Tennessee finished 3-5 in conference play this season, with a negative net scoring margin. The Vols made their bowl eligibility bones in their last game of the season, beating a Vanderbilt squad that regressed more than any other team in the SEC. They finished beating soundly an Iowa team yesterday that clearly had little interest in playing. Considering what UT has accomplished in the past four seasons, it was a good year.
But evidently I’m not giving Tennessee enough credit.
There’s no doubt that Tennessee went through some growing pains this year, nowhere more so than during a stretch of the season where the Vols went almost two months between victories against FBS competition. And no one is going to mistake Iowa in a January 2 bowl game for Alabama in Tuscaloosa in October. But after winning three of its last four games — all against SEC opponents — Tennessee was already getting some buzz as a possible contender in what is expected to be another wide-open SEC East race. On Friday, the Vols gave everyone watching plenty of reasons to believe that they can deliver.
Those four opponents were South Carolina, Kentucky, Missouri and Vanderbilt. Murderers’ Row it wasn’t.
Look, no question that Butch Jones has recruited well. (Thanks for repeating that tidbit ad nauseam, Rod Gilmore.) Two things about that. First, he’s had to. The cupboard SOD left him was threadbare, to say the least. Second, it’s the SEC. Every coach recruits well in the SEC, or at least every coach does if he wants to stay employed. And, true, I doubt any team will be universally anointed as the division winner in this offseason.
But, geez, there are at least a few SEC East teams that will have a leg up on the Vols going into 2015. Tennessee had one player make the coaches All-SEC teams – Derek Barnett (he’s a good one) made second team. Every other team expected to be in the divisional mix next season did better than that. And while I realize that some of those names are moving on, the point is that, unlike Tennessee, Florida, Georgia, Missouri and South Carolina haven’t suffered serious drop offs in recruiting in recent seasons.
None of which is to say Tennessee won’t be improved in 2015. UT should be if for no other reason than there is more talent on the roster. The schedule is slightly better in that Oklahoma is a home game, too. But I think I’ll wait another year to see if they’re all the way back.
Get The Picture 
Well, until they prove otherwise, Mizzou is the team to beat.
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The funny part is that no one actually believes that. 34-0 and 42-13 losses tend to cause doubt, as does continually losing to inferior teams so as not to make it to Atlanta at all.
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After watching UGA play this year I can say with absolute certainty that I have no idea about who will beat whom next year. I agree with what you’re saying Senator but if Tenn’s QB had not been hurt for 3 series this year we probably lose the game.
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I could also say two years ago we absolutely thump them without 3(!) knee injuries suffered in the game and Gurley available. Injuries happen – good teams rebound from them and bad teams struggle.
Not to say they won’t beat us in Knoxville, but we’ll know if UT is back when OU comes calling.
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Fair enough. I guess i’m saying, despite their problems, tenn has been very competitive with us lately.
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We haven’t exactly thumped Tenn the past two years and I expect them to be better in 2015. They were very young on both lines this season, that experience will be a big factor for them next season. They play physical and play for 60 minutes. Tenn’s downturn the past five or six years has given a great opportunity to Georgia to make some noise in the East. Make no mistake, Tenn will be back, sooner rather than later.
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I respectfully disagree. The UT coach is a loudmouth moron who has never built anything before–he just followed Brian kelly and took over programs Brian Kelly had turned around. This is the first winning season UT has had since 2009 and both were 7-6. UT hasn’t won more than 7 games in a season since 2007. The kids coming out of high school in 2015 were 10 years old then. Georgia has beaten UT 5 years in a row and 6 out of the last 7. The Vols aren’t relevent now, and I do not see that changing with the current coaching staff of Georgia rejects running the show on D there.
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UT got lucky in that they got to play a weak Iowa team in a crummy bowl. Put UT in against a quality opponent and the Vols are 6-7 and licking their wounds on the flight back to Knoxvegas. I blame the bowl selection people.
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Have you forgotten so soon? It’s Bobo that you blame! 🙂
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Damn! Was he on that committee, too?
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At least Tenn didn’t buy off the top caliber OOCs that were scheduled yrs earlier, unlike Auburn who bought off FSU when Tuberville came on board. Tenn stood in there and took their whuppins like a proud team of the SEC. They deserve to come back.
Take a look at their recruiting this year and tell me that facilities don’t count. ‘Course, seeing that they can get on the playing field there early counts also.
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They deserve to come back. New coach same thug culture.
http://www.tennessean.com/story/news/2014/11/17/two-ut-students-accused-rape-sexual-assault/19169563/
Let them wander in the desert a while longer.
