Fans saw improvement and Tennessee never looked overmatched. Nine wins, including ending the season with a bowl blowout of a top-15 Northwestern team, definitely was pleasant. But giving up two double-digit fourth-quarter leads, one of which cost the Vols the SEC East title, was frustrating.
It is not unrealistic to think Tennessee could have finished the season in the top 10.
Was season a success? Yes. Tennessee won two more games than it did in 2014, won another bowl in emphatic fashion and saw losing streaks to Georgia and Missouri come to an end. The season also showed that with a tweak here and there, both on the field and on the sideline, this program is ready to compete with just about anyone in the country.