Here's the theory: the 2020 Sugar Bowl was a turning point for our program.
Up to that point, we had gone 11-3 in 2018 with an embarrassing loss to Texas in the Sugar Bowl along with a bad loss to LSU. In 2019, we lost to a terrible South Carolina team at home and were blown out again by LSU (which, as it turns out, was understandable). Say what you want, but for two years, we had regressed from the 2017 team.
Here comes the 2020 Sugar Bowl, and we have a bunch of guys opt out again. Kirby makes the decision that you're either in or you're out and, unlike the year before, if you're out you don't get the trip to NoLa. We come out focused, and we jump on a pretty good Baylor team by 3 scores by halftime. Unlike other games that year, we never let them get back into the game (we did that with ND, Florida, TAMU, and Auburn).
We hire Monken in the offseason, and he modernized the offense. Now, the 2020 season did not go as planned because (a) Newman opted out and (b) Stetson was injured against Florida. Say what you want, but if we get competent QB play in the Florida game, we probably win that day and win the east again. Regardless, look at the results starting on 1/1/2020:
23-3 with the only losses being two games against Alabama and a loss to Florida with our QB hurt and injuries at all three levels of our defense (the Kentucky game the week before was almost as bad as Tennessee 2013 was).
We have wins over:
No. 7 Baylor
No. 7 Auburn
No. 8 Cincinnati
No. 3 Clemson
No. 8 Arkansas
No. 11 Kentucky
No. 2 Michigan
No. 1. Alabama
Since 1.1.2020, we are 7-3 against teams ranked in the top 10 at the time of the game. We won 3 major bowls against top 10 teams (Sugar, Peach, Orange), and we finally beat Bama and won it all.
Up to that point, we had gone 11-3 in 2018 with an embarrassing loss to Texas in the Sugar Bowl along with a bad loss to LSU. In 2019, we lost to a terrible South Carolina team at home and were blown out again by LSU (which, as it turns out, was understandable). Say what you want, but for two years, we had regressed from the 2017 team.
Here comes the 2020 Sugar Bowl, and we have a bunch of guys opt out again. Kirby makes the decision that you're either in or you're out and, unlike the year before, if you're out you don't get the trip to NoLa. We come out focused, and we jump on a pretty good Baylor team by 3 scores by halftime. Unlike other games that year, we never let them get back into the game (we did that with ND, Florida, TAMU, and Auburn).
We hire Monken in the offseason, and he modernized the offense. Now, the 2020 season did not go as planned because (a) Newman opted out and (b) Stetson was injured against Florida. Say what you want, but if we get competent QB play in the Florida game, we probably win that day and win the east again. Regardless, look at the results starting on 1/1/2020:
23-3 with the only losses being two games against Alabama and a loss to Florida with our QB hurt and injuries at all three levels of our defense (the Kentucky game the week before was almost as bad as Tennessee 2013 was).
We have wins over:
No. 7 Baylor
No. 7 Auburn
No. 8 Cincinnati
No. 3 Clemson
No. 8 Arkansas
No. 11 Kentucky
No. 2 Michigan
No. 1. Alabama
Since 1.1.2020, we are 7-3 against teams ranked in the top 10 at the time of the game. We won 3 major bowls against top 10 teams (Sugar, Peach, Orange), and we finally beat Bama and won it all.
