Preseason Schedule Predictions

[ntxVOL]

1. They're still much more talented than UT
2. We never beat Florida
3. The overwhelming reason they fell apart last year was due to unprecedented injuries .... They were 11-2 the year before...I think they bounce back to challenge for the East this year
4. Florida always beats Tennessee

Do you have any reasons why we should expect UT to beat Florida?

LOL, 2 and 4 look the same. :unsure:

So KB, care to share any of your own predictions for the Vol's 2014 season?

 

[GBO97]

Care to break it down for me as to why we won't beat Florida? I'm curious....

1. They're still much more talented than UT
2. We never beat Florida
3. The overwhelming reason they fell apart last year was due to unprecedented injuries .... They were 11-2 the year before...I think they bounce back to challenge for the East this year
4. Florida always beats Tennessee

Do you have any reasons why we should expect UT to beat Florida?

1: it's at home
2: we're due
3: lol at their offense
4: F florida

 

[KBVol]

LOL, 2 and 4 look the same. :unsure:

So KB, care to share any of your own predictions for the Vol's 2014 season?

They are the same which was the point 😊.

We were 2 Pig Howard plays (one not his fault, one very much his fault) away from being 7-5 last year with a bad, slow roster under a new coaching staff. I think we have 6 very winnable games and I think we can get 1 of SCar, Ga or Ole Miss and get to 7 wins. If something special happens we can maybe, somehow get to 8 wins.

 

[KBVol]

1: it's at home
2: we're due
3: lol at their offense
4: F florida

Gotcha on #'s 2 and 4....especially 4. #1 hasn't mattered since 2004 and as for #3, lol at their offense last year when we lost 31-17.

 

[GBO97]

Gotcha on #'s 2 and 4....especially 4. #1 hasn't mattered since 2004 and as for #3, lol at their offense last year when we lost 31-17.

Well lol at our defense all of last year. We should be much improved this year, especially if our d-line is able to solidify. Overall I think it will be a close game that could go either way.

 

[Pulscifer]

Utah State - W
Arkansas State - W
Oklahoma - L
Georgia - L
Florida - L (toss up)
Chattanooga - W
Ole Miss - L
Alabama - L
South Carolina - L
Kentucky - W
Missouri - W (toss up)
Vanderbilt - W

6-6 is my prediction. I think Florida/Mizzou are both toss ups. Could win both, could split, or even lose both. Hopefully we'll at least hit the 6 win mark and go to a bowl and get a W.

 

[Coug]

They are the same which was the point 😊.

We were 2 Pig Howard plays (one not his fault, one very much his fault) away from being 7-5 last year with a bad, slow roster under a new coaching staff. I think we have 6 very winnable games and I think we can get 1 of SCar, Ga or Ole Miss and get to 7 wins. If something special happens we can maybe, somehow get to 8 wins.

With Worley or even Dobbs(now) in last years game from the beginning we would have won. Our O-line sucked bad despite the rave reviews(how that happened nobody knows). We had hardly any receivers. Our D-line wasn't much better and without any speed. Even during our game two of their players tackled each other.

I wholeheartedly believe this year is ours to win.

 

[KBVol]

With Worley or even Dobbs(now) in last years game from the beginning we would have won. Our O-line sucked bad despite the rave reviews(how that happened nobody knows). We had hardly any receivers. Our D-line wasn't much better and without any speed. Even during our game two of their players tackled each other.

I wholeheartedly believe this year is ours to win.

It's all subjective opinion about whether we would have won last year with a different starting QB. Perhaps we would have, but we still were out scored 14-10 with Worley as the QB in the second half.

I just can't understand why virtually everyone nonchalantly predicts "oh yeah, Florida's definitely a win this year, they suck", when history shows us that virtually no matter what the circumstances are over the past 25 years (and certainly the last 9), Florida wins. There's just no way I'm predicting a win vs Florida this year....after all these years I'm gonna have to see it before I'll believe it.

 

[All4Orange]

2005 was a new year
2006 was a new year
2007 was a new year
2008 was a new year
2009 was a new year
2010 was a new year
2011 was a new year
2012 was a new year
2013 was a new year

Talk and Hope are cheap. UT has to win it on the field.

You're right...but being a diehard UT fan, I was excited and optimistic those years and I'm just as excited (maybe more) this year. If we bomb, I'll be disappointed, but I won't let the negativity and doubt ruin the season before its even started. Keep calm and sing ROCKY TOP!

