Pre-Season prediction from Collegefootballnews.com

[ConMan]

9. Tennessee 2005 Record: 5-6
Why Tennessee could be the Pre-preseason No. 1: After being 2005’s biggest disappointment, there’s enough talent coming back to hope for a tremendous rebound. The addition of David Cutcliffe as the new offensive coordinator should be the shot in the arm needed to get the passing game going, while Arian Foster appears to be Tennessee’s next NFL great running back. The offensive line, in time, should be fine led by All-America-in-waiting Arron Sears at tackle. NFL ready defensive tackles Justin Harrell and Turk McBride also decided to come back for their senior seasons.
Why Tennessee isn’t the Pre-preseason No. 1: Is Erik Ainge ready to play up to his talent level? With a million-dollar arm and next level skills, Ainge has shown signs of being a star quarterback, but he hasn’t been consistent and hasn’t shown he can lead the team to big wins. The defense loses its top two tacklers, LBs Kevin Simon and Omar Gaither.
What Tennessee needs to do to get to the BCS Championship Bowl: Play like the NFL farm club it is. Few teams can touch the Vols on straight athleticism and next-level caliber talent, so now it’s up to the coaching staff to prove that last year was a total fluke. Playing in the SEC, the intensity level has to be there each and every week. Cal, Florida, Georgia, Alabama, South Carolina, LSU and Arkansas are all on the schedule and all will spend time in the top 25, if not the top 15.
Realistic, feet-on-the-ground, goal to shoot for: SEC champions. The road schedule, considering Tennessee plays in the SEC, isn’t that bad with one killer (at Georgia), two nasty battles (at South Carolina and at Arkansas), and two games that have to be layups if this is a BCS caliber team (at Memphis, at Vanderbilt). This is too tough a schedule to get through unscathed, but 11-1 and an appearance in the SEC championship game would keep it in the BCS Championship Bowl hunt.
The number one thing to work on is: Hanging on to the ball. The addition of “Coach Cut” will turn around the offense, but the Vols can’t win the SEC unless they improve their turnover margin after finishing 95th in the nation by giving it away 27 times with only 20 takeaways.
Biggest offensive loss: QB Rick Clausen
Biggest defensive loss: DT Jesse Mahelona

 

[volmanjr]

Biggest offensive loss: QB Rick Clausen

Yeah right, don't get me wrong , RC had a great head for the game and was a leader on the team but getting him off the field so Ainge isn't looking over his shoulder is the best thing that could happen for our offense.

 

[VolinArizona]

This article doesn't say too many new things, but its so much better than the Leaf Chronicle article. Why? Because it's purely analysis. There is no hidden joke or insult. It's a serious, straightforward, unbiased look into the season.

 

[hatvol96]

When are analysts going to realize our talent on offense isn't that good?

 

[volmanjr]

When are analysts going to realize our talent on offense isn't that good?

Maybe you should send them a memo.

 

[hatvol96]

Maybe you should send them a memo.

I would have thought watching last year's performance would have given them sufficient notice.

 

[newjersey4vols]

I would have thought watching last year's performance would have given them sufficient notice.

I thought Phil Steele's analysis of last year was pretty accurate myself. Not so doom and gloom OR overly optimistic. But definately gives room for hope.

 

[hatvol96]

I thought Phil Steele's analysis of last year was pretty accurate myself. Not so doom and gloom OR overly optimistic. But definately gives room for hope.

The only Steele I listen to is Sydnee.

 

[kptvol]

CollegeFootballNews.com is consistently pooly informed and inaccurate. Occasionally the post a good story or two, but their predictions are worthless. I'm pretty sure last year about this time they were already hailing Ainge as the next Peyton Manning.

 

[VolBeef88]

When are analysts going to realize our talent on offense isn't that good?

How dare they say anything good about UT! Who do they think they are! Don't they know we are terrible and are on a huge down slide? These guys are idiots. Only those who write bad about us in the media know what they are saying!

 

[rockydoc]

:banghead: The article lost all credibility when it said that the biggist offensive loss was Rick Clausen. :banghead:

 

[WA_Vol]

CollegeFootballNews.com is consistently pooly informed and inaccurate. Occasionally the post a good story or two, but their predictions are worthless. I'm pretty sure last year about this time they were already hailing Ainge as the next Peyton Manning.

Thats my opinion as well. They basically sugar coat, and try not to offend anyone's team by being optimistic that everyone has a shot at a championship game.

 

[VolBeef88]

This whole thing cracks me up. Let a small town paper write something bad and some on here write that "the truth hurts". Let a big website that is well respected say something good and they are horrible and no count.

 

[Lexvol]

Some say that Cut is recycled, and I understand that, but he seems to have the organization skills this team needed. A lot of my frustration in last years team was waiting to get plays in, Ainge's poor mechanics, and what I perceived as lazy execution. Cut may be the answer for those problems. I also believe that the sky is the limit for Foster. But....

