Predict the East

[Vol8188]

In Connor Shaw, they lose a lot of leadership and competitiveness.

In Clowney, they lose a lot of talent and swagger, not quite sure who their Defensive leader was.

Quareles hurts that defense a lot too.

 

[gobravesvols16]

UGA- Loaded at RB. Toss up between them and UF as to who has the most talented roster.
USC Jr.- Not as talented as UGA/UF but better coached. They will be looking for payback.
UF- We know they are talented but coaching is a big question mark. Even with the injuries there is no excuse for losing to Ga. So. Muschamp should have been fired immediately after that game.
UT- Even though we will be younger we will be a better team than last year. Look at the NFL draft as evidence. Seems as though we didnt lose alot.
Mizzou- The losses on D hurt bad enough but losing Green-Beckam will really hurt the O.
UK- Toss up for the last 2 spots.
Vandy- Was Franklin THAT good of a coach? Guess we're gonna find out.

 

[WilliamDuVOL]

i think talent and no experience is better than no talent with experience.

my main concern for tennessee is always their offensive and defensive lines.

i have a skewed perspective on this as a gator fan.

you have to understand how truly terrible i think florida's offensive line is or has been. the dictionary does not have a word that can appropriately express my feelings as to just how bad they are or have been.

and in each of those years, they have had little trouble winning the line of scrimmage against tennessee.

so, that gives you an idea of what i think of tennessee's defensive line.

if tennessee can hold their own up front, they can do damage this season.

Fair assessment. I'm foreseeing decent to good production on offense that will determine our success this season. I hope with this being year two in Jone's system our defense will look better this year. I don't want another year of insane offensive production that still can't win games.

 

[TrueOrange]

I said I would not be surprised if they lost to UK. Mizzou without any of their 3 big time WR's last year would have struggled. They have none of them now. Sam and Ealy were the biggest threats they had on D. Both are gone. I believe they lose something like 3 of 4 starting DB's plus 2 LB's. They probably have the most significant player losses in the SEC.

My mistake. I remembered it incorrectly and misquoted you.

 

[VolsSportsFan]

We beat them last year when they had a better defense and a much better QB.

We had a rookie QB and one of the youngest teams in the SEC and still beat them. Season records don't mean squat.

Um...yeah they do.

 

[sjt18]

this!

OK. Your turn. What does Mizzou return player wise that makes you think they should finish ahead of UT... or even with a winning record? And yes, I do know how weak their schedule is.

IIRC, they lost best OL, 2 best DL's, best RB, top 3 WR's (all of the ones with significant talent to include their most talented player), 2 of top 3 LB's, 3 of 4 starting DB's.

They had the most significant roster losses in the SEC AND have NOT recruited the kind of talent needed to step in and replace them without a drop off.

 

[JohnMarxism]

Regardless of what you think of Clowney as the #1 player out of this year's draft, USCjr's defense took a gigantic hit on the defense losing him. Just imagine being a player on that defense knowing that Clowney is on the field. The opposing offense chooses plays going away from Clowney(not entirely, but mostly), the offensive lineman on his side wear down faster and are more mentally focused on him, the opposing QB is in more of a hurry to release the ball, etc. Point being that more opportunities arise for other players on the defense to make plays simply because Clowney is so destructive.

 

[sjt18]

USCe also loses their top 2 DL's. They were the players other teams gameplanned around. They ARE significant losses who cannot be replaced in kind by anyone on their roster. Clowney was a gamechanger... I am not aware of another talent on USCe's current team of his caliber.

 

[volgrad500]

I hate to say it, but I think last year was an anomaly for UF and they bounce back pretty strong this season.

 

[kentuckianavol]

1. Tennessee (9-3) SEC 6-2
Vastly improved offense. WR and TE core will lead the SEC. RB will hold their own and avg 5-5.5 ypc. OL will take their lumps and bruises but will greatly improve as the season wears on.
On the Defensive side of the ball with a very young DL there will be struggles (penalties and missed assignments) but like the OL they will improve with experience. LB unit will be at or around the top in the SEC east. Secondary will be tested but will grow exponentially as the season goes on. Special teams will be AVG at best our return game will be AVG at best as well our record i believe will be 9-3 with losses to Oklahoma, Alabama, and Ole Miss.