 

[KBVol]

You're right...but being a diehard UT fan, I was excited and optimistic those years and I'm just as excited (maybe more) this year. If we bomb, I'll be disappointed, but I won't let the negativity and doubt ruin the season before its even started. Keep calm and sing ROCKY TOP!

Iirc, the post you responded to was in reference to our losing streak to Florida only. I agree with everything you said, I'm right there with you as it relates to everything else about our program with the exception of beating Florida. I'll be optimistic and confident about the Florida game when Tennessee, finally, gives me reason to be.

 

[DeusExMachina]

Lemme preface this by saying no, I'm not drinking.

I'd be perfectly happy with 6-6, a bowl game, then 7-6.

However, I'm willing to go out on a limb. I think the Vols surprise some folks this year, folks that are thinking 'it's just the same old Tennessee'. That's why my true prediction is 9-3 with losses to OU, the Gumps, and either USC or UGA. We face Ohio State in our bowl game and mollywhop them, finish 10-3, ranked in the top 15......and Team Butch Stones pulls a #4 ranked recruiting class.

And oh yeah.....Marquez North is going to win the Biletnikoff Award for the best WR in the nation.

 

[NeylandTradition]

Utah State-W
Arkansas State-W
@Oklahoma-L
@Georgia-L
Florida-W
Chattanooga-W
@Ole Miss-L
Alabama-L
@South Carolina-L
Kentucky-W
Missouri-W
@Vanderbilt-W

Overall 7-5 SEC 4-4

 

[JohnVols]

Utah State-W
Arkansas State-W
@Oklahoma-L
@Georgia-W
Florida-L
Chattanooga-W
@Ole Miss-W
Alabama-L
@South Carolina-L
Kentucky-W
Missouri-W
@Vanderbilt-W

Overall 8-4 SEC 5-3
Let's Hope for a Great Season and Go Vols

 

[Coug]

It's all subjective opinion about whether we would have won last year with a different starting QB. Perhaps we would have, but we still were out scored 14-10 with Worley as the QB in the second half.

I just can't understand why virtually everyone nonchalantly predicts "oh yeah, Florida's definitely a win this year, they suck", when history shows us that virtually no matter what the circumstances are over the past 25 years (and certainly the last 9), Florida wins. There's just no way I'm predicting a win vs Florida this year....after all these years I'm gonna have to see it before I'll believe it.

Ok, so your reason for us losing to Florida this year is solely based on a defeatist attitude. I'm sorry but that is not a logical answer.

Dooley really did a number on you.

 

[DiderotsGhost]

Since I have no clue, I'll pick us to lose to Utah State, Georgia, Florida, and SCe, while pulling upsets against Oklahoma and Ole Miss.

L - Utah State
W - Arkansas State
W - Oklahoma
L - Georgia
L - Florida
W - Chattanooga
W - Ole Miss
L - Alabama
L - South Carolina
W - Kentucky
W - Missouri
W - Vanderbilt

Record: 7-5

This is probably unlikely, but I figure there's a good chance we lose to at least one team we're supposed to beat (Utah State or Arkansas State) and pull an upset or two against teams we have no business beating. Though, honestly, I think 7-5 is being pretty optimistic.

 

[VolAllen]

Since I have no clue, I'll pick us to lose to Utah State, Georgia, Florida, and SCe, while pulling upsets against Oklahoma and Ole Miss.

L - Utah State
W - Arkansas State
W - Oklahoma
L - Georgia
L - Florida
W - Chattanooga
W - Ole Miss
L - Alabama
L - South Carolina
W - Kentucky
W - Missouri
W - Vanderbilt

Record: 7-5

This is probably unlikely, but I figure there's a good chance we lose to at least one team we're supposed to beat (Utah State or Arkansas State) and pull an upset or two against teams we have no business beating. Though, honestly, I think 7-5 is being pretty optimistic.

If it actually plays out like this, I'll give you my house.

 

[Rooster1]

If it actually plays out like this, I'll give you my house.

Quote:
Originally Posted by coug
W Utah State
W Arkansas State
L Oklahoma
W Georgia *
W Florida *
W Chattanooga
L Ole Miss *
L Alabama *
W South Carolina *
W Kentucky *
L Missouri *
W Vanderbilt *

I'm being optimistic with Georgia and South Carolina up front and giving us the win.

We'll likely go bowling with somewhere between a 6-6 to 8-4 season.



VolAllen:

"If this ended up happening, we'd win the East."

"If this ends up happening I'll give you my house."