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UT doesn’t deserve anything. F*ck ’em.
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Dobbs looked great against awful defenses and awful against decent defenses.
Magitt, Sutton and Barnett are sec level defenders, and they have a dt on part with Trenton Thompson coming in, so they should be better on defense.
East should be wide open, uf and ut should be better, mizzou worse, and scu and uga are a tossup. Uk could pull an upset.
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Sorry that kid is not on the same level as Thompson. If you want a glimpse into our improved run defense next year, you should do yourself a favor and watch Thompson destroying these offensive linemen. He is on the aj green/champ bailey level. Just way better than all the other kids in this game.
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Why would Mizzou be worse? If anything they should be better.
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They lose ray, golden, top 4 wr’s, marcus Murphy and mauk is still mauk. Sure it’s possible they are better since they weren’t that good this year, but I doubt it.
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Yeah, one of the SEC teams UT didn’t beat was Missouri, so thanks for nothing, Vols.
I agree UT should be better next year, but why wouldn’t Georgia be better? Lots of talent coming back, good staff, good recruiting class; why are the pundits ready to hand the East to Tennessee?
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Are these pundits not the same pundits who were declared Georgia a playoff contender after we beat Clemson?
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Kirk Herbstreit declared Georgia to be the #1 team in the nation after we beat Clemson. Saw it on TV with my own eyes and heard it with my own ears.
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because that is what they do …pundits pundify? pundicate?pontificate? you know what I mean,,,,they get paid to offer up opinions so they do. The only ones who come close to being right are working for Vegas.
It is important to read the category “Because Nothing Sucks like a big Orange”, they do and they will next season too. P.S. Thank you Dan Ellard ,where ever you are
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I think they will be much improved after playing so many new players this year. They have holes, but should still be a tough out.
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Yep, a tough out…tougher than before, for us? Maybe, maybe not. But I am not a Butch Jones fan. It has been my observation that coaches who have long arguments with the officials during a game are missing some basic tactical understanding of the flow of a game…or something like that.
Iowa may very well be worse than Vandy.
Butch Jones will have the same problems Phil had with behavioral issues amongst the troops…it is Knoxville, ya know?
I don’t think anybody looking in from the outside realizes how deep the hole Tennessee dug for itself actually is.
Tennessee football, it seems to me, is in a place where it will take much more than just successful recruiting to be come relevant again. It seems to me it will take real leadership. I don’t see that from Butch Jones, but maybe I don’t want to see it.
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Butch lead the band at one point…
He’s got skills.
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Good Lord!
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Is that really Butch? If it is that photo needs be emblazoned on poster board for game day. He will loses his teams respect if they(his players) see this . Again is that really Butch ? How do you play in the band and play football? Please ,Please ,Please let that be Butch.
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Meh. They’ll be lucky to win 6 again.
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Bluto they gotta fill the air time and column inches with something. I wouldn’t expect them to say “it’s too early to spot any clues for next year.” How much Viagra and John Hancock would that sell?
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Iowa has concrete in their shoes.
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Ug, Iowa is a sleeping giant. The University of Iowa is one of the better academic institutions in the mid-West and has a good (not great) football history. With a decent coach that program could take off like Wisconsin’s did when Barry Alvarez arrived. I can’t believe the Iowa faithful have allowed this situation with Ferentz to continue.
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I think TN will be better next year, and just like they improved over 2013 this year, they will still not be at the level they want. We saw how short they were when they got dominated in a game, at home, with an over flowing crowd and desperately needing a win over a decent team. Mizzou stomped them on both sides of the ball. How much different will they be next year? Better but look how far they fell short late in this season.
What UGA has to be concerned about is how more intensely TN approaches the game against UGA than we do. They have been so conditioned to losing to FU that they circle our game as the first significant conference game they will win, or find themselves 0-2 in the conference. They also need to beat UGA to open recruiting doors in the State of Georgia. We need to be ready for their effort and put them away. I think we would have done that in 2013 before the MASH unit starting taking bodies off on stretchers. Additionally, they have come the week after some very big UGA games, two or three times in the past ten years they were the week after LSU, in 2015 they are the week after the Alabama game. I think we will take them down in Knoxvegas but their defense will be a challenge. I still see their offense as lacking, OL won’t be back to par and I think their RB is too tall and slow to be a top back in this league. The tall receivers are the biggest offensive threat I see so we need to pop Dobbs every play and make him gun shy. Lot of sizzle coming out of them thar hills, but still light in the steak area. But be ready, they will fight us like hell.
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Perfectly described the situation, Mac. They’re always intense against the Dawgs and you’ve told us why.
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