I will listen to cowherd over ANYTHING on espn and I have for a while. He has called U.T. since Butch came in. He has A TON of industry connections from coaches to vegas and he is usually a few years before everyone else.
I think we can stop being surprised at all these rankings having Vols so high. What aspect of the team is weak? I'd say none.
Returning a ton of starters
Great QB (and backup)
Depth just about anywhere
Great leadership
Great assistant coaches
Hungry players, fans, coaches.
... the list goes on
We're favored to win 11 of 12, with the 12th being almost a toss-up; the lines aren't set by one person or a committee.