 

[KBVol]

Ok, so your reason for us losing to Florida this year is solely based on a defeatist attitude. I'm sorry but that is not a logical answer.

Dooley really did a number on you.

Dooley "did a number" on me? If that's all it was, if I only looked as far back as 2010 I'd likely feel pretty good about Tennessee beating Florida this year.

I don't know how far you go back in terms of following Tennessee football. I go back to Bill Battle, 1970-1976, who was interestingly enough, the last UT head coach to record a winning record vs Florida...he was 2-1.

My belief that we lose to Florida is based more than just on a defeatist attitude, which I'll admit to in this case. It's based on, as I've posted many times in here, historical fact and trends.

Consider a few things about this series...

During the "eras" of 2 of our most successful coaches in the history of the program, Majors and Fulmer, we were all of 5-16 vs Florida.

Johnny Majors, who won 64.2% of his games (116-62-8) at UT, won 20% of the games he coached vs Florida (1-4).

Phillip Fulmer, who won 74.5% of his games (152-52) at UT, won 25% of the games he coached vs Florida (4-12).

I could certainly go a little deeper to catalogue UTs consistent failures vs Florida over the decades (such as the fact that Peyton Manning went 39-3 vs all teams not named Florida while a starter at UT....and 0-3 vs Florida) but that would be a little overkill.

Kiffin's, Dooley's and Jones' combined 0-5 record vs Florida is really just an afterthought for me.

Now throw in the facts that Florida is a more talented, experienced team that's 2 years removed from an 11 win season who will surely bounce back from last year's horrific year (in which UT was one of their 4 wins) caused primarily by an unprecedented rash of key injuries and you get guys like me predicting a 10th straight loss.....a prediction that Vegas agrees with btw, as they've made Tennessee a 4.5 point home dog vs Florida this year.

 

[ntxVOL]

My belief that we lose to Florida is based more than just on a defeatist attitude, which I'll admit to in this case. It's based on, as I've posted many times in here, historical fact and trends.

It's only July, so it's OK to say - "We gon beat dem dis year"

Just sayin...:rock:

 

[GBO97]

Dooley "did a number" on me? If that's all it was, if I only looked as far back as 2010 I'd likely feel pretty good about Tennessee beating Florida this year.

I don't know how far you go back in terms of following Tennessee football. I go back to Bill Battle, 1970-1976, who was interestingly enough, the last UT head coach to record a winning record vs Florida...he was 2-1.

My belief that we lose to Florida is based more than just on a defeatist attitude, which I'll admit to in this case. It's based on, as I've posted many times in here, historical fact and trends.

Consider a few things about this series...

During the "eras" of 2 of our most successful coaches in the history of the program, Majors and Fulmer, we were all of 5-16 vs Florida.

Johnny Majors, who won 64.2% of his games (116-62-8) at UT, won 20% of the games he coached vs Florida (1-4).

Phillip Fulmer, who won 74.5% of his games (152-52) at UT, won 25% of the games he coached vs Florida (4-12).

I could certainly go a little deeper to catalogue UTs consistent failures vs Florida over the decades (such as the fact that Peyton Manning went 39-3 vs all teams not named Florida while a starter at UT....and 0-3 vs Florida) but that would be a little overkill.

Kiffin's, Dooley's and Jones' combined 0-5 record vs Florida is really just an afterthought for me.

Now throw in the facts that Florida is a more talented, experienced team that's 2 years removed from an 11 win season who will surely bounce back from last year's horrific year (in which UT was one of their 4 wins) caused primarily by an unprecedented rash of key injuries and you get guys like me predicting a 10th straight loss.....a prediction that Vegas agrees with btw, as they've made Tennessee a 4.5 point home dog vs Florida this year.

Yeah we historically suck against UF so we have no chance this ye..... ah screw it. WE GON WHOOP DEY AZZ

 

[sjt18]

KBVol does justify is skepticism.

The issue I have with that line of argumentation is that one year never dictates the next year in college football. Ten straight losses in CFB don't have a great deal of bearing on what a new coach and team may do.

I'm not ready to make a call. Maybe after I see how UT competes against OU...

My "hope" for UT vs UF lies in two things. Daj has made the case that Jones is a "plus 2" coach. He generally wins two more games than his roster justifies. That's one. The other is that Muschamp is still coaching UF. I don't want to disagree (slightly) with shaky logic by offering stretched logic.... but the Saban tree hasn't really produced very many successful HC's.

