A win over Nebraska would be nice, but it won't change this narrative (From ESPN Article):
Which coach enters 2017 on the hottest seat?
Scarborough: Tennessee's Butch Jones, come on down. Jones can't afford to keep selling the future. While he has questions to answer at quarterback and running back, he's had time to build the roster. In a depleted East, there's no excuse for not having a division title by now. That fan base won't accept another year without a New Year's Six bowl bid.
Khan: 2017 definitely will be a make-or-break season for Texas A&M's Kevin Sumlin. After the 2017 season, his buyout goes down to about $10 million, which isn't cheap, but it's much more manageable than the post-'15 and post-'16 buyouts. This year's buyout ($15 million) plus the lack of elite coaching candidates on the carousel gave A&M some pause. He'll get another year to try to fix some of the lingering issues. The thing is, I don't know the win total Sumlin needs to reach, because A&M is losing a lot of talent and isn't expected to be a contender next year.
That said, I agree with everyone else. Jones has the hottest seat. If he couldn't win the SEC East this year, when will he?
Aschoff: This was the year Jones had to win the East, and he went 4-4 in SEC play. He even beat Florida, something Tennessee hadn't done in 11 tries, and still lost to the Gators in the East race. Losing to A&M and Alabama was expected, but he almost lost to Georgia and then lost to South Carolina and Vanderbilt. Yes, injuries were an issue, but when Tennessee's defense got healthier it got worse. Tennessee fans are beyond fed up, and that comment about "the championship of life" was a slap in the face to a lot of fans. To imply that not winning the East wasn't important ticked a lot of fans off. Plus, he has a new AD and president to answer to soon.
And the Vols lose just about everyone in the backfield: Derek Barnett, Jalen Reeves-Maybin and Cam Sutton. This team is rebuilding at the worst time for Jones.
Ching: As for Sumlin, he would benefit from his team not starting strong and then exploding like the Death Star again next November.
I don't see anything happening between now and the beginning of next season to change this narrative. Does anyone else?
Which coach enters 2017 on the hottest seat?
Scarborough: Tennessee's Butch Jones, come on down. Jones can't afford to keep selling the future. While he has questions to answer at quarterback and running back, he's had time to build the roster. In a depleted East, there's no excuse for not having a division title by now. That fan base won't accept another year without a New Year's Six bowl bid.
Khan: 2017 definitely will be a make-or-break season for Texas A&M's Kevin Sumlin. After the 2017 season, his buyout goes down to about $10 million, which isn't cheap, but it's much more manageable than the post-'15 and post-'16 buyouts. This year's buyout ($15 million) plus the lack of elite coaching candidates on the carousel gave A&M some pause. He'll get another year to try to fix some of the lingering issues. The thing is, I don't know the win total Sumlin needs to reach, because A&M is losing a lot of talent and isn't expected to be a contender next year.
That said, I agree with everyone else. Jones has the hottest seat. If he couldn't win the SEC East this year, when will he?
Aschoff: This was the year Jones had to win the East, and he went 4-4 in SEC play. He even beat Florida, something Tennessee hadn't done in 11 tries, and still lost to the Gators in the East race. Losing to A&M and Alabama was expected, but he almost lost to Georgia and then lost to South Carolina and Vanderbilt. Yes, injuries were an issue, but when Tennessee's defense got healthier it got worse. Tennessee fans are beyond fed up, and that comment about "the championship of life" was a slap in the face to a lot of fans. To imply that not winning the East wasn't important ticked a lot of fans off. Plus, he has a new AD and president to answer to soon.
And the Vols lose just about everyone in the backfield: Derek Barnett, Jalen Reeves-Maybin and Cam Sutton. This team is rebuilding at the worst time for Jones.
Ching: As for Sumlin, he would benefit from his team not starting strong and then exploding like the Death Star again next November.
I don't see anything happening between now and the beginning of next season to change this narrative. Does anyone else?
