Mike Strange: Vols need to raise bar under John Currie

The buck at Tennessee now stops on John Currie's desk.

As Dave Hart exits the UT athletic directorship, finances, academics and facilities are in decent shape. As far as we know, no major lawsuits are pending.

Thus, Currie, perhaps more than Hart, can focus on the playing fields. In the 2015-16 Directors' Cup tabulations, Tennessee was 34th nationally and eighth of 14 in the SEC. So there's room to raise the bar.

Here's what he inherits:

Football: Back-to-back 9-4 seasons is UT’s best two-season run since 2006-07. This fall, however, will be the 10th anniversary of Tennessee’s most recent SEC championship game appearance. Can Currie find a way to get Butch Jones over the hump and back to Atlanta?

Men’s basketball: Three straight seasons sitting out March Madness (not even an NIT) shouldn’t be acceptable. UT is paying the price of mistakes on Hart’s watch. Rick Barnes improved the program from his first year to his second, but getting back to the NCAA tournament is no cinch in his third year. If Barnes falls short but continues to show steady progress, it sets up a crucial 2018-19.

Women’s basketball: Holly Warlick’s upcoming sixth season will be defining. With Diamond DeShields and Mercedes Russell back and the No. 1 recruiting class, she’ll have a loaded roster with no excuses.

Baseball: Barring a midseason 180, the Vols will remain irrelevant. Nobody doubts Dave Serrano’s credentials but, so far, it just hasn’t worked. Serrano’s best SEC finish in five years is fifth place – in the East. This looks like Currie’s first major coaching decision.

Softball: Best program on campus over the past decade. The Vols are perpetually ranked and a fixture in the NCAA tournament. When Ralph Weekly decides to retire, the bet here is co-head coach Karen Weekly keeps things rolling.

Swimming and diving: Tennessee isn’t at the very top of the SEC, but the men’s and women’s teams are routinely competitive. Although the recently completed season wasn’t the best, the program is solid.

Track/cross country: Beth Alford-Sullivan is in her third year of a rebuild. The young roster needs more elite athletes like Christian Coleman. Whether this program can regain its former grandeur is still very much in question. Cross country hasn't been a factor in the SEC meet for a while.

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Men’s tennis: A top-notch program has lost its way recently. Sam Winterbotham won back-to-back SEC titles in 2010-11 and reached the NCAA round of 16 as recently as 2014. Since the start of last season, the Vols are 2-20 in SEC matches.

Women’s tennis: Alison Ojeda, Hart’s’ last hire, needs to revitalize a program that hasn’t rattled any cages in the SEC in several years.

Soccer: Brian Pensky’s first year, 2012, is by far his best. No NCAA bid since 2012. Bottom line, the program hasn’t been as good under Pensky as it was under predecessor Angela Kelly.

Rowing: Is a top-three finish in the Big 12 good? It’s hard to know what to make of Tennessee’s only program that doesn’t compete in the SEC. I do know making the NCAA finals is tough and that UT last did so in 2010.

Volleyball: A competitive program fell off the cliff in 2013-14 with back-to-back 1-17 SEC records. Coach Rob Patrick has recovered to some degree with back-to-back 7-11 SEC seasons and has a nice new practice facility.

Men’s golf: The Vols haven’t made much noise at the SEC tournament since the 2007 title, but have been regulars in NCAA regionals, missing only twice in coach Jim Kelson’s 19 seasons.

Women’s golf: Judi Pavon’s team annually makes the NCAA tournament and finished fifth two years ago.

Reach Mike Strange at mike.strange@knoxnews.com and on Twitter @Strangemike44.