After the GSU loss, I said...

[Black Diamond Vol]

...that Pruitt was a "dead coach walking", and the only way he makes up for that game for me is to beat UGA or bammer. I didn't say that in the heat of the moment, and I still feel this way.

That said, I will acknowledge that he seems to have recovered nicely (though this coming post-bammer closing stretch is where Pruitt and his two predecessors have repeatedly dropped the ball in the past, so I'll withold final judgement for a bit longer). And regardless of how I feel, it's now evident that Pruitt will return next season.

So given that, can we all agree that 7-5 or worse is NOT acceptable in year 3?

[SmokeyJoe]

...that Pruitt was a "dead coach walking", and the only way he makes up for that game for me is to beat UGA or bammer. I didn't say that in the heat of the moment, and I still feel this way.

That said, I will acknowledge that he seems to have recovered nicely (though this coming post-bammer closing stretch is where Pruitt and his two predecessors have repeatedly dropped the ball in the past, so I'll withold final judgement for a bit longer). And regardless of how I feel, it's now evident that Pruitt will return next season.

So given that, can we all agree that 7-5 or worse is NOT acceptable in year 3?

I agree.

[murfvol]

I'll see how things play out, but have been pleased with OL development, Warrior's improvement, young contributors, and effort.

Next year should at least be Music City Bowl kind of season.

[BanditVol]

...that Pruitt was a "dead coach walking", and the only way he makes up for that game for me is to beat UGA or bammer. I didn't say that in the heat of the moment, and I still feel this way.

That said, I will acknowledge that he seems to have recovered nicely (though this coming post-bammer closing stretch is where Pruitt and his two predecessors have repeatedly dropped the ball in the past, so I'll withold final judgement for a bit longer). And regardless of how I feel, it's now evident that Pruitt will return next season.

So given that, can we all agree that 7-5 or worse is NOT acceptable in year 3?

Jumping ahead already?  This season is far from over, and we still have a shot at 6-6.

It depends on the schedule, hold on.

https://utsports.com/news/2019/8/7/tennessee-football-announces-2020-schedule.aspx

So we play OU on the road, wow.  Also as was the case this year, bammer, Uga and UF will be hard to beat, so we are staring 8-4 right in the face there.  OOC other than Uga is very cupcakey with Charlotte, Furman (hey they almost beat Ga State!) and Troy, of which only Troy might be a problem.  Vandy, Kentucky should be very winnable.  We catch a big break and play Arkansas next year, so that's three OOC and 3 SEC games that should be wins.  That means to meet your criteria we would have to sweep Mizzou and the cocks.  Since Mizzou is at home next season, that would be reasonable to expect.

So yeah, we should expect to go 8-4.

When I project I always say one better is a nice surprise, one worse is acceptable.  So while my expectation is 8-4, 7-5 would be barely acceptable.  9-3 is possible.  We should expect to upset any one of those top four teams next year.   In spite of the final score, we blew numerous opportunities against all three, played uga well for most of the first half, played bammer well for most of the game.

In short, yes we should expect better than 7-5, but the way I count things it would be barely acceptable.  Should be 8-4 though.

As a side note, suxes that we play OU on the road the same year we get a big break on the West schedule.   

[VinnieVOL]

Yeah at this moment I'd say 7-5 or better is acceptable.

[Black Diamond Vol]

Jumping ahead already?  This season is far from over, and we still have a shot at 6-6.

It depends on the schedule, hold on.

https://utsports.com/news/2019/8/7/tennessee-football-announces-2020-schedule.aspx

So we play OU on the road, wow.  Also as was the case this year, bammer, Uga and UF will be hard to beat, so we are staring 8-4 right in the face there.  OOC other than Uga is very cupcakey with Charlotte, Furman (hey they almost beat Ga State!) and Troy, of which only Troy might be a problem.  Vandy, Kentucky should be very winnable.  We catch a big break and play Arkansas next year, so that's three OOC and 3 SEC games that should be wins.  That means to meet your criteria we would have to sweep Mizzou and the cocks.  Since Mizzou is at home next season, that would be reasonable to expect.

So yeah, we should expect to go 8-4.

When I project I always say one better is a nice surprise, one worse is acceptable.  So while my expectation is 8-4, 7-5 would be barely acceptable.  9-3 is possible.  We should expect to upset any one of those top four teams next year.   In spite of the final score, we blew numerous opportunities against all three, played uga well for most of the first half, played bammer well for most of the game.

In short, yes we should expect better than 7-5, but the way I count things it would be barely acceptable.  Should be 8-4 though.

As a side note, suxes that we play OU on the road the same year we get a big break on the West schedule.   

You think I'd just throw a random number out there without looking at the schedule?

I'm penciling in losses to OU, bammer, and UGA. Though it'd be really cool if we could win at least one of them. You've got to start winning the big games sometime.

I'm allowing for a 4th "wild card" loss. Maybe that's UF, though I would expect that we should be on fairly equal footing with them next year, especially since it's in Knoxville.

Beyond that? I'm not having it.

I'm of the opinion that the main reason we've been losing to SC, Mizzou, UK, and Vandy lately is because of when they appear on the schedule (or in the case of 2016, internal roster issues- thank you Jalen Hurd). The "big" games are done (and usually lost), and the team has already mentally checked out. Meanwhile, those are teams who LIVE to beat us. We haven't matched their intensity lately, and that had better change if Pruitt is the coach we hope he is. BTW, you might have noticed that UGA and Mizzou have swapped places on the schedule starting next year. We play Mizzou in early October, and UGA near the end of the season. I'm hoping this change works in our favor, at least in regards to Mizzou.

My main reason for posting this is just to get a read on where everyone stands. Since I've been singled out for being too negative, I want to know when it's okay to start griping next year.

So yes, I'll be saving this thread for later use. You've all been warned.