The CheckerBoard

I would actually think he should do better then that if you take into account that Tennessee should only have a few schools who have more talent where Cincinnati and Western Michigan would have more schools who theoretically have a talent advantage or the gap was wider. Example is Tennessee is closer to South Carolina or Georgia and then Cincinnati was to Tennessee. I hope that makes sense but he shouldn't have to deal with as much talent gap as he did at other schools.

It is insanely way too early to judge if Jones is better than Dooley. I know it's fun to bash Dooley but how many of us were enthused when he first came on board after Kiffin (be honest, now)? I'm just preaching "let's be level headed". Jones has seemingly done quite well up to this point, but what he's accomplished doesn't (or shouldn't) project success in the future.

I think Cincinnati was closer to UT than most would like to think. We like to point out the "talent gap" when it works in our favor, but remember that team had Derek Wolfe, John Hughes, Isiah Pead, Z. Collaros, Legeaux, and Kenbrell Thompkins on it. That was a very talented team. UT had a talented roster but at that time they were all very young players. My point is that plenty of people criticized Jones for losing to Dooley and the other side liked to claim that the talent gap was huge but it really wasn't. Cincy was very talented that year and plenty of people expected them to win that game. IMO, Dooley was a much better coach than many UT fans like to give him credit for. It remains to be seen whether or not Jones is. You can throw every stat in the world out there re: how many times he's won with less talent, more talent, no talent, etc. It boils down to this: Can he navigate through the best conference in College Football history and win games? We won't know the answer until he puts a team on the field.

Statistically undeniable? I would be careful using such absolutes when describing your opinion. In Jones one shot head-to-head he got taken to the woodshed by Dooley. Now, I'm not saying that's a cut and dry answer to who the better coach is but I do think if Jones had taken this job three years ago he'd be coaching receivers for the Cowboys now too.

Jones won at Central Michigan beating the likes of Western Michigan and Kent State. His one signature win was over a 6-7 Mich. State team. At Cincy, he really didn't beat any great teams either. I don't see any huge upsets on his resume. Whether or not he can win at UT remains to be seen. You obviously think he can (and will) I'm not as confident but don't think that he cannot win. We'll see...

Uh...yes....Statistically undeniable. Read my post again and you will see that is is referencing the winning history of both DD & CBJ. This is not a debate about what conference they won in, or how many big teams they beat, but the ability to coach a team with what talent you have and win. DD had a miserable record as HC at LT, and it followed him to UT, plain and simple. CBJ had winning records as HC at both CMU, and Cincy! You would be off your rocker to argue that statistic! The legacy DD left at LT was one littered with more L's in the winners column. CBJ's was more W's in that column at BOTH schools. So....common sense and statistics say, regardless of the conferences, CBJ coached competitively and won not just games, but Conference titles as a head coach. That makes CBJ on paper, a better coach the DD! End of subject!

Now......i copied and pasted this from my post that you are arguing: ( .....I am not saying he(CBJ) is gonna come out and be a 9+ game winner year one)
and this (Will he be uber successful here? Time will tell, and he has my FULL support!!!! GBO!!!!!!!) . So to rebuttle this that I copied and pasted from your reply (You obviously think he can (and will) I'm not as confident but don't think that he cannot win. We'll see... )....I will say just this. I never said anything that would lead you or anyone else to believe he will come out and beat everyone in his path! Yes he will win some, and will lose some. I also never said he will win conference titles in the SEC and get another National title. But do I think he will win here as HC at UT? ABSOLUTELY!

On paper? I prefer to make my decisions based on what happens on the field not "on paper." The argument over who the better coach is will be based on how many W's Jones can put after the season not before he has coached a game. Some UT fans are completely sold on his ability to win because he works hard and creates catchy phrases like "117". Plenty of coaches work hard and create catch phrases. I prefer wins on the field. Like I said, We'll see...

Seeing that CBJ hasn't coached his first game in a top tier conference it's hard to compare with DD. BUT just by first impressions, HC resume, personality and body language, CBJ has a huge advantage over DD. Plus, he doesn't have the name to open doors like DD had / has... I, for one, didn't like DD's hiring from the git go. Nor did I like his brown shoes with orange pants, at least put on a pair of white Adidas for style points.

Go Vols

Remember, there are lies, damn lies, and statistics...your comparison of Dooley and CBJ leaves out one very critical fact - CBJ took over way better teams than Dooley inherited at La Tech. When CBJ took over from Kelly at CMU, he took over a 10-4 team from the previous season, and promptly went 8-6. At Cincinnatti, he took over a 12-1 team from Kelly and promptly went 4-8.. DD took over a 3-10 La Tech team.., so you arent comparing apples to apples. You are comparing apples to squash..

Im not saying DD is a better coach or a worse coach, im saying statistics in this circumstance can be very misleading. It remains to be seen how CBJ can perform in the shark tank that is the SEC..

I was behind DD his entire tenure, but knew he was gone after the Vandy game..i liked him, and still do, but he just couldnt get out of second gear here. I dont know that he is a bad coach, but i dont know if he is a good one either. Given another opportunity, he might succeed.

And CBJ did continue the excellence that Kelly had going at both CMU and Cincy..does that mean he has a blueprint for success in the toughest football league this side of the NFL..? I dont know, and i dont think anyone else does either. I hope his past successes are a predictor of future accomplishments. Like you said though..time will tell.

First and foremost though, he needs elite talent. Best schemes in the world arent going to win in the SEC without it. So jobs 1, 2, 3 and 4 for him are to get on a level with Bama, UGA, UF, LSU in terms of recruiting. Obviously that's a tough ask in his first few months on the job, but it has to happen relatively quickly. Otherwise, you get further behind the talent pool of the elite teams, you dont win games, recruits dont want to come, and the vicious cycle starts all over.

+1 i couldnt agree more..and 7 wins is not going to be easy..