re: TN fans: What does Butch have to accomplish this year to keep from being fired?

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We learned by watching Bama fans melt losing 25 games a 4 season stretch (99-03). The Bama sidewalk fan is my mentor.

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If you would have told me in the mid-90s that Missouri would be in the SEC, I would have laughed you out of the room, but, alas, here we are.

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FIFY

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Mike Shula 2.0

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Nah, that was Derek Dooley. CBJ will, at worst, leave a loaded roster and attractive situation for the next coach.

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Or have "Tennessee Expectations" changed?

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I didn't know much about Tennessee football until I went to K-town as an undergrad. We have a fabulous tradition with a very consistent winning tradition. Coach Neyland was 65-2 during one stretch and we shut out 17 regular season opponents. We won 100 games during the '90's. UT is 3rd I believe in all time bowl appearances, and so on.

It is a left-handed compliment, but UT has not failed to win at least 4 games every year since 1923. You can look at just about any other major program in that time frame and they have seasons where they won no games at all.

Florida as recently as 1979 put up a goose egg.

When Majors was the coach I thought that with the fans, the facilities and the money UT had, they should be doing better than they were. Majors' winning percent was 67%.

And once Majors was gone, things immediately improved.

There is an old management saying that goes back I believe to Frederick the Great:

"When they don't know what to do, they do what they know."

That applies to our previous AD, who knew nothing about managing sports programs but who was a crackerjack facilities guy.

We now have some of the best facilities in the country. The recruiting looks good, the wheel has turned this year in our favor hopefully.

Walt

UT '81

Bammer under Shula was 3-8 one year.

UT has won more games than that every year since 1923.

That said, kudos to Bammer and its two great coaches, Bryant and Sabin.

Walt

UT '81

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He's improved from: 5-7 7-5 9-4

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Every coach that has won the SEC since 2000 besides Tubberville has done so within the first 3 years at their school. Tubberville won the west 2x in his first 3 years though. If he's good, you'll find out sooner than later.

Butch is in year 4 and hasn't even won the east yet. His window is closing

2000: spurrier (2nd year at UF 91)
2001: Saban (2nd year at LSU)
2002: Richt (2nd year at UGA)
2003: Saban again
2004: Tubberville (6th year, won west 00/02 tho)
2005: Richt again
2006: Meyer (2nd year at UF)
2007: Miles (3rd year at LSU)
2008: Meyer again
2009: Saban (3rd year at Bama)
2010: Chizik (2nd year at AU)
2011: Miles again
2012: Saban again
2013: Malzahn (1st year at AU)
2014: Saban again
2015: Saban again

Same goes for NCs except for Saban taking 4 years at LSU (already proved himself w SECC in 01 though). Meyer, miles, Saban (UA), Chizik all won theirs within 3 years. And Malzahn made his title game within 3 (year 1)

You know what you have in a coach pretty quick. Freeze missed his window and will likely not be a coach that ever reaches SECC level. I don't think butch will become what you want him to, but in year 4 he has a small chance to be the exception. It's now or never

I think unless they miss a bowl game altogether, Lyle's seat is totally cool.

But, anything less than 10 wins (including bowl game) would be a disappointment.

My wild prediction is SEC gets two teams in the playoffs this year, LSU and UT. Both go undefeated in the regular season and the loser of the SECCG still gets in to the CFP, or one loses a game in the regular season and wins the SECCG. With those schedules, I don't see how either team at 12-1 could be left out.