Does UT need to win the SEC championship game to make this season a success?
Vote to the left and share your reaction below.
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Comments » 63
FWBVol writes:
I think the season has been a success so far...especially considering where things were after the Florida game. It will be a greater success with an SEC title.
tennecwingrider writes:
We are UT and we shouldn't dumb down our goals and expectations. An SEC Championship, a BCS Bowl, and the subsequent victories in both scenarios defines this a successful season. This is what we expected to accomplish back in August and we should expect no less in defining a successful 2007.
bobo_the_vol writes:
I term this year a success because of the turnaround. We didn't give up (well, a lot of the fans did ..) and hung in and won when we needed to win. It's not the greatest of successes .. I'd say us winning our bowl game is more important to the final decision for me than the LSU game. Win one, I'd say we did a damn good job for a 1-2 start.
dfreeman writes:
to be 4-3 with the games we had left and finish 9-3 to me is a huge success! Doing it with a green secondary and a new rotation of recievers makes it that much more unbelievable!!! Go Vols!!
leedsvol2007 writes:
With the games both ourselves and LSU had last week the game may look like two heavyweights somehow summoning the energy to answer the bell for the 15th round.
The season is a success but as long as were going to play why not win?
GoVols!
callen825#321558 writes:
The outright SEC title would be very nice for Coach Fulmer and his team...that would represent a legitimate success in most minds. The LSU game should be treated as a regular season game. This one is not quite over...let's try not to wind up 9-4. I don't want to think "bowl" until next Sunday.
Go VOLS!
Smokey57 writes:
Vote for Antonio Reynolds for the Pontiac Game Changing Play Of The Game!
http://pontiac.com/ncaa
eduardo writes:
Needs to win an SEC championship! What? How about beating your rivals on a consistent basis. Say Fla. This guy is stealing money from our univ. and putting slop out on the field. Dudes they backed their way into the SEC championship game. I hope they get their clock cleaned. Should have been going to Shreveport or to Nashville for a bowl game. Smoke & mirrors!
Smokey57 writes:
Eduadumbo,
We're not so stupid that we don't realize you are an LSU fan. You're not a very good flamer either!
How about beating (your) rivals on a consistent basis.
This guy is stealing money from (our) univ. and putting slop out on the field.
Dudes (they) backed (their) way into the SEC championship game.
Go back to La (or lower Alabama), as the case may be.
Smokey57 writes:
marc,
What would you expect from a flaming LSU fan?
Pullingguard writes:
Not very fond of the question, but Vols cannot declare themselves legit when they lose to the powerhouses, if LSU defeats them, (Fla, Ala, LSU, and Cal. ) while defeating the middle of the pack. That only places the team as so-so and the teams they have defeated with exception of Ga., all have 4 losses or more.. So Vols you gotta win the SEC Championship to have the mantel of legitimacy placed on your brow..
mdvol writes:
Winning the SEC East makes the season a success PROVIDED we don't lose both the SECCG and the bowl game and finish 9-5. Personally, I think we will win both and the season will be a rousing success. Not to mention a loaded team coming back next year.
DennisVols writes:
It is hard to call this season anything short of remarkable and with a win next week in the championship game it will be just that. I’ll admit I was one of the supporters for the “Fire Fulmer” clan. The losses to Cal, UF, and Bama were hard to swallow. The taste of the ‘05 5-6 season was still fresh enough to give you bad thoughts about a 1-2 start.
I am also man enough not to whine about how we got an 8-1 finish to this season. Big wins over GA and AR. Yes the hogs were a big win. Just ask last weeks #1 how tough they are to stop on offense. The fact is UT is 9-3 and winners of the SEC East. Those scores in the Cal, UF and Bama games matter no more than the ones in all the wins. Only the record of wins and losses got us a ticket to Atlanta. GA can pound their chest about going to a BCS bowl game. If UT wins next week what do you think will be talked about more over the years? The GA BCS bowl or who has the SEC Title. Titles are won on the field. With the exception if the NC Bowl game no one really cares about the rest. This year it is in AZ, the Fiesta any other BCS bowl is more about money for the universities than any kind of prestige. #2 is always considered the 1st loser in the race and no one ever remembers who came in 2nd.
There will always be the “what if we”, “we should have”, “we didn’t catch that good” excuses no matter what side of the fence you are on. I live in Atlanta and all I can hear today is the Dawg fans bragging they will go to a BCS bowl no matter what. Just a poor attempt to cover the disappointment of having to watch the SEC Championship instead of playing in it.
