Fox Sports: 'Virtually impossible' for Vols to win 8 in 2017

I think we already did this. Here's what I think they will do:

Wins, for sure: will win 3

Indiana State, UMass, Southern Miss


Wins, more than likely: will win 4+

GT, SCAR, UK, MIZZOU, Vandy


Toss Up: 50/50, win 1-2

Florida, UGA, LSU

and loss to Alabama.

Even if we drop one against the weaker part of the SEC or GT, we can still get to 8 if we can beat one of the 4 games we play against SEC Big 6. We get UGA and LSU at home. Both have question marks, LSU at QB and UGA along their o-line. Either of those seems like a potential win. Plus, Rock Gullickson is going to have VOLS turned into Robocops.

Edit:

Saying 8 is impossible means you are already counting a loss to UGA, Florida, LSU, Bama and then one more off the rest of the schedule. Who is the 5th loss that makes it impossible? That's what I don't get about this whole thing.

Saying it's impossible is pretty much just admitting that you're lazy and don't know much about the situation last season and are under the false impression that we've somehow had this massive loss talent wise. As has already been pointed out we did lose some high profile players to the draft but the notion that the team is somehow bereft of talent is absurd and given the injury situation it is highly likely that defense will perform better than it did last year despite losing someone as irreplaceable as Barnett. Cam and JRM were already lost given their early injuries but we return DKjr whose absence alongside JRM left the LB corps devastated only to get even more decimated as even their backups were injured. Bituli is going to be a damn good LB and they will find a way to get him and DK on the field at the same time even if that means one of them plays out of his natural position - they're both that good.

And we also return DTs to actually play DT instead of having underweight DEs scrambling to learn a position mid-season that they're physically to small for and have never prepared for or played in their lives.

Quite frankly, when the defense finishes in 90s due to injuries it can only get better as a unit despite departures.

RB and WR are both in good hands with Kelly and Jennings *but* both need some other players to step up and provide quality play. QB play should be ok as long as the OL improves.

I am not buying the hype re: the Georgia Bulldogs. Also, I think we beat the Gators in the swamp.

I don't buy that bull shite.

That's an uneducated write up at best.

Tennessee lost half it's team to injury last season and just about every star player besides Dobbs and Barnett missed multiple key games. (1st and 2nd string at DT & LB) The starting RB quit and we a -7 turn over ratio in 2 of the losses (About as unlucky as you can get.. specifically the A&M game and we still took them to double OT at their house)

shite went about as bad as 8t could have last year short of losing Dobbs and we still ended up with 9 wins with some strong Wins in there (Florida, Georgia, Virginia Tech, Nebraska)

But he makes absolutely zero mention of all those facts. Biased and uneducated sums up this shitty write up.

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UGA is always a dogfight and I expect nothing different this year

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I'm not saying we will walk all over them but I am skeptical of the media proclaiming Georgia to be Alabama Light or something. I am not impressed with Kirby Smart.

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I'm not exactly sure what about Florida is supposed to scare me

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Nothing more than a name imo. They lose so much on defense, which was the entire reason they have won the East two years running. Now most of Muschamp's guys are gone and McElwain still has not put together a competent offense.

In fact, his 2015 and 2016 offenses were statistically worse than Muschamp's 2014 offense led by Driskell and Treon Harris

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Treon Harris

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frick him.

Muschamp and Smart are still playing with house money, ie leftovers from Spurrier and Richt. Neither seems like a long-term solution. Not that Butch is either, but just saying...

Il be completely honest, I only see two loses on the schedule, either UF or UGA and Bama. I think the LSU game is a win for the Vols, the Tigers seem to always struggle in cold weather games and there will be nothing left to play for at that point in the season. I would really like to see Tennessee in the SEC championship game this year. Geaux Vols

I love me some LSU, I live twenty minutes from Tiger stadium and Ive grown up a Tiger fan and they are still my favorite team, but Tennessee is without a doubt my second favorite. I usually am a pretty big LSU homer but I just dont see it with this team, Im not sold on Orgeron yet. I really do expect Tennessee to take that game. I think LSU loses to Bama, Auburn, Tennessee and Arkansas this season