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Tennessee Vols Football in the Exact Same Spot as they were in 2012; A Bad Sign

By Caleb Calhoun

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The Tennessee Vols football team is in the same situation going into the 2015 season as it was going into 2012. Given the 2012 disaster, is that a bad omen?

It’s a funny thing how two coaches can have very identical track records at the same program but give off completely different vibes going into the season. For the Tennessee Volunteers, that is the case with Derek Dooley and Butch Jones.

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Tennessee Vols fans are expecting, and rightfully so, a return to prominence this year. And the preseason analysis is showing it. They came in at No. 25 in the Coaches’ Poll last week, their first preseason ranking since 2008 in either major poll.

They are clearly a dark horse candidate to win the SEC East, having received plenty of votes. And they have a few stars and lots of returning starters with lots of expectations.

But here’s the kicker: this was exactly the same in 2012. How could we forget?

The Vols ranking in the Top 25 of the Coaches’ Poll is only the second time since 2008 they have made an appearance. The only other time? The third week of the 2012 season just before a loss to Florida started a downward spiral.

Tennessee had 19 returning starters going into 2012, and they have 20 this year. Just like that season, their elite receivers were getting healthy again. It was junior Justin Hunter then. It’s junior Marquez North now.

They had the weapons for the best passing attack in the country and the best offense overall in the country behind a junior quarterback in Tyler Bray, just like this year. In fact, Bray had proven a heck of a lot more than Dobbs to this point.

Then came SEC Media Days, and Derek Dooley, entering his third year just like Jones is this year, came out and said you would not have Tennessee to kick around anymore. Bray guaranteed an SEC Championship.

Not enough similarities? Consider that Jones’s record through two years is only one game better than Dooley’s.

So why the optimism now compared to the skepticism in 2012? Well, there are a number of factors, including a strong finish to the previous season as opposed to a terrible finish to the 2011 season, and Jones has brought in two much better recruiting classes than Dooley has. Also, there is a character thing at quarterback. Joshua Dobbs seems to be much more of a character player than Bray.

But outside of those three minor things, the situations are relatively the same. Oh, and there is one final factor. It was the death nail for Dooley.

In 2011, defensive coordinator Justin Wilcox bolted Tennessee. Dooley replaced him with Sal Sunseri, who brought in a 3-4 defense. That switch created the worst defense in Tennessee history.

But don’t think the same thing can’t happen to Jones. He is bringing in Mike DeBord as the new offensive coordinator, who had a losing record as a head coach while Jones served under him. What happens if DeBord is a disaster? Well, all of a sudden, the 2015 season could look a lot like 2012.

None of this is to say we are predicting the same outcome as 2012. But Vol Nation should be weary of expectations like that. They’ve come before, and the 2015 preseason is looking exactly like 2012.

Add in the fact that the Vols have five games against Top 25 teams plus road games against Florida and a much improved Kentucky team along with a home game against South Carolina, and this season could turn bad real fast.

So despite all the hype, Jones could still be extremely close to losing his job. Be careful with the hype.

Next: 10 Vols Freshmen Who Could Have an Immediate Impact

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