Randy Smith
Very few championship teams in college football ever get off to a slow start and still come out on top. It's just the nature of the game. Only twelve games on the schedule with a league title game opportunity make it imperative to bring your "A" game every week. One loss generally puts you behind especially if that one loss comes later in the season. That's why Tennessee can ill afford an early season meltdown like the one the Volunteers had in 2015. Back to back fourth quarter leads blown led to losses to Oklahoma and Florida.
By the time the 11th straight loss to the Gators was in the books, the Vols were out of any shot at a national championship.
Not that anyone ever seriously thought Tennessee would play for a national crown, but to be eliminated that early in the season led the Vols and Coach Butch Jones to focus on winning the SEC East, but losses to Alabama and Arkansas ended that particular goal.
The Vols have another killer schedule in 2016. After opening with Appalachian State at home, there is that much talked about match-up with Virginia Tech at the Bristol Motor Speedway. A crowd of better than 150,000 is expected to be on hand, and unlike the Mountaineers and week three opponent Ohio, the Hokies could be tough to handle. Then it's home against Florida, the defending SEC East champs, at Georgia and at Texas A&M. If the Big Orange can come out of those first six games unscathed, you might say they're for real. Of course, the second half of their schedule begins with a home game against defending National Champ Alabama, so there seems to be no real break at all.
Is there any real heat under Butch Jones seat in Knoxville? Not in late May.....everyone is still 0-0 on the year and many weeks away from the start of pre-season camps. But let the Vols lose in Bristol or at home to Florida, and the fire under Butch's seat will be lit. If there was ever any time to, "play 'em one at a time" 2016 is it.
An older, more mature Tennessee squad should be able to focus on each and every game and with senior leadership provided by quarterback Josh Dobbs, the Vols should be deeply committed. As the spring semester comes to a close and players begin their summer workouts, there is also the danger of boys being boys, so to speak. You know what I'm talking about. Coach Jones is hoping to avoid the legal troubles his team went through last year. Staying out of trouble is every bit as important as a player's workout schedule. A let down in either aspect could prove to be very costly for the entire team.
I'm not trying to focus on negative things....really. I want to be more of a realist regarding Tennessee football. Last year, I picked the Vols to win the SEC East, but that prediction was shot down early in the season. I have no idea which team I will pick to win the East in 2016 because as I mentioned earlier this week, it's still too early. After much thought and research I'll make that decision in August. I have to see proof that the entire Tennessee squad is committed to being a championship caliber team, as a fully committed squad will be ready to get off to a fast start. Only time will tell.
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Randy Smith has been covering sports on radio, television and print for the past 45 years. After leaving WRCB-TV in 2009, he has written two books, and has continued to free-lance as a play-by-play announcer. He is currently teaching Broadcasting at Coahulla Creek High School near Dalton, Ga.
His career has included a 17-year stretch as host of the Kickoff Call In Show on the University of Tennessee’s prestigious Vol Network. He has been a member of the Vol Network staff for thirty years.
He has done play-by-play on ESPN, ESPN II, CSS, and Fox SportSouth, totaling more than 500 games, and served as a well-known sports anchor on Chattanooga Television for more than a quarter-century.
In 2003, he became the first television broadcaster to be inducted into the Greater Chattanooga Area Sports Hall of Fame. Randy and his wife Shelia reside in Hixson. They have two married children, (Christi and Chris Perry; Davey and Alison Smith.) They have four grandchildren, Coleman, Boone, DellaMae and CoraLee.
He can be reached at rsmithsports@epbfi.com