Is this the year for the Vols?

[Mazeppa]

To do what?

http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/ncaaf-dr-saturday/no--21-tennessee--is-this-the-year-for-the-vols-144618898.html

[BoulderSooner79]

... to help prove OU made some good changes since last season.

[TXSooner]

good article...they are praying to be able to hang with OU in Knoxville. would make Tennessee's season.

[Tear Down This Wall]

Tennessee is terrible. They have been terrible for almost a full decade. They will continue to be terrible until they hire a real football coach again.

[badger]

If there's any program that needs to have a turn around and fast, it's Tennessee. Their athletic financial issues have really been bad lately... from a few years ago:
http://www.sportsbusinessdaily.com/Journal/Issues/2013/01/28/Colleges/Tennessee.aspx

SEC schools have more expenses than anyone else trying to keep up with Alabama. The coaches are more expensive, the facilities must be the biggest and shiniest, and the recruiting budget for places that don't have a lot of in-state talent (read: tennessee) is pretty high and has been since the days of Fat Fulmer.

They expanded their stadium to 100K when they had Peyton Manning. They haven't had a Peyton Manning-like recruit since Peyton Manning and they never will again... and therefore, chances of filling a 100K stadium again when you have to creampuff your non-conference SEC schedule (again, to keep up with Bama) with Western Carolina, North Texas and Bowling Green... slim. Will fans fill Rocky Top like they would for a marquee matchup with the Sooners? Of course not.

Cliff's notes version: Mo money mo problems

[Sabanball]

No. I don't look for the vols or Arkansas to contend for at least another year or two. Butch Jones has them going in the right direction, but they don't have the players or depth yet to win our conference much less the NC. Some think that they will win the East this year but I've seen nothing to base that on. Right now I actually think Mizzou will threepeat.

[hornswaggled]

Let's don't think they can't beat OU at home. (There are three contractions there.) If I were Tenn., and I were playing OU at home, I would give my best effort on national teevee. OU had better be ready for this game.

[hornswaggled]

Toledo?

[KantoSooner]

Tennessee is terrible. They have been terrible for almost a full decade. They will continue to be terrible until they hire a real football coach again.
Just for giggles, could you name perhaps five 'real' coaches...who would also be 'hireable' (so you can't simply list Saban five times)

[badger]

No. I don't look for the vols or Arkansas to contend for at least another year or two. Butch Jones has them going in the right direction, but they don't have the players or depth yet to win our conference much less the NC. Some think that they will win the East this year but I've seen nothing to base that on. Right now I actually think Mizzou will threepeat.

I find it amusing to watch ESPN try their best not to pick Alabama to dominate the SEC. It's like everyone trying their best to not pick Jordan's Bulls in the 90s. Surely someone out there is talented enough to give us another team to hype before the regular season/NBA Finals. Auburn is the SEC's representative in the playoff this year! Karl Malone is the NBA's MVP this year! There's a new force to deal with in college football/the NBA this postseason!*

*No there's not

[Sabanball]

I find it amusing to watch ESPN try their best not to pick Alabama to dominate the SEC. It's like everyone trying their best to not pick Jordan's Bulls in the 90s. Surely someone out there is talented enough to give us another team to hype before the regular season/NBA Finals. Auburn is the SEC's representative in the playoff this year! Karl Malone is the NBA's MVP this year! There's a new force to deal with in college football/the NBA this postseason!*

*No there's not

Auburn is the preseason favorite to win the SEC and I happen to agree with that.

[badger]

Seriously? Do you attribute this to the lack of synthetic marijuana that destroyed the last championship team, or the following image:
http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-YNUdYQzdhWE/VNJ77lAVE4I/AAAAAAAACCE/S5aBqOhQuik/s1600/recruit15.png

Either way, something does not compute with their quick rise from post-championship mediocrity

[Tear Down This Wall]

Just for giggles, could you name perhaps five 'real' coaches...who would also be 'hireable' (so you can't simply list Saban five times)

Jim McElwain
Kirby Smart
Mike Bloomgren
Todd Grantham
Dave Warner

Any one of which was available to Tennessee before they hired Dooley and Jones. I'm not sure what the connotation is with "hireable," but Tennessee could have paid each more than they were making as coordinators at the time Dooley and Jones were hired as well.