2. Georgia (10-2) SEC 6-2
With inexperience at QB the Dawgs will have to rely on their RB's and Defense to carry the load. Their LB cora has taken a hit and with the DC (Grantham) leaving i think you'll see a small drop off with the Georgia defense they will still be very talented but like the Vols they will rely on the growth they experience throughout the season. They will benefit from a cake like schedule and will have a better record overall than UT but UT will win the tiebreaker.

3. Florida (7-5) SEC 4-4
Their will be a lot of improvments made for UF but as Titans Bill on TSR puts it the Gator fans only care about W/L. Defensively this team will be tested but defensive recruiting for the DL will be evident. Offesively the QB play will be night and day better and the RB's will be much better. but Defense wins ball games and this UF team lacks that elite DL that you need in the SEC.

4. Kentucky (7-5) SEC 3-5
I went back and forth on this one (flipping USCe with this) but i think the edge goes to UK based on QB play from Drew Barker. the OL is going to struggle at times but the QB, RB, and WR play will keep this offense moving. they will still struggle at times against quality competition. Defensively they will be strongest on the line but will struggle in the LB unit the secondary will show great improvement. UK fans will be ecstatic and Stoops will get consideration from UF for their job next year.

5. S. Carolina (6-6) SEC 3-5
Dylan Thompson will play for USCe in the same way Joe T III played for UGA erratic mostly but at times will provide a spark to keep them in games. They rely heavily on their RB's to lead the way and their Defense will struggle mightily. They will make a bowl based purely off how easy their schedule is.

6. Missouri (6-6) SEC 2-6
With Mike Sam, James Franklin, and DGB gone i look for the Tigers to struggle across the board they will still be in games and have a few cake games that will keep them in bowl contention. but the losses due to Graduation, NFL and discipline will be quite obvious.

7. Vanderbilt (4-8) SEC 0-8
Lets be honest here outside of Jordan Matthews and Carta- Samuels the Dores werent all that last year take those 2 away and they are at best a 5 win team. Caleb Azubike is a beast on the DL and will put up big numbers. Andrew Jelks will be an ALL SEC OL "darn DOOLEY" Robinette will put up AVG numbers and they will struggle at RB. Mason will be truly starting from the bottom and building his way up.

---The SEC east teams i see that will go in 2015 ranked and hyped up by espn are Tennessee (ranked 14th) and Georgia (ranked 21st.---

 

[Lawrence Wright]

TN beats FL and Muschamp is fired in the locker room

Addition by subtraction...:rock:

 

[BigTCountry]

i would say Mizzou wins against us and finishes above us, not because I think their remaining players are better than ours, just because we havent been productive against them period... AT ALL. Even with all new starters for them, their scheme obviously worked 100% with their team last year. So what it comes down to is the same scheme against us this year with less talented but still average or above players.What makes you think that we can finish above them? Last year we scored -35 points (sarcasm) against SEC teams. I'm not the negavol that some of these bloggers are... But I do have to see it before I believe it... not one to say they lost some talent were going to beat them and finish above them. We have to have a huge offensive turnaround to beat Mizzou/UGA/FL and esp AL/OK

 

[KBVol]

Addition by subtraction...:rock:

Do you Florida guys just laugh/shake your head when someone in here just nonchalantly says UTs gonna beat Florida like the last 25 years, especially the last 9, never happened?

 

[Lawrence Wright]

Do you Florida guys just laugh/shake your head when someone in here just nonchalantly says UTs gonna beat Florida like the last 25 years, especially the last 9, never happened?

I like the optimism honestly. No sense in being a fan if you don't think there's a chance to win.

I shake my head more at the excuses and "what ifs" after the fact.

If Worley had started, if Sunseri wasn't our DC, if Hunter didn't get injured....and so on.

 

[JohnMarxism]

I like the optimism honestly. No sense in being a fan if you don't think there's a chance to win.

I shake my head more at the excuses and "what ifs" after the fact.

If Worley had started, if Sunseri wasn't our DC, if Hunter didn't get injured....and so on.

I agree with all of your points.

