Poll: Minimal Acceptable '23 Record?

Poll: Minimal Acceptable '23 Record?

  • 10-2

    Votes: 41 15.7%

  • 9-3

    Votes: 133 51.0%

  • 8-4

    Votes: 87 33.3%
  • Total voters
    261
#1
M

madbamahater

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Nov 17, 2009
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#1
10-2 (11-2, post season) is certainly setting the bar high, but it's where UT needs to be to compete for championships.

Vote for your minimal acceptable 2023 final season record, not counting playoff or bowl. Just record after 12 season games.....
 
#2
#2
IMO it depends on how Milton looks. If Milton craps the bed early in the season and we are starting a true freshman in Nico for majority of the season, 8-4 is understandable. Now if Milton starts hot and the offense is rolling 9-3 would be meh, with the expectation of 10-2 or even better. It just depends on who is under center imo.
 
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#3
#3
I'm thinking 11-1 with our only loss coming on the road against Bama. Think UGA takes a step back offensively without Bennett. We should be favored in every other game. A&M will have talent but they're coming off a 5 win season. Florida got beat by Vanderbilt and Kentucky this year. I don't care that we gave up 63 to South Carolina... still think we beat them 8 out of 10 times in 2022. We get them at our place in 2023.
 
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#5
#5
10-2 with allocation and concerns centered around Georgia and Alabama given their incoming classes and experience with large success at the national level, South Carolina has a debt to pay in Knoxville next year along with Texas A & M and the Jimbo Sideshow, the Florida program remains in dissaray, three buy games, I'd be fine rolling back to the Orange Bowl next year if the Vols ate not playoff eligible as the Sugar Bowl is part of the championship semis next January, in 2024 with the expanded format, we know the best is yet to come
 
#6
#6
No, thanks. I'm anxious to see how CJH & Co. proceed with building the Vols back to prominence. I understand the current euphoria, due to this recent season. However, but the job isn't finished. We need to maintain a quality recruiting pipeline similar to the Bamas, Georgias, and LSU Tigers. And consistently hire quality replacements for coaches that also leave. To the point that we auto-reload when talent leaves to be replaced by new talent. A one shot historic season isn't it. So, presuming to place a mandatory lowest denominator on a future season isn't just season success drunkenness, but reeks of the alcohol of arrogance. Me? Pass. Ask me again 2 years hence, bout the time, I figure we'll know if we're really back, based on what just said in this reply post.
 
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#7
#7
I’m hopeful for at least 9 wins however I said 8……..because it’s hard to know what would be acceptable before you know what the situation even is…….before you see determining factors.

Sure everyone wants 10 or more wins; however Next year will probably be a bit different. What happens if Milton gets injured? Maybe Tennessee loses some games while a freshman gains game experience then Tennessee finishes strong……….8 may seem very acceptable at that point. We just don’t know the circumstances yet…….or even the team as a whole yet.
 
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#9
#9
I think that you'd have to go over 4 losses to get into truly "unacceptable" territory. Losses at Alabama, to UGA, and then to a couple of other quality opponents (maybe UF and/or A&M are pretty good next year) would be understandable. Kinda disappointing, but understandable. If you went beyond that, then you'd have to say that the team truly regressed.

Our secondary will likely be bad against next year and Joe, although he looked pretty good against Clemson, is still a question mark. He does have all offseason to prepare as "the guy." I think the only way he breaks camp next season not as the starter is if he gets hurt, although his leash will be fairly short.
 
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#10
#10
10-2 is the floor. I really think we go 11-1 with our only loss to Jawja.

Bama is going to be in for a world of hurt unless a Qb steps up in the offseason. Florida too. We owe aTm and USCjr for previous losses.

I think we run the table except for maybe Georgia. Their season will also depend on finding a Qb. They have way more talent than Bama in their Qb room though.
 
#11
#11
I think we might be 9-3 next year but I put 8-4 as minimally acceptable. You never know what can happen, game 1 Milton goes down and we have a true freshman or RS sophomore playing QB, it would be real hard to make that 10-2 or even 8-4. Most every team is 1 or 3 injuries away from being mediocre in the SEC.
 
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#12
#12
05_never_again said:
I think that you'd have to go over 4 losses to get into truly "unacceptable" territory. Losses at Alabama, to UGA, and then to a couple of other quality opponents (maybe UF and/or A&M are pretty good next year) would be understandable. Kinda disappointing, but understandable. If you went beyond that, then you'd have to say that the team truly regressed.

