This year will be a success if...... Be a disappointment if........

[Volteacher]

As I started thinking about this year's season BEFORE the season even started looking at all the VolNation posts and what people thought what the season would bring etc.... etc.....

MOST Vol fans had the same line of thinking that Tennessee had a 5-2 record W(Candy, 3Non conference, Mizzou) L(UGA Bama) all the rest of the 5 games were "toss ups". Again MOST vol fans thought 3-2 in those games maybe 4-1 with losses to LSU and maybe FU or Pitt and Kentucky etc..... and all the other combinations.

SOoooooooooo....This season will be a success if what? My thought is that this season will be a success going 10-2 and playing in the Sugar, Cotton or Orange bowl New Years Six bowl. Yes I know this means we lose to Kentucky, UGA or USCe. I know others will have different expectations and their reasoning. I am just trying to remember what I expected before the seasons snapped VERY hopeful but realistic,

This season is a failure if we lose to UGA AND USCe AND Kentucky ( I highly doubt we will but injuries (heaven forbid) or other things could happen. I might throw in there a loss to a bowl team like Clemson or Micheegan or TCU.

Let me hear your thoughts as to what you think this season is? Is not getting into the playoffs 11-1 team and MAJOR disappointment? Losing in the SEC championship to Bama by like 21 points? Or this year has been great no matter how the last 5 games go 1-4 or what?

 

[joevol33]

We've beat Florida, LSU, and bama, I'm already happy. That said, we don't need to slip against KY or south Carolina.

 

[NeverWe'llSever]

Before the season, I would’ve said 8-9 wins, New Year’s Day Bowl is success. 7-5 or less is a failure.

But standing here at 7-0, now it’s 10-2 minimum and a Sugar Bowl appearance for successful season, 11-1/12-0 and playoffs is the best UT season since 1998.

We really don’t know at this juncture if this is the start of something special or our only chance at greatness, so I suggest we capitalize. When your only obstacles from achieving 11 wins are sUcK, USCjr, Mizzou and Vandy, it’s like come on, we need to get to 11-1.

 

[VFL-82-JP]

I started out a little different than what you describe.

Kentucky, we always beat. I count on it. Because we always do it.

So for me, the season began with me already believing we had a lock on at least 7: Ky, Mizzou, Vandy, USCe, and the 3 cupcakes.

So 7-2. Going in. Then the questions were, Pitt...Florida...LSU.

My head said 8-4 was a fair expectation. My heart said we'd get 2 of those three, so 9-3.

Never did I ever suspect in advance that we would sweep them.

And then Bama? Wow.

So, for me, we went from an 8-4, maybe 9-3 expectation to, now 11-1 or 12-0. My head says 11-1, my heart says 12-0.

God bless Josh Heupel, all his coaches, and every single one of the lads for shifting our world that dramatically.

From here on, we're playing with house money. As long as we win all of those last 3 regular season matches.

Go Vols!

 

[BigOrangeTrain]

Season is already a MASSIVE success. It will be a big time failure if we lose to anyone else besides UGA.

 

[mscc1998]

A major success if we have no more than one loss. A failure if we get beat by KY, SC, Missouri or Vanderbilt.

 

[gm1ll]

This year IS a success. I don’t think failure is in anyone’s minds right now.

 

[CNCVol88]

This season is a success. We will be in a NY6 Bowl an possibly event the CFP. In my wildest orange dreams this wasn't where I saw us in year 2

 

[Kylo]

This year is already a massive success. I refuse to even imagine a scenario otherwise.

The fact that it would take a huge upset to derail NATIONAL TITLE PLANS should explain everything. This is the best season since 1998 and could actually be even better if all goes well.

Upsets happen, but this team is special.

There's no reason to think of this season as anything other than a success.

 

[TnVol!]

It's already a success. It will be even a greater success after we beat Kentuckys as_.

 

[dduncan4163]

We are playing with house money at this point. I didn't think it possible we'd beat Florida, LSU, and Bama but here we are. The season is a success and it ain't even Halloween yet. Who would have believed we'd be in the discussion for The Playoffs. We may actually make the Playoffs this season. I still can't bend my mind around that fact.

 

[DonDiego]

If we do what we've already done, plus beat KY, MO, SC, and Vandy. I want to beat GA, but if we don't, it will still be a great success. Let's do all this, plus beat GA. National Championship is definitely on the table.

 

[Vol865]

10+ wins is successful
11-1 is ideal
Losing to any of USCe, Mizzou, Vandy is a failure in a way. Still beat Bama but will feel a lot like 2016 for me.

 

[Alto1]

Beating bama is a successful year, period.

 

[Enki_Amenra]

I like how people move the goal posts mid season. "With our roster and year 2 anything over 7-5 is a success". . . "Oh, wait. . . we're at 7-0, nevermind where we came from, now we must be 10-2 for success."

Baseline for year 2 was always 7-5. Anything over 7-5 will always be a success in year 2. 10+ wins? Borderline miracle.