Personally, I don't see the point in wasting time thinking back on previous years. If UT fans truly want to forget the past decade, then it's best not to repeatedly bring up the past decade

 

[PassedOutAwake]

i would say Mizzou wins against us and finishes above us, not because I think their remaining players are better than ours, just because we havent been productive against them period... AT ALL. Even with all new starters for them, their scheme obviously worked 100% with their team last year. So what it comes down to is the same scheme against us this year with less talented but still average or above players.What makes you think that we can finish above them? Last year we scored -35 points (sarcasm) against SEC teams. I'm not the negavol that some of these bloggers are... But I do have to see it before I believe it... not one to say they lost some talent were going to beat them and finish above them. We have to have a huge offensive turnaround to beat Mizzou/UGA/FL and esp AL/OK

Out of the past 2 years.
We shouldve won in 2012. We only lost because Dooley wanted to go into overtime instead of kicking a FG to win it.
They lost 7 or 8 starters on defense and 7 or 8 on offense. They also lost some of their 2 deep guys. Yeah, we have to break in some guys, but they have to break in more. Our problem on D last year was speed. We have upgraded our speed this season and they have lost nearly everyone who produced anything last year. They arent refilling with top notch talent. They havent been recruiting well at all. We play them after UK. They play us after TAMU, and we play them in Neyland. They had a nice run last year and things lined up for them. They played severely injured teams. Its not like they have the greatest scheme. They were 5-7 the year before.

 

[NotoriousB-I-G]

I hate to say it, but I think last year was an anomaly for UF and they bounce back pretty strong this season.

Let's hope not. Their injuries were probably an anomaly, what, 14 starters or some such out due to injury? But the fact that Muschamp doesn't understand or care about offense is not an anomoly. Enjoy him because i think this is his last year, and then hope/pray UF doesn't get another Spurrier/Meyer type to replace Muschamp.

 

[Lawrence Wright]

I agree with all of your points.

Personally, I don't see the point in wasting time thinking back on previous years. If UT fans truly want to forget the past decade, then it's best not to repeatedly bring up the past decade

:hi:

When UT's beaten UF in the past, UT straight up beat us, no excuses.

1990 - complete 2nd half a$$ whuppin
1992 - no Errict Rhett, a$$ whuppin in the rain
1998 - Al Wilson a$$ whuppin; Collins Cooper :blink:
2001 - Travis Stephens a$$ whuppin (w/at least one Grossman fumble called an incomplete pass)
2003 - Hail Banks a$$ whppin; Strike One for Zook
2004 - Dumb a$$ Dallas Baker personal foul overshadows UF having 1st and goal at the 1, but settling for a FG attempt in the 3rd quarter...and missing it. :blink:

 

[sjt18]

i would say Mizzou wins against us and finishes above us, not because I think their remaining players are better than ours, just because we havent been productive against them period... AT ALL.

So your basic answer is because Mizzou won in the past and UT could not produce against them... we should not expect UT to ever pass them? Even with better players? Even ostensibly with a better coach than UT had for one of those losses?

If past results are a legitimate limit on future results... why play?

Even with all new starters for them, their scheme obviously worked 100% with their team last year.

They didn't have all new players last year. They were loaded with veterans and guys returning from injuries who had previously played alot.

So what it comes down to is the same scheme against us this year with less talented but still average or above players.

Name those players. I named the studs they lost.

What makes you think that we can finish above them? Last year we scored -35 points (sarcasm) against SEC teams. I'm not the negavol that some of these bloggers are... But I do have to see it before I believe it... not one to say they lost some talent were going to beat them and finish above them. We have to have a huge offensive turnaround to beat Mizzou/UGA/FL and esp AL/OK

So you are basically saying you do not believe Jones is the right guy? This year will be the second for this O in his system. He returns 4 QB's with at least one year of college ball behind them. He returns all of his skill players except one. He brings in a bunch of players with top shelf talent. At what point does the "right guy" start to have an impact on team performance?

Here's why I believe UT should beat them and finish above them. Better players at the skill positions BY FAR. Actually better D talent as well. Equal or better talent on the OL even without knowing who the LT is. MUCH better back 7 on D.

