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#1
rexvol

rexvol

The Minister of Defense
Joined
Apr 29, 2006
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#1
Schedule: The Vols face an extremely difficult opener at California. They round out their non-conference slate with home games against Southern Miss, Arkansas St. and La.-Lafayette.
UT’s SEC opener is at Florida. The Vols also go on the road to play Mississippi St., Alabama and Kentucky. They host Georgia, South Carolina, Arkansas and Vandy.
Letdown: The Vandy game poses as a letdown spot following the Arkansas game. The Razorbacks could be a top 10 team when they come to Knoxville, and UT will be looking to avenge last year’s loss. This could make the Commodores dangerous, especially as double-digit underdogs. Remember, Vandy won outright at Neyland two years ago.
</B>Look Ahead:</B> The Southern Miss game is sandwiched between California and Florida. The Vols have failed to cover the spread in the game preceding Florida in three of the last four years. In fact, UT had to deny Air Force on a two-point conversion attempt to preserve a 31-30 win last season.
Good Bets: Nov. 10 vs. Arkansas: UT will probably be a short favorite in this spot because I think the Hogs have an excellent chance to come to Knoxville unbeaten, just like they did in 1998. This game sets up better for the Vols, who play UL-Lafayette the week before. On the flip side, Arkansas will be trying to beat Steve Spurrier’s team. Prediction: I have Tennessee finishing with a 9-3 record, dropping games at Cal, at Florida and at Alabama. The Vols will finish strong with five straight wins, including triumphs over Arkansas and South Carolina.


Sounds about right to me.
 
#2
#2
rexvol said:
Schedule: The Vols face an extremely difficult opener at California. They round out their non-conference slate with home games against Southern Miss, Arkansas St. and La.-Lafayette.
UT’s SEC opener is at Florida. The Vols also go on the road to play Mississippi St., Alabama and Kentucky. They host Georgia, South Carolina, Arkansas and Vandy.
Letdown: The Vandy game poses as a letdown spot following the Arkansas game. The Razorbacks could be a top 10 team when they come to Knoxville, and UT will be looking to avenge last year’s loss. This could make the Commodores dangerous, especially as double-digit underdogs. Remember, Vandy won outright at Neyland two years ago.
</B>Look Ahead:</B> The Southern Miss game is sandwiched between California and Florida. The Vols have failed to cover the spread in the game preceding Florida in three of the last four years. In fact, UT had to deny Air Force on a two-point conversion attempt to preserve a 31-30 win last season.
Good Bets: Nov. 10 vs. Arkansas: UT will probably be a short favorite in this spot because I think the Hogs have an excellent chance to come to Knoxville unbeaten, just like they did in 1998. This game sets up better for the Vols, who play UL-Lafayette the week before. On the flip side, Arkansas will be trying to beat Steve Spurrier’s team. Prediction: I have Tennessee finishing with a 9-3 record, dropping games at Cal, at Florida and at Alabama. The Vols will finish strong with five straight wins, including triumphs over Arkansas and South Carolina.


Sounds about right to me.
Click to expand...
If Tennessee can't handle Cal, there are going to be more than two other losses.
 
#3
#3
That outlook is too level-headed for me :)
 
#9
#9
i've got us at 9-3 as well, so i can't argue with the logic, but i tend to agree with Hat.....in that if we do lose 3, i hope it's not to all three they predicted.
 
#11
#11
If UT loses to both Cal and UF... they won't win nine and probably won't beat USM.
 
#14
#14
sjt18 said:
If UT loses to both Cal and UF... they won't win nine and probably won't beat USM.
Click to expand...

It all depends on the character of this team. They are young in many positions, yet most have seemed to go above the call of duty during offseason work outs. They seem to have good chemistry and the will to win.


I think a loss to California will cause a more intense focus (as it did for Cal last year) and might be as close as we could say a good loss. It all depends on character. If the players are of the same mindset as many of our fans, then they'd say, we lost, who cares, why try? I hope they have more character (and believe they do) than us.
 
#17
#17
#18
#18
until the O-Line does it on the field, they'll be suspect in my eyes. How can we lose our best O-Lineman and get better?
 
#19
#19
rexvol said:
until the O-Line does it on the field, they'll be suspect in my eyes. How can we lose our best O-Lineman and get better?
Click to expand...
on the surface that sounds reasonable, and in the beginning i felt the same way, but a closer look reveals that we actually will have much more experience up front than we did last season.......

and all i have to say about last season's first string O line was the starting center was a walk on. and it wasn't one of those feel good "walk on does good" stories. We simply had no other options.

the O line this year will be better......will it be like having Eric Still or Chad Clifton or Antone Davis etc....up front, no.

but better than last year......they simply cannot be worse.
 
#20
#20
Jake,
I've said it before and I'll say it again, you are a very wise man, however, I have found that it can always get worse (remember that I'm a pastor at a faith based addiction treatment center). I feel very good about Young and Parker, but we cant always run to the left can we?
 
#21
#21
rexvol said:
Jake,
I've said it before and I'll say it again, you are a very wise man, however, I have found that it can always get worse (remember that I'm a pastor at a faith based addiction treatment center). I feel very good about Young and Parker, but we cant always run to the left can we?
Click to expand...
well, not if Zoolander was our RB, we couldn't.....:p

the right side is the concern, but i still think the thing that makes me feel a little better about this year, is that we actually have some options there.....i'd much rather there just be a couple of standouts obviously, but if we got 3-4 guys that are all about the same, then at least you know what you've got and the rotation wont' be affected if need be...

we aren't going to be nebraska out there or anything, but i just don't think it's unreasonable to think, expect, etc...that this year's line play will be better than last.
 
#22
#22
honestly I believe we will run the ball much, much better than last year, but I think Creer is going to be the difference more than anything else. I know that there are those that will disagree since he's only a true freshman, but I have a gut feeling that he's going to be something special. By the way, any day that you can work a Zoolander reference into a conversation is a good day.
 
#23
#23
rexvol said:
honestly I believe we will run the ball much, much better than last year, but I think Creer is going to be the difference more than anything else. I know that there are those that will disagree since he's only a true freshman, but I have a gut feeling that he's going to be something special. By the way, any day that you can work a Zoolander reference into a conversation is a good day.
Click to expand...
every now and then the old noggen kicks in.......

and i think you may be on to something about creer, but that depends on two things in my mind:
1. when/if coker comes back
2. as is always the golden rule at TN and RB's, how fast will he p/u blocking assignments and reads.
 
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