What is our Brand?

#26
#26
Volizona said:
The UT brand used to be very strong. The Neyland years, Dickey, Majors, Fulmer in the 90s. Our huge fan base, our stadium, our resources and revenue kept our brand strong. We used to be feared and respected. We didn’t wish we would beat Bama and Georgia, we expected to - even Florida sometimes. Well, fast forward after 15 years of dysfunction to today? Is our brand still the same or has it been tarnished for ever. Half of our fans say we should be happy winning 8-9 games a year. This is who we are. We can’t recruit with Bama and Georgia again. We are a second tier SEC team and we will be from here on out. Our brand has changed. Accept who we are. The other half of our fans insist our brand will always be strong. We just went through a few speed bumps. We really are supposed to be the team of the 90s, the Neyland, UT, etc. The brand never changed. We should expect excellence. Who says we should submit to GA and Bama. We are still respected and will be feared. What do you all say? Are we the same UT with our historical brand or has our brand dropped forever and we need to be more reasonable about our ceiling?
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Everything is moment in time. 5 years ago, UT was an undesirable toxic spot for coaches. Last year was a sample that UT Brand and relevance is strong. In reality, if we had Hooker on this year's team, we'd be in the hunt for SEC CG. Program building is not linear. If Nico is all he's made out to be, over next few years, he'll impact our brand, trajectory and recruiting in a big way. There's speed bumps along the way but even w/ probable 8-4 regular season, I'm not off the rails disappointed in the season...though at least wish we were more competitive in our losses.
 
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#27
#27
stolitonic said:
Meh.

Georgia and Bama are up right now.

The big dogs will fall off-eventually. Someone else will take the mantle.

Who's it gonna be? Might as well be us

Everything is always gonna change every few years anyway. Ups downs triumphs and heartbreaks.

Can't stop any of them.
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I'll tell you who it wont be: Vanderbilt, Kentucky, Missouri, Arkansas, or MS State.
 
#28
#28
njvols said:
Everything is moment in time. 5 years ago, UT was an undesirable toxic spot for coaches. Last year was a sample that UT Brand and relevance is strong. In reality, if we had Hooker on this year's team, we'd be in the hunt for SEC CG. Program building is not linear. If Nico is all he's made out to be, over next few years, he'll impact our brand, trajectory and recruiting in a big way. There's speed bumps along the way but even w/ probable 8-4 regular season, I'm not off the rails disappointed in the season...though at least wish we were more competitive in our losses.
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"Program building is not linear"

That is an excellent point and so true, yet few really seem to appreciate the reality of that statement. I said earlier that I can see us as a consistent 9-10 win program with occasional runs at conference titles and beyond, but maybe it is more realistic to say 8-10 wins.

There will be peaks and valleys - the key is to maximize those peaks and minimize the valleys, and as long as we have solid leadership at AD and HC that has a great shot of being the case. But the days of 11-12 wins annually might be history for anyone in this conference moving forward, even UGa and Bama, as there will be so much recruiting competition and no more cake schedules.
 
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#31
#31
#32
#32
McDad said:
867–410–53

All-time record. At of the end of the 2022 season, Tennessee is ranked eleventh all-time won-lost records by percentage and tenth by victories. The all-time record is 867–410–53 (. 672). At Neyland Stadium, the Vols have a record of 478–141–17 (

we are a historical 8-9 and 4 program.
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If you minus out everything from 2005 to now, the numbers tell a different story. This is a program whose fans should expect to be in the SEC championship game, or at least have a record good enough to represent the East but for losing a tiebreaker on head to head results, twice a decade and win a national championship about once every 10-12 years. That is the Vols I grew up cheering for. Nobody in Knoxville owes me those results but I will continue to believe until my final day that any AD and head football coach who cannot deliver those results does not deserve to be there.
 
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#33
#33
Rocky Top T said:
We will be a 7-8 win team, every now and then 9-10. The conference is only gonna get harder
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7-8 wins?? Come on man. We have the resources to be right at the top of college football. Heupel is recruiting well and has us trending in the right direction. I hope he can get us over the bump in the next few years, but even if he isn’t able to we will be in a much better position to get a great hire.
 