Many on here said Fulmer’s team would be no better than 5-7 this season, following the UF loss. Guaranteed there would be loses to GA, AR, USC, predictions of possible losses to Vandy and UK. Some of those complain now about how we won those games. Take the wins as wins and quit trying to demean how they got them. After all few will ever remember the scores just the final record. One more win next week and UT is the SEC Champion for 2007 and that is all that will matter.
Go VOLS!!!!!
orangebloodgmc writes:
Volinflorida, we are not in the top 10 nor claiming we should be ... at this time. Sure we lost some games we'd like to do over, but we beat 2 teams that beat LSU. LSU is a good football team but not an unbeatable team and they have some chinks in their armor, as I have noted previously.
Ed in Baton Rouge
THANKYOU4GETTINGRIDOFTHENOTSOSLIMONE writes:
"to be 4-3 with the games we had left and finish 9-3 to me is a huge success!"
Dfreeman- Are you serious? They beat Georgis this year. THAT IS IT! When you do not EXPECT Tennessee to beat KY,Vandy, Miss St., La-Laffeyette, Arkansas, and a bad South Carolina team, that is when you have a problem. Let's not get too excited over their 6 game winning streak.
volsrock writes:
volinfla,
you're correct, no top 10 team lost that bad to anyone but there is a top 10 team that lost to stanford and i count that as a worse loss then getting blown out by a quality team. the point i'm trying to make is in this year, anything can happen. also consider that tennessee is not even close to being the same team that lost to fl. not saying they would win if they played again but the gap has definitely closed. GO VOLS!!
orangebloodgmc writes:
pleasegetrid, in addition to kicking dawg butt, the Vols also beat Spurrier again, just like they did last year. And Tennessee outrushed Arkansas, possibly top rushing team in nation ... LSU wishes they could say that. 5 in a row and going for #6!
Meanwhile here in Baton Rouge, the Tiger fans are in brisk debate about who they will be facing in the Sugar Bowl. Wow!
Huntingdonvol writes:
I myself give the kooddooss to our young team,the senior leadership,and the all out gut and blood they left on the field.Reguardless of what happens this week,i bet we dont quit.Life goes on and so will the VOLS!!!!!GREAT SUCCESS I THINK!!!!
injunvol writes:
what a stupid poll - ANYTHING LESS THAN A SEC CHAMPIONSHIP IS A FAILER-
GreerVol22 writes:
With scholarships what they are, parity being what it is, and with the addition of the 12th game in regular season, one could argue that 9-3 is the same as the old 10-1, especially in the larger conferences. However, the way we lost two of these games only is negated by winning the East, so for me, a piece of the pie will not do. I want the whole darn thing!
orangebloodgmc writes:
As Fessic said, "Inigo ... I hope we WIN."
volsrock writes:
volinfla,
crompton started 2 games last year when ainge was injured and looked pretty decent, though we lost both. i was at the lala game and he played almost the entire 4th qtr and threw a nice 40+ yard td. i think he will be solid. he redshirted his first year so he's been around 3 years and should have a solid grasp of the offense. it may take a couple of games to get in sync but he also provides that added running threat that we haven't had since tmartin. i've also heard some good things about nick stevens. we may miss ainge's leadership at first but i feel confident jc will be ready.
ragincajun writes:
As you can tell by my user name I am originally from SE Louisiana and have relocated to East Tennessee. I did not attend LSU or UT. I think both teams deserve a great deal of respect to have made it this far. No matter who wins, I think this game will be one of the most exciting SEC games of the season. Good luck to LSU and UT!
mtnvol writes:
At my work, success/failure is measured against expected outcomes. I just researched and found pre-season predictions for the Vols:
Athlon; 20th in nation, 3rd in SECE
Fox; 16th in nation, 3rd in SECE
Rivals.com; 17th in nation, 3rd in SECE
AP; 15th in nation, 3rd in SECE
USA Today; 15th in nation, 3rd in SECE
Looks like we exceeded expectations in the SEC East. Geaux Vawls!
OldNumber7 writes:
mtnvol, that's a great way of looking at it. I just hope the national butt-lashings we took don't tarnish recruiting - then I would say we are marginally successful.
vol_in_lsu_land writes:
Posted by injunvol on November 26, 2007 at 10:28 a.m. (Suggest removal)
what a stupid poll - ANYTHING LESS THAN A SEC CHAMPIONSHIP IS A FAILER-
Do I need to even make a comment here? LMAO
Colliervol writes:
It's improvement and that's all I ever asked for.