Our secondary will likely be bad against next year and Joe, although he looked pretty good against Clemson, is still a question mark. He does have all offseason to prepare as "the guy." I think the only way he breaks camp next season not as the starter is if he gets hurt, although his leash will be fairly short.
Click to expand...

"our secondary will likely be bad again next year".........wow.
 
#14
#14
VolBricks said:
I think we might be 9-3 next year but I put 8-4 as minimally acceptable. You never know what can happen, game 1 Milton goes down and we have a true freshman or RS sophomore playing QB, it would be real hard to make that 10-2 or even 8-4. Most every team is 1 or 3 injuries away from being mediocre in the SEC.
Click to expand...

Yes, it’s actually a bit crazy to take a strong position until you see it all play out.

Take this season. If someone had told me before the season that we’d finish 11-2 and beat LSU, Al, Fl and Clemson…I woulda been ecstatic. But given how we lost the 2nd game, I was a bit disappointed.

Next year, who knows how it will play out.
 
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#18
#18
There's no minimum for me. It would suck to lose 5+ games, but we lose a whole lot, including one of the best QBs to ever play here and two dynamic receivers, plus the best OL and DL on the team.

Year three is early enough to be building depth, we just advanced to 11 wins really fast, in near miracle fashion.

I'd be extremely happy with another 10-2 and be satisfied with 8-4, understanding the circumstances of losing a lot off last years team and that we are still building quality depth.
 
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#19
#19
I could see us getting UGA next year. I don’t expect Florida to suddenly figure things out, ditto for TAMU. Virginia isn’t a threat. Should come down to UGA and Bama. I think we split those. A lot depends on Bama’s qb situation. Without Bryce we beat them by 3 or 4 touchdowns this year.

I’d be mildly disappointed with 9-3, but I think that’s an acceptable floor. 10-2 wouldn’t be an immediate jolt of excitement (the emotional goalposts move whether I like it or not) but with some emotional distance, back-to-back 10 win seasons would be cause for jubilation. 11-1 or obviously 12-0 and I’d be very excited.
 
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#20
#20
I could see a slight step back...but slight would be 9-3...I think another 10-2 is not unreasonable to expect at all.

UGA will be a loss until we are more consistent on defense. Bama will be out for revenge next year, so those are the 2 losses in my mind. We should not lose to anyone else. Next year should be the year that we bridge the gap a little more and get to the point where we don't have these fluke games against a USCjr...and it gets back to being where we only have 2-3 real games on the schedule every year. How it should be any way.
 
#21
#21
From this day forward, 8-4 is the floor. Permanently.

I'm taking your question literally: the floor. The FLOOR. Not what we hope happens, not what we expect to happen. The floor, the level below which we should never, ever go. Minimum acceptable. Not desirable, not agreeable. The floor. I hope you really meant that question.

Anyway, we play enough good to extremely good opponents each season, a "bad year" of 8-4 is possible.

It won't be the norm. The norm will be right around 10 wins (talking just regular season, here). A good season will be 11 wins. A great one will be 12. An off season will be 9 wins, and a bad season will be 8.

That's the floor. In 2023, and every season beyond.

Forever and ever, amen. Hopefully. As long as Mike Hamilton doesn't return in another guise to pick the coach after Heupel (please God let that be 30 to 40 years from now).
 
Last edited:
#23
#23
Vol in Buckeye Land said:
I could see us getting UGA next year. I don’t expect Florida to suddenly figure things out, ditto for TAMU. Virginia isn’t a threat. Should come down to UGA and Bama. I think we split those. A lot depends on Bama’s qb situation. Without Bryce we beat them by 3 or 4 touchdowns this year.

I’d be mildly disappointed with 9-3, but I think that’s an acceptable floor. 10-2 wouldn’t be an immediate jolt of excitement (the emotional goalposts move whether I like it or not) but with some emotional distance, back-to-back 10 win seasons would be cause for jubilation. 11-1 or obviously 12-0 and I’d be very excited.
Click to expand...

I think you're spot on referring to Bama's QB question. Take him off this year's team and they lose at least 2 more games, and we beat 'em by multiple scores.
 
#24
#24
Gotta manage expectations... I don't see us as more than 8-4, maybe 7-5 this year.

So, I'll go 9-3 next season and be pleasantly surprised.
 
#25
#25
consistent 8-4 seasons or better would be amazing going forward

we have to at some point expect the unexpected losses, just like SC this year... it happens
 
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