If Roper's success was more a function of Cut than Roper then I think UT's improved play at the O skill positions could turn the game for UT. UF does have more experience but not unlike UT's older players... alot of that experience was bad experience. Few if any players on their O have played for a unit that scored more than 26 ppg... and that not because they depended too much on youth.

Jones can outcoach Muschamp and become the difference in this game.

 

[Coug]

Dooley "did a number" on me? If that's all it was, if I only looked as far back as 2010 I'd likely feel pretty good about Tennessee beating Florida this year.

I don't know how far you go back in terms of following Tennessee football. I go back to Bill Battle, 1970-1976, who was interestingly enough, the last UT head coach to record a winning record vs Florida...he was 2-1.

My belief that we lose to Florida is based more than just on a defeatist attitude, which I'll admit to in this case. It's based on, as I've posted many times in here, historical fact and trends.

Consider a few things about this series...

During the "eras" of 2 of our most successful coaches in the history of the program, Majors and Fulmer, we were all of 5-16 vs Florida.

Johnny Majors, who won 64.2% of his games (116-62-8) at UT, won 20% of the games he coached vs Florida (1-4).

Phillip Fulmer, who won 74.5% of his games (152-52) at UT, won 25% of the games he coached vs Florida (4-12).

I could certainly go a little deeper to catalogue UTs consistent failures vs Florida over the decades (such as the fact that Peyton Manning went 39-3 vs all teams not named Florida while a starter at UT....and 0-3 vs Florida) but that would be a little overkill.

Kiffin's, Dooley's and Jones' combined 0-5 record vs Florida is really just an afterthought for me.

Now throw in the facts that Florida is a more talented, experienced team that's 2 years removed from an 11 win season who will surely bounce back from last year's horrific year (in which UT was one of their 4 wins) caused primarily by an unprecedented rash of key injuries and you get guys like me predicting a 10th straight loss.....a prediction that Vegas agrees with btw, as they've made Tennessee a 4.5 point home dog vs Florida this year.

"You're killing me smalls, you're killing me!"

I think that's the problem, you're looking too deep into this with your numbers hat on. We haven't had a recruiting monster coach like Butch Jones in a while along with a staff who for the most part (so far) seem to be doing everything right. We also haven't had the talent and speed on the field like the class that we just recruited.

KBVol does justify is skepticism.

The issue I have with that line of argumentation is that one year never dictates the next year in college football. Ten straight losses in CFB don't have a great deal of bearing on what a new coach and team may do.

I'm not ready to make a call. Maybe after I see how UT competes against OU...

My "hope" for UT vs UF lies in two things. Daj has made the case that Jones is a "plus 2" coach. He generally wins two more games than his roster justifies. That's one. The other is that Muschamp is still coaching UF. I don't want to disagree (slightly) with shaky logic by offering stretched logic.... but the Saban tree hasn't really produced very many successful HC's.

If Roper's success was more a function of Cut than Roper then I think UT's improved play at the O skill positions could turn the game for UT. UF does have more experience but not unlike UT's older players... alot of that experience was bad experience. Few if any players on their O have played for a unit that scored more than 26 ppg... and that not because they depended too much on youth.

Jones can outcoach Muschamp and become the difference in this game.

I agree with your first statement but I have to argue the second. Isn't game 3 a little early in the schedule to use as a gauge for the rest of the season?

 

[MrBiggles]

Jones CAN out coach Muschamp and become the difference in this game

This is why I think we win the Florida game this year!

 

[Boca Vol]

"You're killing me smalls, you're killing me!"

I think that's the problem, you're looking too deep into this with your numbers hat on. We haven't had a recruiting monster coach like Butch Jones in a while along with a staff who for the most part (so far) seem to be doing everything right. We also haven't had the talent and speed on the field like the class that we just recruited.



I agree with your first statement but I have to argue the second. Isn't game 3 a little early in the schedule to use a gauge for the rest of the season?

I don't think so. You can tell if a team can compete, or not...or WILL compete, or not.

 

[OrangeYankee]

I predict 6-6 or 7-5 is most likely with elation for anything over 8 wins. I would be bummed if UT has another 5-7 year. If the QB play was more solid going out of last year, I'd probably feel more comfortable with predicting 8. However, I still think that may be a sore spot as a whole. I just wonder, seeing the more optimistic predictions that if they don't meet those predictions if the fire Jones threads will pour out. I think this is going to be a slow process while Jones gets the tanks refilled with talent, and then we will start seeing the 8-9+ win seasons on a regular basis.