Since 2005, they've had two years of progress. And that qualifies the season as a success in my mind, no matter what happens Saturday. Hard to forget the three losses (especially the Bama game which can't be explained) but, in the end, they don't matter. It still says SEC Eastern Division Champions, no matter what qualifier you put on it.
dfreeman writes:
PLEASEGETRIDOFTHENOTSOSLIMONE - Everyone expected us to lose to Kentucky and Arkansas! At the time I think South Carolina was ranked and a bunch of you brilliant lot said we would lose that as well! Georgia was supposed to wipe the floor with us and here we are 9-3 now and east champs. Please with all your "wisdom" tell me when we were supposed to finish 3rd in the east how that is not a success!! We did it with a green secondary and all new recievers!! Please quit making yourself look stupid!!
TNVolsFan writes:
This season cannot be a success unless TN wins the SEC Championship game. You cannot call this season a success when you get blown out by Florida and Alabama, Tennessee's biggest rivals. The two games I care about the most are FL and AL. If you cannot win these two games especially the FL game, then the season is a dissapointment. To earn the SEC title I believe you need to beat FL to get it.
BigOrangeInCarolina writes:
The season has, in my opinion, been a success, especially given the start AND the parity of this season. Sure, everybody expects UT to win against KY, Vandy, Ark, SC, Alabubba, and the patsies. Here lately, Georgia doesn't seem to be that much of an obstacle for the Vols, despite what many are saying now about the way they are playing. Florida is not unbeatable, given their three losses. The reason I say this regular season has been a success is because of the schedule, particularly early, and the way the coaches and the team picked themselves up off the mat and finished strong. It would have been the easy thing to pack it in after the Alabubba game. The fact is, KY and Ark BEAT the team we play next. KY and SC were ranked in the top 10 at one point this season. Vandy BEAT SC when SC was ranked #6. Alabubba BEAT Ark, who BEAT LSU. You can go back and pick out plays from just about every game and say "Well, if that play had gone the other way, UT might have lost", or "If that call had gone the other way, things might have turned out differently". That happens to every team. Look at the games LSU pulled out of their rear-ends this season, and here they are sitting at #7. Georgia LOST to SC and almost lost to Vandy. The Vols PUNKED Georgia, which is one of the reasons this week is so sweet. The fact is, the Vols never quit, and that begins with the coach. There were plenty of times during this season, last week in particular, when I called him an idiot for changing, or allowing to be changed, defensive and offensive schemes that allowed teams to hang in. I criticized, not on here, the "play not to lose" mentality that I felt he and the other coaches have sometimes. I almost left the Vandy game early, because it was cold and the Vols were playing without any emotion, because I had driven all the way from SC up there, and some trailer trash punk behind me was pissed at his mom for dragging him to the game because it was obviously her custody weekend and he decided to VOCALLY pull for Vanderbilt. However, I stayed, and I'm glad I did. Tennessee has been written off so much this season by the media, other teams, and fans, some of them UT fans. Yet, they have risen time and again from the ashes and find themselves on the brink of winning a championship in the toughest conference in college football. They have overcome injuries, extracurricular distractions (see LaMarcus Smoker), negative press and, in some instances, themselves, and have turned what appeared to be a repeat of the '05 season into a top 15 national ranking, a division championship and the possibility for more. And any diehard UT Vol in their right mind would agree that is MUCH better than things started out, especially with all the questions we had after losing players from last year. So-YES, I call this season a success. RTYAB!!!
mtnvol writes:
FKR, for most of the past 10 years a team had to beat the lizards to win the SEC. However, remember back to the 90s when the UT v. FL game generally meant the winner of the conference while the west beat each other up. The SECW winner was often 5-3. That scenario is reversed this year with the SECE beating each other up. The big difference is that today in the SECE a 5-3 team is still pretty good! Back then an SECW 5-3 team wasn't too much to brag about.
Bottom line, one more win and our boys get rings! No one thinks we can compete Saturday, so I like our chances! Geaux Vawls!
vscebail#247785 writes:
We goin' to the SECCG! We goin' to the SECCG! -- Who expected that after a humiliating 1-2 start?
bshell12 writes:
volsrock....ainge is not that great of a leader...during the overtimes of the kentucky game he was just sitting their not really even paying attention, even after he threw that pick, i would want my leader to be upfront trying to influence the rest of the team....see Vince Young, Peyton Manning....etc.
DennisVols writes:
VolnFlorida
The #4 team in the BCS got its tail whipped 35-14 by the team you wish to dwell on its 2 worse loses.
Someone please show me anywhere in the standings that they include scores from a single game.
I don't dismiss they looked bad in those 2 games, as did GA when they played UT, or FL duirng its 3 loses this year. We play 12 regular season games for a reason. That reason is they all count and they count the same. It matters only to a fan the score. if you win by 30 or lose by 30 it is and always be counted as just one game. LSU outscored their first 3 opponents by 130+ to 7 and yet those games only counted as one each.