 

[Winchester73]

I said in a few threads that I am ALWAYS hopeful … and even asked if you guys had heard of Cinderella? I thought we could all win everything except the Bama/UGA games. At this point, I’ll be disappointed with anything less than 11-1 … losing to anyone left besides UGA won’t be right. And we also need to win our bowl game … or the 1st playoff game. A post season without a win will be disappointing.

 

[stolitonic]

We really don’t know at this juncture if this is the start of something special or our only chance at greatness, so I suggest we capitalize. When your only obstacles from achieving 11 wins are sUcK, USCjr, Mizzou and Vandy, it’s like come on, we need to get to 11-1.

Amen. Nothing is ever guaranteed.

Preseason expectations don't really matter at this point. We blew past them.

After the Alabama win, face it-our expectations have to be recalibrated Fortune has decided that all the pieces are coming together-NOW. Either capitalize or squander the opportunity, but another is never guaranteed.

We have shown that we can go toe to toe with anyone now. No need for fear. All we have to do is execute and things will take care of themselves.

 

[CNCVol88]

I like how people move the goal posts mid season. "With our roster and year 2 anything over 7-5 is a success". . . "Oh, wait. . . we're at 7-0, nevermind where we came from, now we must be 10-2 for success."

Baseline for year 2 was always 7-5. Anything over 7-5 will always be a success in year 2. 10+ wins? Borderline miracle.

Disagree on 7-5 being the measure of success. 7-5 was where we were last year before the music city screwjob part 2. 8-4 was the floor.

 

[Other_Guy]

A major success if we have no more than one loss. A failure if we get beat by KY, SC, Missouri or Vanderbilt.

10-2 in Hepuels 2nd year from taking over a dumpster fire is a failure???

 

[Enki_Amenra]

Disagree on 7-5 being the measure of success. 7-5 was where we were last year before the music city screwjob part 2. 8-4 was the floor.

Disagree. . . but thats ok, we're allowed to.

Even at 8-4 as the base, people are trying to move the goal posts to 10-2, 11-1. 8-4 would be a successful year. 7-5 would be neither good or bad.

Anyway, point is that 8-4 will always be the base, doesn't matter how we got there.

 

[stolitonic]

10-2 in Hepuels 2nd year from taking over a dumpster fire is a failure???

Once again, we have entered a realm where preseason expectations no longer matter.

We have climbed the mountain.

Anything more than 1 loss at this point is going to be devastating. We fall off now and drop a couple we shouldn't , the off-season is going to be "same old Tennessee". To hell with that. The Alabama game changed everything. Really the LSU game before that. All the preseason crap stopped mattering. Here we are, deal with us.

 

[Iam4utalways]

Nothing has changed. I’ve always been disappointed with any loss.

This year’s team has been playing better and better each week. I see no reason to expect anything other than wins.

 

[TheMookieMonster]

If we beat Kentucky, this season is a monumental success. I don’t see us slipping up against Missouri or South Carolina, which means 11-1 is all but guaranteed. That is undeniably a program-changing season regardless of whether or not the committee thinks 11-1 Tennessee is good enough for the playoff. So, beat Kentucky and we’re all good in my book.

 

[ThreatLevelOrange]

Before the year I was happy with an 8-4 record, because it means we would’ve beaten someone we lost to last year.

But now, it will be a disappointment if we slide past the playoff and also past the New Years Six bowl games.

 

[CAVPUT]

As I started thinking about this year's season BEFORE the season even started looking at all the VolNation posts and what people thought what the season would bring etc.... etc.....

MOST Vol fans had the same line of thinking that Tennessee had a 5-2 record W(Candy, 3Non conference, Mizzou) L(UGA Bama) all the rest of the 5 games were "toss ups". Again MOST vol fans thought 3-2 in those games maybe 4-1 with losses to LSU and maybe FU or Pitt and Kentucky etc..... and all the other combinations.

SOoooooooooo....This season will be a success if what? My thought is that this season will be a success going 10-2 and playing in the Sugar, Cotton or Orange bowl New Years Six bowl. Yes I know this means we lose to Kentucky, UGA or USCe. I know others will have different expectations and their reasoning. I am just trying to remember what I expected before the seasons snapped VERY hopeful but realistic,

This season is a failure if we lose to UGA AND USCe AND Kentucky ( I highly doubt we will but injuries (heaven forbid) or other things could happen. I might throw in there a loss to a bowl team like Clemson or Micheegan or TCU.

Let me hear your thoughts as to what you think this season is? Is not getting into the playoffs 11-1 team and MAJOR disappointment? Losing in the SEC championship to Bama by like 21 points? Or this year has been great no matter how the last 5 games go 1-4 or what?

Any year we beat the gators and tide is a successful season. House money from here on out in my book. I'm stunned that we're even discussing 10 or 11 wins in year 2 much less making the playoffs. Hooker for the Heisman? Heupel national COY? There are no adequate words for a year like we're having.