And frankly, I AM giving Jones and staff the benefit of the doubt. I hope their system and program will work and expect like in other stops it will begin to work in year 2.

I am basically saying that I believe Jones is a good enough coach to take his team that replaces key players against Pinkel who replaces key players but with less talent than UT's... and win at home.

 

[sjt18]

Out of the past 2 years.
We shouldve won in 2012. We only lost because Dooley wanted to go into overtime instead of kicking a FG to win it.

Actually imagine that game without the stupid decision to go to the 3-4 and Sal. Imagine that Wilcox had stayed... it would have been a complete blow out in UT's favor.

They lost 7 or 8 starters on defense and 7 or 8 on offense. They also lost some of their 2 deep guys. Yeah, we have to break in some guys, but they have to break in more.

And... they break in guys with significantly less talent overall.

Our problem on D last year was speed. We have upgraded our speed this season and they have lost nearly everyone who produced anything last year.

Not buying that as the only reason UT was poor on D last year... but hoping everything comes together this fall.

They arent refilling with top notch talent. They havent been recruiting well at all. We play them after UK. They play us after TAMU, and we play them in Neyland. They had a nice run last year and things lined up for them. They played severely injured teams. Its not like they have the greatest scheme. They were 5-7 the year before.

:good!:

They were 5-7 without (in large measure) the guys they've now lost... again.

 

[sjt18]

Let's hope not. Their injuries were probably an anomaly, what, 14 starters or some such out due to injury? But the fact that Muschamp doesn't understand or care about offense is not an anomoly. Enjoy him because i think this is his last year, and then hope/pray UF doesn't get another Spurrier/Meyer type to replace Muschamp.

I hate UF. But I respect the fact that they will do what is necessary to compete for championships. Zook's record at UF was EXACTLY the same as Jones' at Cincy. His record vs the SEC was actually better than Jones' record against the BE. He tied for the SECe in his 2nd season. He recruited very well. He was fired after 3 seasons.

Vol fans (including myself I'm sorry to say) have made excuses going back to Fulmer for the coach not competing at a championship level. At UF... they fire them.

 

[HialeahGator]

1. Tennessee (9-3) SEC 6-2
Vastly improved offense. WR and TE core will lead the SEC. RB will hold their own and avg 5-5.5 ypc. OL will take their lumps and bruises but will greatly improve as the season wears on.
On the Defensive side of the ball with a very young DL there will be struggles (penalties and missed assignments) but like the OL they will improve with experience. LB unit will be at or around the top in the SEC east. Secondary will be tested but will grow exponentially as the season goes on. Special teams will be AVG at best our return game will be AVG at best as well our record i believe will be 9-3 with losses to Oklahoma, Alabama, and Ole Miss.

2. Georgia (10-2) SEC 6-2
With inexperience at QB the Dawgs will have to rely on their RB's and Defense to carry the load. Their LB cora has taken a hit and with the DC (Grantham) leaving i think you'll see a small drop off with the Georgia defense they will still be very talented but like the Vols they will rely on the growth they experience throughout the season. They will benefit from a cake like schedule and will have a better record overall than UT but UT will win the tiebreaker.

3. Florida (7-5) SEC 4-4
Their will be a lot of improvments made for UF but as Titans Bill on TSR puts it the Gator fans only care about W/L. Defensively this team will be tested but defensive recruiting for the DL will be evident. Offesively the QB play will be night and day better and the RB's will be much better. but Defense wins ball games and this UF team lacks that elite DL that you need in the SEC.

4. Kentucky (7-5) SEC 3-5
I went back and forth on this one (flipping USCe with this) but i think the edge goes to UK based on QB play from Drew Barker. the OL is going to struggle at times but the QB, RB, and WR play will keep this offense moving. they will still struggle at times against quality competition. Defensively they will be strongest on the line but will struggle in the LB unit the secondary will show great improvement. UK fans will be ecstatic and Stoops will get consideration from UF for their job next year.

5. S. Carolina (6-6) SEC 3-5
Dylan Thompson will play for USCe in the same way Joe T III played for UGA erratic mostly but at times will provide a spark to keep them in games. They rely heavily on their RB's to lead the way and their Defense will struggle mightily. They will make a bowl based purely off how easy their schedule is.