Ranking are opinons of so called professionals and computers. It has always been more of how you end your season not how you start it.
twoxvols#231409 writes:
To be a successful season, UT needs to win a bowl game. While the success against T A&M and Michigan several years ago was great, UT has looked un-prepared for the rest of the bowl games (see last years beat down). Not only does it make UT look bad in the eyes of the nation, but it makes the SEC look weak.
invisiblekid writes:
Looking at it from the standpoint of who we will be playing, I think the Vols need to win out for a successful season. LSU looks to be a shell of the team it was earlier in the season, Dorsey is hurting and their defense has all but collapsed. Factor in Less Miles packing his warm weather gear for MI along with the inconsistent play of Flynn, and LSU can be beaten. Secondly, if the pundits are to be believed and the Vols win, we will be facing Hawaii in the Sugar Bowl. I know UT's pass defense plays into their strength, but there should be no way they can match up overall.
TnVolFaninSmyrna writes:
This season has been a success, however, a moderate one. With losses and/or near losses to five of this teams closest and most bitter rivals ( blowout losses @ ALA and FLA, near losses to VANDY, KY, and SC) this team needs to win the championship for this "successful" season to be validated.
On to the Fulmer haters out there. After the ALA game, I'll admit I felt like a change was needed. The play-calling was suspect and this staff just wasn't getting out of the players what this team needed. I've noticed a change in the way this team plays. These players won't give up. Now, don't get me wrong, the play-calling and offensive and defensive schemes are still suspect. But there is more to coaching than just X's and O's. There is leadership and motivation. What this staff has been able to get out of this group of kids is amazing. These kids refuse to give in. They show fight, they show want, and most of all they show heart. That's why come Saturday, LSU will find themselves in one helluva fight and the team that wants it more will win a ring. So, to those who wish to continue to bash Fulmer please understand, X's and O's will cost you more games than you win. Plain and simple. But, getting players to run through a brick wall will win you more games than you lose, I guarantee that. Give this staff credit where credit is due.
The future shines bright on the Hill:
(Just my opinion...)
QB- BJ Coleman, Crompton
RB- Foster (if he decides to stay), Hardesty, Creer
WR- Lucas Taylor, Gerald Jones, Austin Rogers, Josh Briscoe
TE- Stocker and Cottam
OL- McNeil, Vlad Richard, Ramone Foster, Jaques McClendon, and Ramone Johnson
DL- Ayers, Demonte Bolden, Wes Brown, Walter Fisher, Andre Mathis, Chase Nelson, Dan Williams and Chris Walker (should be the strength of the team)
LB- Mayo (if he decides to stay), McCoy, McKenzie, Myers-White, Dorian Davis, Chris Donald, Ellix Wilson and commit Austin Johnson
DB- Marsalous Johnson (if he's able to go) and Vinson at the corners, Berry at strong and I think Willingham will make the move to free safety, a step up from Hefney in my opinion, Rogan and Kemp as depth.
SPEC. TEAMS- Lincoln and Colquitt, with Rogan returning kicks.
I know it's early, but I'm already drinking the Kool-Aid!
Stumps writes:
I can't quite make my mind up about this board. A lot of folks sound like high school kids without any real smarts at all, and some just sound like they want to stir the pot.
Coaching and playing in the SEC is a tough, tough job. Year in and year out, TN plays 5-6 top 25 teams a season. Compare that to a Big 10, Pac-10, ACC or Big 12 school, where they might play 1 or 2 ranked teams all year. these are kids, not highly paid professionals.
Yes, we want our vols to beat FL, Bama and GA every year. Yes, we want to be in the hunt for a national title every year and win the SEC championship every year. That's not going to happen. Personally, I think a lot folks put a lot of stock in this year because it's Ainge's senior year and we've been anticipating it for 4 years.
I think our defense has really shown tremendous grit and improvement, and as a team they've come on and won any way they had to. I think this has been a good year. SEC championship would be great, and I think TN matches up well against LSU, but if they loose I'm not disappointed.
pdhuff#552644 writes:
I think what gets to many of us is simply style points. Be competitive every outing. Don't lose on Natl Tv by 39. You can buy a grill and make barbecue without the alternative of our approach of putting a hog in the house and burning it down! Same results, but, whew. Be READY to play your biggest rivals and make it a edge-of-seat game. Try not to always give up 350-400 yds thru the air. Don't make average or below QB (JPW) look like Manning. Fell better now. Go Vols!
murrayvol writes:
Success like beauty is in the eye of the beholder and there's a lot of beholding going on here on both sides. So let's review.
