This year could shape up to be like 1998.

[steveaustin69]

hahahahahahhahahahahahahhahahahahahahhahahahahahahhahahahahahahhahahahahahahhahahahahahahhahahahahahahhahahahahahahhahahahahahahhahahahahahahhahahahahahahhahahahahahahhahahahahahahhahahahahahahhahahahahahahhahahahahahahhahahahahahahhahahahahahahhahahahahahahhahahahahahahhahahahahahahhahahahahahahhahahahahahahhahahahahahahhahahahahahahhahahahahahahhahahahahahahhahahahahahahhahahahahahahhahahahahahahhahahahahahahhahahahahahahhahahahahahahhahahahahahahhahahahahahahhahahahahahahhahahahahahahhahahahahahahhahahahahahahhahahahahahahhahahahahahahhahahahahahahhahahahahahahhahahahahahahhahahahahahahhahahahahahahhahahahahahahhahahahahahahhahahahahahahhahahahahahahhahahahahahahhahahahahahahhahahahahahahhahahahahahahhahahahahahahhahahahahahahhahahahahahahhahahahahahahhahahahahahahhahahahahahahhahahahahahahhahahahahahahhahahahahahahhahahahahahahhahahahahahahhahahahahahahhahahahahahahhahahahahahahhahahahahahahhahahahahahahhahahahahahahhahahahahahahhahahahahahahhahahahahahahhahahahahahahhahahahahahahhahahahahahahhahahahahahahhahahahahahahhahahahahahahhahahahahahahhahahahahahahhahahahahahahhahahahahahahhahahahahahahhahahahahahahhahahahahahahhahahahahahahhahahahahahahhahahahahahahhahahahahahahhahahahahahahhahahahahahahhahahahahahahhahahahahahahhahahahahahahhahahahahahahhahahahahahahhahahahahahahhahahahahahahhahahahahahahhahahahahahahhahahahahahahhahahahahahahhahahahahahahhahahahahahahhahahahahahahhahahahahahahhahahahahahahhahahahahahahha

[texas tush hog]

I think the comparison has validity.  I've made a similar observation.  This team has a lot of talent.  It has some glaring holes, or at least lack of talented depth, at some positions but that same hunger to win and renewed energy we saw in 1998 will hopefully be present 20 years later.

I think the talent is even better than most think. Trumain Carroll will make all the difference in the world with these kids after the joke Herbert.

[urkillnmesmalls]

I think the format may be a little jacked on this thread.   

Here's what I find a little funny.  We have a segment of hopeful fans who are thinking that we have all this untapped talent that BB didn't put out on the field, or that what talent we had wasn't utilized well.  So, what that segment is really saying is..."I have faith that BB recruited really well, but just failed to get the best players on the field, and we didn't develop them or coach them well."  Anyone besides me find the flaw in that thinking?  Recruits great...just stinks at the rest.  Pull my other leg....

[HoggyCat]

Ice cold koolaid being served early.

Looking at the schedule, there's no reason we don't win 7.  4-0 out of conference is VERY achievable.  Bert beat ole miss BEFORE the punishment and defections. Vandy should be a win. We'll beat either or both of Mizzou and MSU.

[Busta_Nutt]

Take 6 wins and run with it.

E. Illinois - W
@ Colorado St. - W
N. Texas - W
@ Auburn - L
A&M - L
Alabama - L
Ole Miss - W
Tulsa - W
Vandy - W
LSU - L
@ Miss St - L
@ Mizzou - L

[steveaustin69]

Looking at the schedule, there's no reason we don't win 7.  4-0 out of conference is VERY achievable.  Bert beat ole miss BEFORE the punishment and defections. Vandy should be a win. We'll beat either or both of Mizzou and MSU.

I do not understand how these are gimme wins; this roster has demonstrated there are no gimme wins on the schedule. MSU nearly beat Bama; Mizzou closed the year as a very solid football team. And we play both of them on the road. We were lucky to go 4-8 last year.  I'm optimistic for the future, but expectations for next year should be tempered. People seem to forget Petrino went 5-7 in his first year.

