict Peterman will beat out Worley just based on mobility. That one will be interesting to watch though. Need some WRs like Dallas, Carter, Croom and Bowles to step up. A new system combined with a lot of inexperience at the skill positions leads to this prediction. However, with this type of system (up-tempo, spread), we still should rack up some yards.

Projected Starters

Offense
QB - Peterman
RB - Neal
WR - Dallas, Croom
Slot - Pig
TE - Downs
OL (5) - Tiny, Jackson, Stone, Fulton, James

Defense

DE - Sentimore, Williams
DT - McCullers, Couch
LB - Johnson, Maggitt, Sapp/Harris/Bynum
CB- Coleman, Bonner/Gray/Jones (not sure on Gray/Bonner status)
S - Randolph, McNeil

Special Teams

K - Palardy
P - Palardy/Darr

If they win more than 6 games I'll be surrpised.

 

[MWAVolfan]

This is the dumbest post I have seen in a while.

OK...... That's a nice counter argument you have there.

The Vols will win 3 of their non conference games and beat Kentucky and MAYBE Auburn. I even think there is a possibility that we lose to Western Kentucky the way they have been playing.

Any other wins will be a complete gift.

I also predict by the end of October you will see historically low attendance at Neyland. What else would you expect when people are trying to predict 8 wins. There is almost no way Tennessee wins 8 this year, even if we make it to a bowl and win.


We will lose to Oregon, Bama, UF, UGA, USC.

We have a more than good chance of losing to Vandy. James Franklin has a better program than UT now. I cant even believe I'm typing that out loud.

We have a more than good chance of losing to Mizzou. They beat us in Knoxville with Bray, Hunter, and Patterson. Why would I expect UT to beat them in Columbia?

Of the five remaining games, we could easily lose to either Western Kentucky or Auburn.

I know all that seems very doom-and-gloom. But you have to admit that nothing I am outlining is radical or outrageous given the state of our program.

 

[photovol]

I'd be extremely happy with 6 wins and to see improvement across the board.....not quit in the 3rd and 4th quarter......with 6 wins we would receive a small Bowl game.....better than no Bowl. What I'd really love to see is UT start to own Neyland Stadium once again

 

[Volinnooga]

I thought Couch had completed his eligibility. Does he have one more year?