Rick Clausen is where he belongs, and I wonder how anyone can justify calling UT an NFL farm club these days. I question the talent we have on both sides of the ball, but particularly at offensive skill positions.

 

[VolinArizona]

NO COUNT!

 

[Lexvol]

This whole thing cracks me up. Let a small town paper write something bad and some on here write that "the truth hurts". Let a big website that is well respected say something good and they are horrible and no count.

Don't let'em get you all tore up VBeef.

 

[Jaytrain5]

I thought Phil Steele's analysis of last year was pretty accurate myself. Not so doom and gloom OR overly optimistic. But definately gives room for hope.

Phil Steele rated Rob Meachem as the nation's 13th best WR. He went on to rate our WR unit as 20th overall in the country. Absurd. I know our receivers are tall, fast, and athletic...but I'm so tired of hearing about their potential year in and year out. Praising potential is a positive way to talk about people who aren't performing. Alliteration is also overrated.

 

[VolBeef88]

Don't let'em get you all tore up VBeef.

Oh, I'mnot tore up. I just think it is funny how some see something negative and accept it while if they see something positive they write it off and vice versa.

 

[WA_Vol]

Phil Steele rated Rob Meachem as the nation's 13th best WR. He went on to rate our WR unit as 20th overall in the country. Absurd. I know our receivers are tall, fast, and athletic...but I'm so tired of hearing about their potential year in and year out. Praising potential is a positive way to talk about people who aren't performing. Alliteration is also overrated.

Your right about this. If they can't catch the ball consistently they aren't very good, period. What really troubles me is watching the video from fall practice last year where the receivers are showboating trying to catch the ball with one hand.

 

[WA_Vol]

9. Tennessee 2005 Record: 5-6
Why Tennessee could be the Pre-preseason No. 1: After being 2005’s biggest disappointment, there’s enough talent coming back to hope for a tremendous rebound. The addition of David Cutcliffe as the new offensive coordinator should be the shot in the arm needed to get the passing game going, while Arian Foster appears to be Tennessee’s next NFL great running back. The offensive line, in time, should be fine led by All-America-in-waiting Arron Sears at tackle. NFL ready defensive tackles Justin Harrell and Turk McBride also decided to come back for their senior seasons.
Why Tennessee isn’t the Pre-preseason No. 1: Is Erik Ainge ready to play up to his talent level? With a million-dollar arm and next level skills, Ainge has shown signs of being a star quarterback, but he hasn’t been consistent and hasn’t shown he can lead the team to big wins. The defense loses its top two tacklers, LBs Kevin Simon and Omar Gaither.
What Tennessee needs to do to get to the BCS Championship Bowl: Play like the NFL farm club it is. Few teams can touch the Vols on straight athleticism and next-level caliber talent, so now it’s up to the coaching staff to prove that last year was a total fluke. Playing in the SEC, the intensity level has to be there each and every week. Cal, Florida, Georgia, Alabama, South Carolina, LSU and Arkansas are all on the schedule and all will spend time in the top 25, if not the top 15.
Realistic, feet-on-the-ground, goal to shoot for: SEC champions. The road schedule, considering Tennessee plays in the SEC, isn’t that bad with one killer (at Georgia), two nasty battles (at South Carolina and at Arkansas), and two games that have to be layups if this is a BCS caliber team (at Memphis, at Vanderbilt). This is too tough a schedule to get through unscathed, but 11-1 and an appearance in the SEC championship game would keep it in the BCS Championship Bowl hunt.
The number one thing to work on is: Hanging on to the ball. The addition of “Coach Cut” will turn around the offense, but the Vols can’t win the SEC unless they improve their turnover margin after finishing 95th in the nation by giving it away 27 times with only 20 takeaways.
Biggest offensive loss: QB Rick Clausen
Biggest defensive loss: DT Jesse Mahelona

This is an interesting post. Basically putting the team in the most optimistic light, and focusing on their potential and not what happened last year, which tends to be what all of Fulmer's supports like to do on this board. Unfortunately, their is so much improvement needed on offense to make this happen in one year, it seems extremely optomistic.

 

[utvolpj]

This is an interesting post. Basically putting the team in the most optimistic light, and focusing on their potential and not what happened last year, which tends to be what all of Fulmer's supports like to do on this board. Unfortunately, their is so much improvement needed on offense to make this happen in one year, it seems extremely optomistic.

Some just choose half-full...

 

[jakez4ut]

i also found it amusing that one of the "strengths" they listed was the offensive line? it made me wonder if they even read the News Sentinal before writing this stuff.....

and i would say losing Parys Harrelson was a bigger loss from last year to this year than JM....

o/t than that, CFN.com is pretty vanilla....it's good to go read when you're feeling down....there's usually something there that can get you pumped about your team again.