6. Missouri (6-6) SEC 2-6
With Mike Sam, James Franklin, and DGB gone i look for the Tigers to struggle across the board they will still be in games and have a few cake games that will keep them in bowl contention. but the losses due to Graduation, NFL and discipline will be quite obvious.

7. Vanderbilt (4-8) SEC 0-8
Lets be honest here outside of Jordan Matthews and Carta- Samuels the Dores werent all that last year take those 2 away and they are at best a 5 win team. Caleb Azubike is a beast on the DL and will put up big numbers. Andrew Jelks will be an ALL SEC OL "darn DOOLEY" Robinette will put up AVG numbers and they will struggle at RB. Mason will be truly starting from the bottom and building his way up.

---The SEC east teams i see that will go in 2015 ranked and hyped up by espn are Tennessee (ranked 14th) and Georgia (ranked 21st.---

some good points but I think you have UF's OL and DL confused. Bullard and Fowler would start at 12 SEC programs. The DTs are young but Orr, Brantley, Cummings, Bostwhich, Holley, Willis and Clark were all Top 250 coming out.
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[BeattieFeathers]

I hate UF. But I respect the fact that they will do what is necessary to compete for championships. Zook's record at UF was EXACTLY the same as Jones' at Cincy. His record vs the SEC was actually better than Jones' record against the BE. He tied for the SECe in his 2nd season. He recruited very well. He was fired after 3 seasons.

Vol fans (including myself I'm sorry to say) have made excuses going back to Fulmer for the coach not competing at a championship level. At UF... they fire them.

If memory serves, we have fired two coaches since 2008. Should not have fired Fulmer, but more on point, we have fired more coaches than Florida.

 

[sjt18]

If memory serves, we have fired two coaches since 2008. Should not have fired Fulmer, but more on point, we have fired more coaches than Florida.

DEFINITELY should have fired Fulmer. He is the primary reason UT is where it is. Kiffin/Dooley certainly didn't lift the program out of the ditch... but they didn't put it there. Fulmer did. He had no control or discipline within the program. His recruiting effectiveness had dropped to levels too low to sustain. He failed to choose or discipline his staff effectively (he wasn't good without Cut and not a strong enough leader to surround himself with others like Cut). Plus... the game had simply passed him by while he arrogantly said "we've won a lot of games around here doin' what we're doin' and we ain't changin' now". He was no longer good enough to compete at the top level and too stubborn to change.

Attitude is different at UT. Take you for instance. Losing indefinitely seems to be just fine with you. You'll always make some excuse... just like with the "should not have fired Fulmer" non-sense.

There are WAY too many Vol fans as WELL represented on this site that are all too willing to accept low standards. UF fired a guy for not winning the SEC in in 3 years. Fulmer didn't win the SEC for 9 years and you think he was unjustly fired.

UF's booster's, AD, and fans don't accept that. Win or go.

 

[KBVol]

DEFINITELY should have fired Fulmer. He is the primary reason UT is where it is. Kiffin/Dooley certainly didn't lift the program out of the ditch... but they didn't put it there. Fulmer did. He had no control or discipline within the program. His recruiting effectiveness had dropped to levels too low to sustain. He failed to choose or discipline his staff effectively (he wasn't good without Cut and not a strong enough leader to surround himself with others like Cut). Plus... the game had simply passed him by while he arrogantly said "we've won a lot of games around here doin' what we're doin' and we ain't changin' now". He was no longer good enough to compete at the top level and too stubborn to change.

Attitude is different at UT. Take you for instance. Losing indefinitely seems to be just fine with you. You'll always make some excuse... just like with the "should not have fired Fulmer" non-sense.

There are WAY too many Vol fans as WELL represented on this site that are all too willing to accept low standards. UF fired a guy for not winning the SEC in in 3 years. Fulmer didn't win the SEC for 9 years and you think he was unjustly fired.

UF's booster's, AD, and fans don't accept that. Win or go.

Hear what you're saying 18, but Muschamp just went 4-8, only 2 years removed from 7-6, with losses to Vandy and lowly Georgia Southern, an FCS school. They don't seem to be quite as intolerant with a losing head coach as you suggest.