By JOSH AULT
6 News Reporter
KNOXVILLE (WATE) - Many Vols fans are wondering what the 2012 football season will hold.
Some say it could be make-or-break time for Head Coach Derek Dooley.
Many hope Dooley will not just be remembered for his orange pants, but for turning a struggling football team into a winning one.
"When it comes to the fans, it will be very difficult to win those folks back," said Enrichment Sports Source host John Pennington. "I think a lot of people expect him to win seven or eight games to save his job."
Pennington feels Dooley will have to win eight to nine games to really make fans feel he is the right coach for the university.
"Tennessee is having a hard time selling tickets," said Pennington. "This past week they announced they had some special packages involving Florida and Alabama tickets for the first time ever."
He says normally those games sell out and are tickets hard to get. To get the excitement back, Pennington says the team will have to win their first few games. If not, attendance could drop to an all-time low.
One person who does not want to see that happen is the owner of Niro's Gyros on the Strip. He counts on the crowds from the football games.
"It's very important for us to do well this year," said Niro's Gyros owner Emad Aljaber, "Last year the first two games we started losing, people stopped coming, business went down."
UT fans 6 News spoke with say Dooley has a lot to prove this year, and had some pretty strong suggestions on what he needs to accomplish.
"I think this year he needs to win six or seven games," said UT fan Charles Rogers. "I hope we give him one more year, four years to have all his people in place."
"I really feel it's important this year for him to get a winning season, something I haven't seen very much," said UT student Michael DeHart. "I would love to see it my last year here. [I'm] about to be a senior."
"I'm hoping and praying it will be a good season," said UT fan Patricia Scott-Rogers. "I think Coach Derek Dooley is doing an awesome job."
All the fans 6 News spoke with say the excitement for UT football is down.
Pennington feels many people will stay at home and watch it on TV, instead of coming out to Neyland Stadium. He says this year's team has the experience to win.
All they have to do now is prove it.
Many are calling this a make-or-break season for Derek Dooley.
Emad Aljaber, owner of Niro's Gyros on the Strip, hopes the football team does well because it helps business.
