Take a moment to appreciate that 8-4 is basically worst case for a down year

#52
#52
VOLfrombama said:
It is exciting. No teams can mark us down as an automatic W anymore.

I have concerns about the OL, but the future looks bright and full of orange. If some of these guys come back for their super senior seasons it would make me feel a lot better.
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The ol is my biggest concern. I think this year's woes at wr and qb can and will be smoothed out, but quality ol play is paramount for what Heupel wants to do.
 
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#53
#53
Carp said:
And some of you are delusional, believing the state of the SEC is the same as it was 25 years ago.

Only 3 SEC teams have consistently won 9 games or more per season over the last 10 years. LSU, Bama, and UGA. Each one of these teams have advantages that we don't and have been far more stable than we have been. If you think Huepel or any coach for that matter, should come to TN and immediately make TN on par with these 3 teams on yearly basis before their first recruits have even cycled out, then you are delusional.
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I’ll let you know when your opinion matters to me. Here’s a hint: that will be never.
 
#55
#55
volbound1700 said:
9-3 would be a good year. Basically the only bad loss in that scenario is Florida. To expect 2022 again is crazy. I was hopeful things would come together but they did not.

However, Tennessee still needs to beat Kentucky and Missouri.
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Thank you for not hurling insults like a twelve-year-old like many on here. My thing is that we potentially could have had a better season with a real QB under center, and we never tried to find out what the other two could do.
 
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#56
#56
aaronvol said:
Boys...uga will walk into a hornets nest. If you're still not hopeful for a 10-2 then please reconsider. And, since I am more convinced than ever that the sec predetermines games, us at 10-2, Bama and uga at 11-1, gives them more control and say so when bowl season rolls around. Always...always follow the $.
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Will be interesting to see what the officiating will be like vs UGA game. Will UGA only get 5 penalty yards?
 
#57
#57
People need to come to terms with the fact that until you become an Alabama--a team who just has perpetual 5 star recruitment and the next guys up lying in wait--you're going to have some set backs year to year. ESPECIALLY during a rebuilding phase, which we are very much still in. To say 9-3 isn't good after losing a Heisman caliber QB and two NFL wide receivers? That's simply pouty delusion. You don't have to celebrate it, but we also don't have to be a bunch of try hards demanding playoff appearances every year.

It will of course be interesting to see how NIL changes these dynamics. No longer will the Alabamas be able to simply recruit and stash kids and keep them on the bench until their senior years.
 
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#58
#58
Daniel_Lincolns_Foot said:
People need to come to terms with the fact that until you become an Alabama--a team who just has perpetual 5 star recruitment and the next guys up lying in wait--you're going to have some set backs year to year. ESPECIALLY during a rebuilding phase, which we are very much still in. To say 9-3 isn't good after losing a Heisman caliber QB and two NFL wide receivers? That's simply pouty delusion. You don't have to celebrate it, but we also don't have to be a bunch of try hards demanding playoff appearances every year.

It will of course be interesting to see how NIL changes these dynamics. No longer will the Alabamas be able to simply recruit and stash kids and keep them on the bench until their senior years.
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Agree. I think the issue is the fanbase is tired of hearing Alabama and Georgia fans mouthing off to them. The key is don't let Heupel and current team take grief for the failures of past coaching regimes and players.

I think this is one of the reason Tennessee has struggled with expectations and coaching searches because the new staffs are faced with the frustration of past failures. We are in a very good spot right now with Heupel despite the disappointments at times this season.
 
#59
#59
9-3 with a shot at 10-3 in a nice bowl game makes me very happy. As long as we are finally beating the teams we should be beating (in year three), after all the years of not doing so, that's a huge show of improvement to me.
 
#62
#62
lifeisdeep said:
Thank you for not hurling insults like a twelve-year-old like many on here. My thing is that we potentially could have had a better season with a real QB under center, and we never tried to find out what the other two could do.
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What makes you believe our coaching staff has "never tried to find out what the other two could do"?
 
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#63
#63
b_gann said:
Has the floor been raised? Absolutely.

However, next year could be a real concern. This team has Sr. starting everywhere. Need a real big transfer portal year. Heup's "talent" isn't showing very well. We're still riding with Pruitt and/or transfer guys. Dylan Sampson and Squirrel are really the only two recruits that have shown anything. At some point we have to recruit an OL that can be a factor. Defense recruiting has been solid.
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James Pearce says hi. Them transfer guys are also Heupel's talent. They wouldn't have given UT the time of day under Pruitt.
 
#64
#64
J
lifeisdeep said:
Maybe you would celebrate 9-3. Some of us would not.
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ust based on the record from 2009-2021, 9-3 is a whole nother step from that period. I expect a big improvement when Heupel has recruited the guys to make it happen. A lot of talent went to the pros from last years team, plus a couple of transfers out that could have really helped this season.
 
#65
#65
lifeisdeep said:
Thank you for not hurling insults like a twelve-year-old like many on here. My thing is that we potentially could have had a better season with a real QB under center, and we never tried to find out what the other two could do.
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This could literally be said about every team that doesn't go undefeated. Let's always just see what everyone can do. Maybe Lincoln Riley should bench his Heisman winner since their season is done. (even though he's probably going to bench himself)
 
#66
#66
volsrock09 said:
James Pearce says hi. Them transfer guys are also Heupel's talent. They wouldn't have given UT the time of day under Pruitt.
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And Arion Carter, but it's a fair point he makes. Only having 3 or 4 high school recruits who look good in year 3 is a valid concern. Next year will be the real test. If we are recruiting well and developing talent like we should, we should have no problem replacing the seniors who will be departing soon.

Edit: But for now it looks to me like pretty much every position group is developing talent well. I'm still concerned about DB, however. Want to see Ricky Gibson III and Jordan Matthews continue to develop.
 
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#68
#68
Daniel_Lincolns_Foot said:
This could literally be said about every team that doesn't go undefeated. Let's always just see what everyone can do. Maybe Lincoln Riley should bench his Heisman winner since their season is done. (even though he's probably going to bench himself)
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We're not talking about a random "someone" - we have a five-star QB on the bench. There aren't many of those running around. We haven't had one in over twenty years prior to this one. Williams started seven games his freshman year, which means he had already been inserted by this point in the season.
 
#72
#72
VFLCodyGBO said:
Did you just start following us last year?

If you can’t celebrate milestones and large scale improvement then you’ll be a miserable fan.
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I've mentioned this before but I have lived in East Tennessee basically my whole life and I've been hearing "if-you-don't-hate-this-team-you're-not-a-true-vol-fan" stuff my whole life. I'm only 57, though.
 
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