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#34
#34
Volizona said:
Half of our fans say we should be happy winning 8-9 games a year. This is who we are. We can’t recruit with Bama and Georgia again. We are a second tier SEC team and we will be from here on out. Our brand has changed. Accept who we are.
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Who is saying this? I wager an insignificant majority, or an overly emotional fan on a game thread.

Don't confuse objective criticism of current rosters and staff with perpetual pessimism. Really, the only period close to a "dynasty" for UT was under Neyland. Although UT has had periods of relative success and contention they have never, since Neyland, been anything close to what Alabama has done under Saban or what Smart is currently doing at Georgia.

Look, 70% (estimate) of the top players in the nation go to the same three schools. All the other 117 or so schools are just doing their best to stay relative, hoping that they will eventually spark the right mix to replace one of those schools. When you speak about "brand," the brand is the NCAA. The schools are just pawns to satisfy us and our thirst for competition and entertainment. The football teams are gladiators, the NCAA is the emperor, and we are the mob. Bama, Georgia, and OSU are the gladiators that are earning their freedom.
 
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#35
#35
RockyTop140 said:
7-8 wins?? Come on man. We have the resources to be right at the top of college football. Heupel is recruiting well and has us trending in the right direction. I hope he can get us over the bump in the next few years, but even if he isn’t able to we will be in a much better position to get a great hire.
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So do many other schools. Now we add Texas and Oklahoma to the fold.
 
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#36
#36
RockyTop140 said:
7-8 wins?? Come on man. We have the resources to be right at the top of college football. Heupel is recruiting well and has us trending in the right direction. I hope he can get us over the bump in the next few years, but even if he isn’t able to we will be in a much better position to get a great hire.
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We will average 8 wins .
 
#37
#37
TJSVOLS said:
No your not, and if you are you have to be the most miserable one I’ve ever seen.
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Been one since 62. I just speak truth. I drive 6 hours to watch them. My soul hurts when they lose. Don't tell me I'm not a Vol fan . When I'm in the stadium, can't hardly talk for 3 days. I give my All, I expect the same from the team
 
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#38
#38
I don't understand all the harsh rejection of about an 8 win "norm" for the foreseeable future. Hopefully that's the low bar but next year could dip below that. This program is not poised to stack 10 win seasons consistently - yet. And some people need to come to grips with the fact that might not happen on a regular basis in the new SEC.
 
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#39
#39
In roughly the last 60 years, we have 1 national championship. Some of us need to stop dreaming and living in an altered reality. Sure Fulmer should have won at least 3 or 4, but it didn’t happen. Our brand is so strong because of the support of the fan base. The results on the field haven’t been as strong.
 
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#40
#40
Rocky Top T said:
Been one since 62. I just speak truth. I drive 6 hours to watch them. My soul hurts when they lose. Don't tell me I'm not a Vol fan . When I'm in the stadium, can't hardly talk for 3 days. I give my All, I expect the same from the team
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I just did !!! And just because you talk a lot doesn’t mean you speak the truth, and I promise it’s just your truth and opinion.
 
#43
#43
I view UT and UF as in very similar spots at the moment. Hopeful, with flashes of glory, but invariably falling short of the mark.
 
#44
#44
6 national titles from 1938-1998. That is what the school claims. Average it out and it’s six in seven decades, or approximately one for every 12 seasons played. And the last one prior to 98 was 1967 not 1962. For devoted Vols fans some of you don’t know your history. If it makes you feel good to lower the bar and imagine that everyone is maximizing every ounce of potential that can be extracted from the staff and players at this time, then more power to you.
 
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#45
#45
Manning4ever said:
Home team with home crowd has a definite advantage. Ga is worried about this game. We have a definite advantage with the crowd noise.
When we win the cfp will be turned upside down
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Good teams don’t worry about who they are playing…that’s a fan thing. Good teams know if they execute their plays they are going to win.

I never once worried about who I was facing. If they were deemed good by the powers that be, I looked forward to the challenge.
 
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