[Porknoxville]

Great to have such high hopes, but overcoming a completely new coaching staff and new schemes in all 3 phases of the game will be extremely hard to overcome.  I'm still predicting an initial 6-6 season for the the new staff and team.  Anything better is pure gravy!

Totally agree with 6-6 record and go ahead and say we win a7th in a bowl game.
The SEC landscape is COMPLETELY different than 1998.. that Vols and Gators were the only show in The sec.
Since then 5 different teams have made it to the national championship title game,
Go Hogs!

[WizardofhOgZ]

An energetic and young new coach takes over a team with some talent that was essentially lost by the previous coach, or at least beat down emotionally.

That 98 team was a trip away from playing for a national championship.

Judging from the comments, I think these coaches are pleasantly surprised by the level of talent and playing time left by the previous staff.

Look, I want the Hogs to win just as desperately as anyone does.  However, comparing this year to 1998 is fools gold.

During 1997, I distinctly remember thinking at the end of several games that we just didn't know HOW to close out games.  We had developed talent during the Ford years, but the just didn't believe in themselves yet.  That's where a guy like Nutt provided tremendous immediate value.

This squad DOES have some talent - but it also has some undeniable "holes".  Sure, their attitude should be improved with a new, energetic coaching staff.  But it still will take them a couple of years to gain some real traction against the rest of the SEC West.  An SEC West that did not include a dominant Alabama in 1998, by the way.
 

[Al Boarland]

I think that can go either way.  If you come in and realize that the talent level is awful and that it's going to take 3 years to get it back to competitive, it would be wise to temper expectations.  I don't think the new staff have ooohed and ahhhed over what they have coming back, but there was acknowledgment, on the offensive side at least, that there was some ability coming back at RB, TE, and WR.  They have to get these guys in the shape they need them to be, but I think we have the potential to surprise some folks with the offense if they get the QB spot figured out.  Defensively, we've been such a mess for the last 3 years that I just truly don't know what to expect.  Even improvement to a middle of the road defense would be huge.

Here is how I see it playing out. The offense has some success in spurts against teams with similar talent. Against the talented teams we get smothered on both sides of the ball.

I'm very concerned about Chavis vs spread teams. With the QB's coming back I think we will get shredded. For whatever reason his system gets gashed more than others with QB's that can extend plays and this division is stacked with them. Not to mention he doesn't have the talent to work with.

We'll have to win the shootout games we can win. As much as I admire CCM's schemes, we don't have the firepower to get to 8 wins with this roster.

[elksnort]

Agreed

or I have heard that a certain Northwest Arkansas media guy should have been a designated driver for Todd Lattourette

[Hogwild]

I think the format may be a little jacked on this thread.   

Here's what I find a little funny.  We have a segment of hopeful fans who are thinking that we have all this untapped talent that BB didn't put out on the field, or that what talent we had wasn't utilized well.  So, what that segment is really saying is..."I have faith that BB recruited really well, but just failed to get the best players on the field, and we didn't develop them or coach them well."  Anyone besides me find the flaw in that thinking?

I agree, as fans we want to believe that the talent is their and we just had bad coaching, even though we know it might not be true.
CBB either didn't recruit talent or didn't development, they type of talent need to compete at this level.
In the 5 years he was here- 0 first round picks,  1 second round pick (Henry), 1 third round pick (Swanson), 2 fourth round picks (Wise & Flowers) , that's 4 players taken in the first four rounds of the 2014, 2015, 2016, & 2017 NFL drafts.  Alabama & LSU combined to have 7 (Fournette, Adams, Humphrey, Allen, Howard, White, & Foster) in just the first round of last year's draft.

[Hoggish1]

An energetic and young new coach takes over a team with some talent that was essentially lost by the previous coach, or at least beat down emotionally.

That 98 team was a trip away from playing for a national championship.

Judging from the comments, I think these coaches are pleasantly surprised by the level of talent and playing time left by the previous staff.

One advantage we have over that 1998 coach you mentioned is the current guy's smarts.