The love affair the media has with ten make me sick. I see them with three losses anyway.
Any bowl game will be great but it seems to me that they have us picked so low in the SEC. We have allot of issues and they have been posed ad nauseam here, but we Alabama for goodness sake. While I am cautious in my optimism it is totally possible Alabama could be 7 - 0 and healthy when we play ten.
It is also totally possible we will beat them. My point is that I have seen allot of sources that just assume Bama will be near the cellar and ten a BCS team. Ten has their own problems.
I also wonder how OU will fare without their D coordinator. I know Bob Stoops is a D guy and all but all the same winning enough to be in the championship game is tough. I suppose they are as good a pick as any team but it will be interesting to watch.
[This message has been edited by bamabake (edited 06-30-2004).]
I'm with you guys on just seeing us in any bowl! However, I still wouldn't be suprised if we end up a little higher on the bowl food chain than the Independence Bowl. We'll see.
And how about tutorsee in a BCS bowl?!?!?!?! That's crazy! I see a vile debacle coming this year, with krispy kreme's head exploding for the finale!!!
The "shining beacon on the hill" is glowing dimmer by the day.
Looking at the "viles'" schedule.....They have to play:
Florida, Auburn, Georgia, Ole Miss, Bama,
Notre Dame, South Carolina....& of course others. Out of the above 7 games...they could easily have 6 losses! With a brand new QB and all/ they are getting too much credit IMO. Roll Tide!
Independence Bowl sounds about right, but Music City or Houston might work out as well.
I'd be very surprised if UT makes it to a BCS bowl. Besides, isn't it becoming an annual tradition for them to do the Peach Bowl flop? My prediction this year is N.C. State 30 UT 13
I have been thumbing through Phil Steels's pre season mag and he has Bama vs Missouri in the Cotton Bowl. Phil's track record is above average, not saying he is right this time but I could see Bama in the Cotton Bowl.
Now that our players have something to play for perhaps they will surprise a few and actually step up like they did in 02 before they were blindsided by the traitor manteats.
How will OU do without their DC? Mike Stoops was co-DC with Brent Venables who has been elevated to asst. HC and is now co-DC with Bo Pelini who whas hired to replace Mike Stoops. Venables coaches linebackers and Pelini coaches the secondary. I believe their defense will be in good hands. The loss of Mike Stoops probably did have an effect on the Sooners causing them to drop their last 2 games but they return too many skilled players and coaches to overlook them. OU returns 17 starters plus the Heisman Trophy winner.
One little bit of trivia I uncovered is that in 2000, on their way to the MNC, OU did not have a single starter miss a game due to injury. Bama needs this kind of season in 2004.
Texas is overrated yet again. They've never improved from one year to the next under Brown and only win when they have superior talent. Now, with the rebirth of OU, they don't even get the top talent in Texas. OU leaves UT and aTm fighting for the leftovers, which still isn't bad in Texas but OU has talent and a coach. Mack Brown is good for 2-3 losses every year and they will always be to teams with equal or better talent where coaching and preparation make the difference.
<font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">Originally posted by TiderinMiss: I think that would be fine, but, my God, it's just now July and they are already trying to predict bowl matchups?
Those guys must be really bored or out of material.</font>
it's clear that compared to football all other sports must suck!
UT in the Outback at best, with a slightly better chance to be in the Peach again. Vols play 5 SEC teams that project to have winning records (UF, UGA, Auburn, Ole Miss and Bama).
In 02', the Vols beat 2 SEC teams with winning records (Arkansas and UK). In 03', the Vols beat only 1 SEC team with a winning record (UF). A BCS bowl would likely require UT to win 4 of those 5 SEC games cited above. Phat chance!
I look for the Vols to go 2-3 in those 5 games, 3-2 at best, and 1-4 is not unachieveable. In the end, I expect UT to finish 8-3 or 7-4 in the regular season, and that fits into Outback/Peach/Music City consideration depending on how the other teams shake out. A 7-4 Vol team plays in a lower than expected bowl and wins. A 8-3 Vol team plays in a better bowl and loses if it plays a motivated program. Hence, my overall prediction of 8-4.
UT will likely not get strong consideration for slightly better SEC bowls because of geographic proximity (e.g., the Outback passed on UT last season for UF because the game is in Florida, even though UT beat UF and had a better overall record).
I do not see Bama racing to Knoxville at 7-0. I see something closer to 5-2, and tougher games lie ahead with AU and LSU. I think the Tide finishes 7-4 or 6-5 so the bowl projection seems accurate to me. JMO.
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