VTTW Board Index

http://espn.go.com/blog/statsinfo/post/_/id/102380/102380 (http://espn.go.com/blog/statsinfo/post/_/id/102380/102380)

If you base the season on this we will be 9-3 with loses to UGA, Bama and Ark.

The old adage is a player improves the most between their freshman and sophomore year. With a a large and talented freshman group on hand, the expectation they will really notch it up to another level is realistic.

FWIW, our board already discussed this and most concur and expect it. Another talented freshman class just adds to the likelihood of greater things. Your defensive line could really be a big factor. QB consistency will be key, but the talent is there.

BG

expectations by 13 spots and we're NATIONAL CHAMPIONS !!!!      :naughty:  :patriot:

We will beat the damned silver britches off Georgia this year..Had them against the ropes the last 2 yrs and let them slip out of our hands and with less talent.. :powert:

I like the way you think  :thumbup:

I concur. This team is on the verge of being able to beat anyone on the schedule. Oklahoma will be the first biggie to fall.

And the flames got hotter...........

ESPN Insider Brad Edwards takes a crack at projecting the 12 teams that will make the New Year's Six bowl games next season.

The SEC is well represented, with three teams making the cut. Not surprisingly, Alabama and Auburn are two of those. But the third team? That might come as a shock to some. Edwards projects Tennessee to play its way into a New Year's Six bowl.


http://espn.go.com/blog/sec/post/_/id/98031/edwards-three-sec-teams-in-early-new-years-six-predictions (http://espn.go.com/blog/sec/post/_/id/98031/edwards-three-sec-teams-in-early-new-years-six-predictions)

You have to subscribe to read any more and I'm not a subscriber. But I saw what I needed to know.  :biggrin:

FWIW, he has us in the Sugar Bowl playing Baylor.  He also has MIchigan in the Rose Bowl, Notre Dame in the Fiesta Bowl, and Oklahoma State(!) among the final four playoff teams.  So he's pretty far out on a limb in his picks. :dunno:

Waaaaaaay out on a limb.

After the bowl game, it is a bonfire of expectations, not mere flames. But at least we can look forward to this upcoming season with hope and not the despair of the Dooley years. As a Vol fan since the 1960s, I always hope for the best, but I can accept the results as long as they play hard and have coaches that have a clue. Personally, I could care less what a talking head or sportswriter thinks. You win or lose the game on the field.

I was born in 1951 after the next to last national championship. I hope they do not take as long between them because I will not be alive.  :dielaughing:

OSU lost two quarterbacks and won a national title, because they have established depth of talent. You can pencil them into the big bowls every year and count on their appearance even if a couple of breaks/injuries go against them. A handful of other programs are like that (Alabama, for example) but there aren't many. Most schools that are primed for big seasons have that contingent upon staying healthy and have breaks that are at least even.

We're now in that latter category. If key people stay healthy, we can make some serious noise and yeah, maybe win 9+ games and make it to a big bowl. But injuries or other bad breaks could totally derail that.

I say all this to drive two points home: (1) we're still balanced on a knife edge; imagine a Dobbs injury or if we lose two OTs? and (2) how freaking NICE is it to be in that conversation of having a big year if the breaks don't go against us? If Butch continues his stellar recruiting we'll have that depth that OSU and Alabama have, so that injuries no longer derail whole seasons.

My expectations are 8-4 and 9-4 if we win the bowl without thinking about it too much.  I need to go over the schedule in more detail.

My minimum expectations are "better than last year".  With Dobbs and the frosh from last year being more experienced and all the new talent coming in, we definitely should improve on last year's record