Wade Twins!!!

[eers]

On 4/22/2021 at 2:21 PM, Appvol said:

How many times has Kentucky beat TN since Stoops has been at KY. Stoops got there in 2013 and TN has more wins with Jones and Pruitt as the coaches. Hopefully Heupel gets it turned around. 
 

It appears UT/UK are trending in different directions and if you’re wearing Orange, it’s the wrong direction. That said, I like the Heupel hire and I think he will be much more successful than the other recent HCs. 

[BOURBONBOWLCHAMP]

On 4/30/2021 at 2:28 AM, MSURacer said:

UT is done. I’m sure it’s a fine school but its glory days of football are over. The competition in the SEC is just too much, and TN just doesn’t produce enough instate talent to keep up with the powerhouses. 
 

Their best bet is to hope Heupel works out and can scheme his way to success. If he’s a good enough coach he can still win there, just probably not every year. That’s assuming he isn’t run off by the pitchfork mafia before he even gets a real chance. 

You're high. I can remember when there was talk in the late 90's to early/mid 2000's that Bama would never be the same ever again. They were not a relevant program at that point, if any of you have just a small bit of memory that goes back just 15 years and on. With one coaching swap, they have been the biggest power ever since, To say that a program that is top 10 nationally in any major NCAA category is "done" as in permanently, is just laughable. Yeah, they are down So is USC. So is Miami. So is Florida State. So is Michigan. Nebraska. 

Are all of these schools never going to compete for a title ever again? Even though Tennessee has 6? Miami (5) FSU (5) Michigan (11)  Nebraska (5)  USC (11) ? I guess by your logic, only Ohio State, Alabama, and Clemson (3 titles) will be the only ones winning any national championships for the rest of our lives. Even though Clemson used to be considered a joke for a national title contender by the experts. Look at them now. Just goes to show you how fast a program can win some games and give everybody a totally different perception of said program. 

[BOURBONBOWLCHAMP]

Oh, and I have also heard for years how UT would never be able to compete in baseball with SEC teams either.  They make one coach swap to Vitello, and have been a winner ever since. Only UT and Vandy are the only two SEC teams out of 6 left to advance to the World Series this year. But according to experts, Tennessee can't compete with the SEC in that sport either 

[MSURacer]

18 hours ago, BOURBONBOWLCHAMP said:

You're high. I can remember when there was talk in the late 90's to early/mid 2000's that Bama would never be the same ever again. They were not a relevant program at that point, if any of you have just a small bit of memory that goes back just 15 years and on. With one coaching swap, they have been the biggest power ever since, To say that a program that is top 10 nationally in any major NCAA category is "done" as in permanently, is just laughable. Yeah, they are down So is USC. So is Miami. So is Florida State. So is Michigan. Nebraska. 

Are all of these schools never going to compete for a title ever again? Even though Tennessee has 6? Miami (5) FSU (5) Michigan (11)  Nebraska (5)  USC (11) ? I guess by your logic, only Ohio State, Alabama, and Clemson (3 titles) will be the only ones winning any national championships for the rest of our lives. Even though Clemson used to be considered a joke for a national title contender by the experts. Look at them now. Just goes to show you how fast a program can win some games and give everybody a totally different perception of said program. 

Calm down Smokey. Nobody cares that much, including UT’s administration. 

Edited June 15, 2021 by MSURacer

[osunut2]

18 hours ago, BOURBONBOWLCHAMP said:

You're high. I can remember when there was talk in the late 90's to early/mid 2000's that Bama would never be the same ever again. They were not a relevant program at that point, if any of you have just a small bit of memory that goes back just 15 years and on. With one coaching swap, they have been the biggest power ever since, To say that a program that is top 10 nationally in any major NCAA category is "done" as in permanently, is just laughable. Yeah, they are down So is USC. So is Miami. So is Florida State. So is Michigan. Nebraska. 

Are all of these schools never going to compete for a title ever again? Even though Tennessee has 6? Miami (5) FSU (5) Michigan (11)  Nebraska (5)  USC (11) ? I guess by your logic, only Ohio State, Alabama, and Clemson (3 titles) will be the only ones winning any national championships for the rest of our lives. Even though Clemson used to be considered a joke for a national title contender by the experts. Look at them now. Just goes to show you how fast a program can win some games and give everybody a totally different perception of said program. 

I wouldn't say that UT is done, but I get where Racer is coming from. Outside of YouTube, there isn't a single teenager alive that has a conscious memory of UT's past dominance. They've got a very tough road to hoe in an extremely unforgiving conference/region with a fanbase that will cannibalize a coaching staff if they don't ascend quickly enough. UT has shown very little over the last decade-plus that would lead anyone to believe that they are going to suddenly compete for a national title. There is always a "chance" that UT could strike gold like Alabama did with a head coaching hire, and maybe Josh Heupel is that guy, but unless you go out and get a known commodity (e.g., Saban, Meyer, etc), those chances are pretty slim, especially in this league.

Clemson is a perfect example of why UT's task is so monumental; Dabo is a great recruiter and a pretty solid coach (to your point), but their star has seen a meteoric rise largely because of the collapse of Florida State (and the rest of the ACC); it also coincided with Steve Spurrier's retirement at South Carolina. The stars aligned for them, and that rise has also made UT's task even more challenging, from a recruiting standpoint; a couple of decades ago, Clemson was getting UT's leftovers in recruiting (as were a number of other schools). Those tables have completely turned. In the SEC, you've got to deal with Alabama and Georgia in that top tier, plus you have Florida and LSU, not to mention Auburn and Texas A&M (Jimbo) who are also relevant. There is only so much blue-chip talent to go around.

