re: Will TN make a bowl in 2014?

7 - 5

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That place will be absolutely nuts for Bammer game. You stick around long enough on emotion you might have a shot... doubt it though.

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We beat Bammer and SEC ban on tearing down goalposts or not - both those suckers will go down and will be paraded down the Strip/Cumberland by the crowd. You're talking bout one helluva party were that to happen and fans hawking their tix because they thought we'd lose never ever forgiving themselves. The party would be epic.

But yeah, not something I think will happen at all barring a miracle.

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Why do I feel like Lane Kiffin will be impaled on the end of them?

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Kiffin's practiced at sneaking the hell out the back door so he'd probably make it but it would be funny (well in a theoretical kind of way and until the horror of actually impaling a man set in}. That said, I'm not sure which fan base would impale him in that scenario - I could see Bammers joining the throngs of Vol fans on the field just to hoist him up there 'for breaking the streak.'

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But yeah, not something I think will happen at all barring a miracle.

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What's funny is my worry about the Tennessee game this year increased by a factor of about 1000 after Kiffin was hired.

Sports always seem to produce games like that, and that game will be like Tennessee's freaking Super Bowl of the past decade.

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It definitely makes fans want it more and while all of his players are gone (his class was largely absent as early as Dooley's first season), I'm positive they'll be schooled on what the game will mean. That adds a lot of incentive, fight, and motivation for players and can make players really step up even beyond their talent/current skill. They have a chance to be as heralded as the Sugar Vols (probably the most beloved team in UT history and the only one with a nickname). The Sugar Vols stomped a Miami team that disrespected us - Miami's captains even walked away from our captains' extended hands during the handshake refusing to even shake our guys hands and totally overlooked and disrespected us leading up to it. No one gave us a chance against that Testerverde led team - no one.

Neyland should also be wild this year - far beyond even your normal hyped up crowd. But Bama still has all the advantages walking into it. We just have all the motivation. I just hope it lives up to the hype - regardless of outcome I really want to see this game be one of the better TSIOs.

Players feed off the fans. As long as the game is competitive the fans there will be insane.

Alabama's will need to build a lead and take the crowd out of it.

If it's competitive in the 2nd half things crazy things can happen.

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Players feed off the fans. As long as the game is competitive the fans there will be insane.

Alabama's will need to build a lead and take the crowd out of it.

If it's competitive in the 2nd half things crazy things can happen.

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That's definitely true. Neyland versus UGA was magical - far better than I expected. People were hyped and yes the players feasted on it. It sounds crazy but I knew we'd win against USC because of that game. There was too much momentum on our side going into the game against USC - no one was down on the team (first time I ever recall that happening), people were proud and the team went into Neyland against USC knowing that they could do it. You could just 'feel' a win was destined despite having no reason to rationally think that.

With Bama tho' the talent differential is so great that it's hard to imagine a win even with that momentum. I feel good about our skills players, surprisingly good, and think our passing game will be far better no matter who starts at QB - we have playmakers at WR and RB (and even when we had them at WR in recent years the RB position was ok but lacking).

At this point, I think our O-line will be good with run blocking from the start but pass blocking will take time *but* by the time we play Bama they may well have gelled. Just a lot of unknowns there. Getting Curt Maggitt back on D is HUGE. If he can stay healthy he will be a beast. He's gonna play a hybrid role this year - DE and LB! We're going to be talented on the d-line and in the secondary imo but damn we are gonna be young.

Question for you: How well do your tacklers deal with Derrick Henry? We have a similar RB in the form of Jalen Hurd and he's lived up to the hype all spring. Our guys don't like tackling him because like Henry he's huge and fast as hell - similar weights and height. The biggest difference between the two is that Henry has had an extra year to develop while Jalen's an EE.

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I was there for the Hobnail boot game and the Wilhoit kick vs UF. The crowd can definitely affect the game.

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If you see footage from that UF game in 98 it really shows how much a crowd can help. The cameras were shaking well before that final kick sealed the game, even the cameras at ground level. The noise was so loud that even on tv the announcers were screaming to be heard over it. The UGA game reminded me of that UF game. I wasn't there for the 2004 game but if it was like that it was incredible.

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Will TN make a bowl in 2014?

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No, probably not. If they do then it'll be an amazing coaching job by Butch, he'll deserve a raise.

7-5 is the ceiling unless there is some kind of ridiculous shite going on like a worse version of the UF/UGA run of injuries last year. The floor is 1-11, there is simply no way you don't beat Chattanooga. Gun to my head right now...I'd say 3-9 with wins over the cupcakes or a loss to USU and win over Vandy or Mizzou.

The lines are what is most important in this league and a lot of Vols seem to be forgetting or overlooking the fact that they lost basically everyone there.

I appreciate and understand your disdain for UT. It is absolutely acceptable and means you should probably check this thread out. However, you're being too obvious. 3-9 is absolutely their floor. Even a loss to Utah State will.be countered by at least one SEC win.