If you throw out the 3 losses (by an aggregate of 145-68) and consider what this team did from 4-3 to 9-3 against all odds, then it is a success. But not so fast my friends.
As invisiblekid said yesterday there is "unfinished business." If this team thinks the holy grail is simply getting to Atlanta and we go belly up to finish 9-5, then the answer IMO is we've flatlined for the last 2 years. In closing, I think there's too much at stake for the future of the program and it's too early to ask the question.
jhenson#377512 writes:
I see both sides of the argument, but for me it comes down to expectations. We are EXPECTED to beat Vandy and Kentucky and South Carolina and Mississppi State because we are Tennessee, so I don't see where winning those games really makes for a successful season. That would be like one of my salesmen coming to me asking for a raise because he showed up at all his/her scheduled appointments; when, in fact, showing up is a minimum expectation much like winning the games against the aforementioned teams is a minimum expectation on the basis of our tradition, facilities, budget, and recruiting. But I'll play along and just for the sake of argument concede that along with the obvious Toss up games such as Florida, Georgia, and CAL we also include Alabama, Kentucky, and Arkansas as our "BIG GAMES" this season. Even on that basis, we only went 3-3 in those games. To me that's more mediocre than it is remarkable/successful.
Having said that, I would call an SEC championship a success, regardless of the twisted road we might have traveled in getting there. Considering we haven't claimed the title since 1998, how could that not be deemed successful?! And if we went on to win the Sugar...MAJOR SUCCESS!!!
scvolalum writes:
Oh, there you are Eduardo! My horses haven't been the same since you left and my stables need sweeping. You're not pretending to be a football expert again are you? I'll give you some tacos if you'll just shut up and either give homage to Les Miles or sneak back to Mexico. Now that that's out of my system------Stumps, I couldn't agree more with your commentary. Developmental curves for such young men vary greatly, but patient and innovative coaches can sort out the intrinsics and tweak them, along with the overall team dynamics. Coach Fulmer and his staff have done an admirable job of addressing and remedying the shortcomings, and they should be commended for their excellent professionalism. I agree, also, that the Vols match up quite well with LSU's personnel. GO VOLS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
budd#207344 writes:
Every year we beat uga is sweet but I agree with most we really need the SEC championship and the bowl to call this a successful year.
Huntingdonvol writes:
Very well said BIGORANGEINCAROLINA And also TNVOLFANINSMYRNA!!!!!GO VOLS AND PLAY HARD IN ATLANTA!!!!
jhenson#377512 writes:
TNVOLFANINSMYRNA...I'm cautiously optimistic about next year as well, but road games at UCLA, Georgia, Auburn, and South Carolina plus the fact that Georgia returns pretty much everyone as does Florida in key positions will make it a brutal schedule. It will be much tougher getting back to Atlanta next year than it was this year despite the fact that we should be much improved.
MemphisVol writes:
Dont be satisfied with just getting there! Just win, baby! GO VOLS!!!!
jhenson#377512 writes:
sjt18...I agree with most of what you said. I live in Atlanta and the sports talk radio here in town (typically not overtly homers) seems to think next year is Georgia's year. CPF does seem to have Richt's number though and the tide seems to have turned against the evil genius, so here's hoping for big things...GO VOLS!
mikeinknoxville writes:
zook and shula may not have taken the sec by storm but they have what meyer and saban lack and thats a good connection with their players
DennisVols writes:
Can we expect UT to win the SEC this year? Just as sure as we can expect some fans to complain how they win it. UT was the under-dog against UK and yet fans complained it took them 4 OT to do it. They were not supposed to win what is the problem. It took LSU just 3 OT's to lose to those same Wildcats. The same thing happened against USC. Again UT was an under-dog (at home no less) and came away with a win in OT. Yes they had the lead at half but we play 60 min.s not 30 and yet we faulted UT because their opponents did not quit at halftime and let them breeze through. If UT wins this Saturday lets thank USC, Vandy and UK for teaching this team to be tough. To never quit and to not believe in what their critics say. What else could you expect?
Go Vols!!!!!!
http://www.sportingnews.com/blog/Denn...
pdhuff#552644 writes:
sjt18-dead on! Fla should be the measuring stick, They have the hardware to prove it. They are down this year but put the stick to us by 39. Many don't like to be reminded of that, but the record speaks for itself. Now, we are moving on to the SEC Championship where one of two things will happen. We'll play our best game and beat a really good LSU team or we'll be headed for 9-5. There are no watches given saying, Congrats, we lost in the SECCG! It will always be the journey, make it worthwhile Vols, and win this game. Hoist the hardware and tote it back to Rocky Top.
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