This isn't the SEC of the 90s. It isn't a 2-team league anymore. League depth has played a big part in UT's struggles, and I don't really see that changing dramatically in the near term. I think UT's best chance to become consistently relevant again is to hope that Heupel is that diamond in the rough, or capitalize on the collapse of another rival program (e.g., Florida, Georgia, LSU, Auburn) and fill that void.

[MSURacer]

23 minutes ago, osunut2 said:

I wouldn't say that UT is done, but I get where Racer is coming from. Outside of YouTube, there isn't a single teenager alive that has a conscious memory of UT's past dominance. They've got a very tough road to hoe in an extremely unforgiving conference/region with a fanbase that will cannibalize a coaching staff if they don't ascend quickly enough. UT has shown very little over the last decade-plus that would lead anyone to believe that they are going to suddenly compete for a national title. There is always a "chance" that UT could strike gold like Alabama did with a head coaching hire, and maybe Josh Heupel is that guy, but unless you go out and get a known commodity (e.g., Saban, Meyer, etc), those chances are pretty slim, especially in this league.

Clemson is a perfect example of why UT's task is so monumental; Dabo is a great recruiter and a pretty solid coach (to your point), but their star has seen a meteoric rise largely because of the collapse of Florida State (and the rest of the ACC); it also coincided with Steve Spurrier's retirement at South Carolina. The stars aligned for them, and that rise has also made UT's task even more challenging, from a recruiting standpoint; a couple of decades ago, Clemson was getting UT's leftovers in recruiting (as were a number of other schools). Those tables have completely turned. In the SEC, you've got to deal with Alabama and Georgia in that top tier, plus you have Florida and LSU, not to mention Auburn and Texas A&M (Jimbo) who are also relevant. There is only so much blue-chip talent to go around.

This isn't the SEC of the 90s. It isn't a 2-team league anymore. League depth has played a big part in UT's struggles, and I don't really see that changing dramatically in the near term. I think UT's best chance to become consistently relevant again is to hope that Heupel is that diamond in the rough, or capitalize on the collapse of another rival program (e.g., Florida, Georgia, LSU, Auburn) and fill that void.

Good points. I suppose "done" was the wrong word. I guess "supplanted" might have been a better one. UT is not a lost cause, and like I said, the right coach there can still win, but the entitlement of some UT fans is ridiculous. It is not all it's cracked up to be. They are at a serious recruiting disadvantage with pretty much all of their biggest rivals, and for 20 years now they have had an administration that is at best indifferent, and at worst incompetent. 

But even historically, UT is a much bigger legend in the minds of fans than reality.  They had a golden age in the early 20th century under Neyland and a dominant decade under Fulmer in the 1990's, but that's...pretty much it. And even during Fulmer's run they always played second fiddle to Florida.  

[osunut2]

11 minutes ago, MSURacer said:

Good points. I suppose "done" was the wrong word. I guess "supplanted" might have been a better one. UT is not a lost cause, and like I said, the right coach there can still win, but the entitlement of some UT fans is ridiculous. It is not all it's cracked up to be. They are at a serious recruiting disadvantage with pretty much all of their biggest rivals, and for 20 years now they have had an administration that is at best indifferent, and at worst incompetent. 

But even historically, UT is a much bigger legend in the minds of fans than reality.  They had a golden age in the early 20th century under Neyland and a dominant decade under Fulmer in the 1990's, but that's...pretty much it. And even during Fulmer's run they always played second fiddle to Florida.  

All solid points.

[BIGPURPLEMACHINE]

20 hours ago, BOURBONBOWLCHAMP said:

Oh, and I have also heard for years how UT would never be able to compete in baseball with SEC teams either.  They make one coach swap to Vitello, and have been a winner ever since. Only UT and Vandy are the only two SEC teams out of 6 left to advance to the World Series this year. But according to experts, Tennessee can't compete with the SEC in that sport either 

Didn’t Mississippi State advance to the college World Series too??

[BOURBONBOWLCHAMP]

19 minutes ago, BIGPURPLEMACHINE said:

Didn’t Mississippi State advance to the college World Series too??

At the time I had made the post, no. They were still awaiting the game 3 elimination game with Notre Dame. 

[BIGPURPLEMACHINE]

12 minutes ago, BOURBONBOWLCHAMP said:

At the time I had made the post, no. They were still awaiting the game 3 elimination game with Notre Dame. 

Gotcha. 

[BOURBONBOWLCHAMP]

The administration has changed hands, and has different ideas than years past. I feel that football will come around at some point. Baseball is top notch, Basketball is very good, getting top 3 recruiting classes yearly in that sport. Lady Vols Basketball and Softball are both very competitive, ranked programs on a yearly basis. Just won a Natty in Tennis. The sports programs at that school are winning and are expected to win. The main one that this southern state cares about the most, football, is the only one we are waiting for the return. All I'm saying is don't be suprised if they get back to relevancy at some point. The University has the money, the donors, the stadium, venue, fanbase & facilities to compete at the highest level. This fanbase will bring 102k + into Neyland on just an average year. Imagine what the place will look like if/when they become legitimate? Would Bama fans still bring 101k into Bryant Denny for a 7/8 win season? Or would the numbers drop?  Do any of you really think Bama fans wouldn't act the same way in an uproar if they were in a similar situation as UT fans? Would they just sit back and not say anything while piling up the L's?