Tennessee went small time and, so, they are getting what they deserve - bad football at a traditional program. We did the same thing by elevating Gary Gibbs, hiring Howard Schnellenberger, and then John Blake.

There is no point to what Tennessee is doing, except to prove, I suppose, that mid major-type hired can fail twice in a row at traditional football schools.

[KantoSooner]

Kind of surprised with your choices, but okay. They all were definitely hireable. Just not sure I see any real distinction between them and others you've panned. But, it's an opinion thing.

[Tear Down This Wall]

Kind of surprised with your choices, but okay. They all were definitely hireable. Just not sure I see any real distinction between them and others you've panned. But, it's an opinion thing.

There is no difference between Derek Dooley and the list? Butch Jones? You must be kidding.

[KantoSooner]

Charley Strong?
It all seems a bit 'flavor of the month'.
Again, my opinion. Your guys are good; I just don't see that they're so different from a lot of others.

[Sabanball]

Seriously? Do you attribute this to the lack of synthetic marijuana that destroyed the last championship team, or the following image:
http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-YNUdYQzdhWE/VNJ77lAVE4I/AAAAAAAACCE/S5aBqOhQuik/s1600/recruit15.png

Either way, something does not compute with their quick rise from post-championship mediocrity


The iron bowl is in auburn this year and two weeks into fall camp we still don't have a qb that could be getting full time reps right now in practice. Add to that saban has a losing record in JHS.

[Tear Down This Wall]

Charley Strong?
It all seems a bit 'flavor of the month'.
Again, my opinion. Your guys are good; I just don't see that they're so different from a lot of others.

That much I agree with.

[KantoSooner]

yawn.

[OUmillenium]

... to help prove OU made some good changes since last season.

YES!!!

[GreatCecilsGhost]

Y'all better realize that Tennessee has a very good chance of beating OU. It will be one of the 2-3 toughest games we have this season.

Jones isn't a top-tier coach? What rock were you under when his 2010 Bearcat squad (that went 4-8) damn near beat OU in Cincy? That same 4-8 program went 10-3 the next season. Tennessee just got verbals this week from the #1 pro-style QB recruit in the nation, and a 5* WR from Oak Ridge that I have personally seen play and is a man amongst toddlers. Jones is recruiting elite athletes to UT, and has been for 2 years. They have a good shot at winning the SECEast and playing for the CC in Atlanta.

OU is going to get everything they want on 9/12. If we can walk out of Neyland with a W, we will be looking at a special year.

[KantoSooner]

Could the Vols beat OU? Yes
Are the Vols collecting great talent? Yes, basically. (I'm sure there'd be quibblers out there, but grant this).
Am I willing to predict a Vols victory over OU this year? No. Respectfully, but No.
Am I willing to listen to random Vol yahoos talk trash? No. (and I don't include you, Cecil, in those ranks.)

That about covers it for me.

[Tear Down This Wall]

Yes, we all know there is a chance that the Vols beat us...especially when you consider that the best we can do is a QB that even Texas Tech wouldn't give a scholarship.

Everyone talks about this new offensive coordinator, as if he has some offense that no one has ever seen. It's the height of stupidity. How long now, has Gus Malzahn been in the SEC? Except for two squirts of pis*s at Tulsa and Arkansas State, pretty much ever since 2006. I'm pretty sure Tennessee will not be shocked that we don't line up in the Wishbone or Power-I.

Tennessee's problem is, their coach is dogbutt average. And, he's recruited a dogbutt average bunch of players. We are still, even though we are hurtling towards Texas Techdom, a step or two above Tennessee talent-wise.

[KantoSooner]

So, basically:

"Yeah what you said,
Insert issue #9,000,000 slam on LR, issue#13 slam on Tenn, issue #247 slam on TT issue #543 slam on BM"

Just for a change up, what makes you happy? I'll try to remind you of it just so we can get a look at what you're like when you're not on the ledge.

[thecrimsoncrusader]

It seems to be overlooked that Butch Jones hired Brewster McSkittles as his offensive coordinator in the off-season. I think OU came out on the plus side of that hire given OU's hire on the offensive side of the ball.