Randy Smith
Each morning as I scan the internet I find a few things that absolutely amaze me. Today was no exception. ESPN.com had several articles about the 2015 college football season. Among the articles were these; Mark Schlabach's Too Early Top 25 poll, and 2015 bowl projections. Are you kidding me???? We are still in the first week of May, with the start of the 2015 season almost four months away, and we're already talking about bowl match-ups?
Both articles were good reads, however, as I find myself getting lost in the eternal search for news....any news about college football.
As far as Tennessee fans go, the Volunteers are rated number 20 in the "Too Early College Football Poll." U.T is among eight SEC teams ranked in the Top-25, with Auburn being the highest ranked at number four, and you Crimson Tide fans will find your beloved Alabama team rated number seven. There appears to be a "chink" in the Tide's armor as seventh is the lowest projection in years for Coach Nick Saban. By the way, 2014 National Champion Ohio State is a clear-cut number one choice on May 6.
As far as bowl projections go, Tennessee is headed to either the Belk Bowl in Charlotte to face Georgia Tech, or the Outback Bowl in Tampa to take on Wisconsin. Don't be surprised to see a few bowl representatives show up on campus this summer. If they do, it's gotten way out of hand.
So what do we make of all this pre, pre-season hype? Absolutely nothing at all. I've found that members of the media cannot correctly predict or project anything, especially this far away from the start of the season. Look at the two national championship squads from the last two years, Florida State and Ohio State. Neither team was mentioned at all, when talk began about potential teams to play for the national crown. Even Ohio State considered itself lucky to be chosen as the fourth seed in the final College Football Playoff Standings.
I asked a member of the media a few years ago why he made so many early predictions. He told me just what I was thinking: fans won't remember in December a seemingly foolish prediction a reporter made in the summer. He also told me it sold newspapers, or magazines, or whatever. I do remember one famous prediction that was made in August of 1998. Mark Weidmer of the Times Free-Press predicted Tennessee to win it all, and danged if they didn't! Other than that one, I really can't remember any others that were that bold and right on target.
Other sports are not treated in this high regard. There may be a few way too early college basketball polls, but day to day coverage of college hoops doesn't pick up until just before the season starts. Why, you ask? Because we're all too busy covering college football twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week. I've come to the conclusion that the advances we've made in social media over the last 5-10 years is the culprit. Fans' feeding frenzies are fueled by other fans on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and others. Folks just can't get enough information about their favorite teams or college football in general.
With all that said, I have decided to go out on a limb; though a very shaky one at that, and make a few early predictions. I predict Tennessee will finish the regular season with a 9-3 record. They will finish second in the SEC East and they will compete for the divisional title all season long. They will beat Florida ending the nine-game losing skid, and they will lose at Alabama, though it will be very close. They will also beat either Georgia or Missouri but not both. They will go to the Peach Bowl and face a team from the ACC, likely Clemson or Georgia Tech.
There you have it. My fearless and bold predictions for the Tennessee Volunteers in 2015. If they turn out to be accurate, just remember where you read it. If they are way off the mark...forget it. You're not supposed to remember it anyway!
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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.