How many wins makes 2019 a successful year?

very favorable schedule. if he knows what he's doing 8-4 shouldn't be a problem.

 

I think he'll get it. He's got arguably the best coaching staff in the east as a whole.

 

He's got one of the best coaching staffs in the country.

 

if the line produces the team produces.

 

I don't really disagree with that at all.

If he wins 8 he hasn't cemented anything other than he's headed in the right direction. 7 does that to a lesser degree. Neither are numbers that make anybody happy in year 3 or 4.

 

If you aren't counting interns

 

as long as the win total improves year over year, I am fine.

 

And don't habitually piss away double digit leads

 

Fixed.

 

And kick FGs from the 3 inch line.

 

If only we could have gotten rid of Butch two years sooner a lot would be different. Those first two full recruiting classes of his went completely squandered.

 

Amazing what one Hail Mary against Georgia did to this program.

 

Eh, [uck fay] Georgia

 

Except, who was the AD, and what are the chances they were going to be squandered anyway?

 

This is how I'd break it down.

As close to sure wins as it gets:
Georgia State
UAB (yes, they were good last year. They also lose more production than anyone else in the country)
UTC

Should win:
Kentucky (away, but they lose a *ton* from a team we beat last year)
BYU (they weren't good last year but had a lot of close losses and one upset win, so they're no sure thing)

Tossups bordering on should win:
South Carolina (we were close last year, we're at home this year, and we return more production than them)
Vandy (this team was running on fumes by the time we played them last year--they weren't that much better than us--plus this year is at home, and we return more than they do)

Tossups bordering on should lose:
Mississippi State (they lose a decent amount but have earned the benefit of the doubt at this point--they may not be an amazing team, but they should be solid. We do get them at home)
Missouri (they're not that much more talented than us, but it's hard to put this in the "should win" category given that we've been smacked around two of our last three times in Columbia, plus last year at home, and their transfer QB is good)

Should lose:
Georgia
Florida (considered putting this in the "tossup bordering on should lose," but they return a fair amount from a team that was better than us last year, they're at home, and we always play our worst against Florida)

As close to sure loss as it gets:
Alabama


That's a pretty symmetrical grouping, with the expectation looking like 7-5, and with us about equally likely to lose one that looks like a win and to win one that looks like a loss. On the other hand, that's still four games in the "tossup" category. We improve a little bit faster than expected or those other teams take a little bigger step back than expected, and 9-3 goes on the table pretty quickly. Obviously, if we don't improve as expected, 5-7 is on the table, but that's pretty much the "start looking for a new coach" scenario.

tl;dr agree with hohen, 7-5 is the expectation, 8-4 or better is a win

 

It sucks that we have to take into consideration home vs away against the likes of Vandy, KY, SC, and MSU.

 

7 is the floor, 8 is a good season, 9 is the ceiling.

 

That's me. We'll see how good this staff is.

 

I am a negavol. I confess. 9 is successful. Anything less involves various degrees of excuses. The end of year collapse last year was very Dooley Year 1 or 2...depending on if you accept a year 0. Either way, it was the KY loss year.

I don’t think Pruitt was a remotely successful game coach last year. I have my doubts for a guy that knows so much about football. Since he doesn’t BS I will buy a few shares of Pruitt stock. But, I don’t see how our players aren’t more talented than 9 opponents.

 

you don't see how Florida is more talented?