Volunteering

Rivals Says - Arizona



I say....

48. Tennessee Volunteers

Tennessee football is not what it once was. At the beginning of the decade, seeing those orange and cream jerseys rush onto the football almost assured a loss. In more recent years, it has reminded people more of the early days of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The Volunteers found themselves back in a bowl last year under old new head coach Lane Kiffin. Kiffin decided to bolt after one year to USC, leaving the Volunteers right back where they were last offseason. Uncertain of anything. While there is no heavy favorite in the SEC East this year, with both Georgia and Florida looking beatable, the Volunteers have their best shot at a division title in recent years, or at least they would, if South Carolina wasn't also better than them and they had a team that could realistically contend for a divsion title. They don't, but a second straight season ending in a bowl would be a great start for the hype vaccuum that is the hiring of Derek Dooley as head coach. Dooley of course coached Lousiana Tech to their first bowl win in over thirty years in 2008 and has umm... coached about a thousand more LT teams to losing records. I mean you can't blame a guy for losing at La. Tech, but you also can't expect a powerhouse pragram like UT to excite fans by hiring him either.

The Vols feature one of the most medicore pools of talent in college football, on both offense and defense. The defense was dangerous last year, but with defensive co-ordinator Monte Kiffin and all-world safety Eric Berry gone, the D has lost a lot of it's luster. The offense will have a new QB, something fans have wanted for a couple of years, but after being continually snubbed for Jonathan Crompton, no one is left. The starter will be either a true freshman or a Junior College transfer.

While their is enough talent here to earn a bowl bid in most leagues, the SEC provides a schedule where nothing is automatic. Tennessee will get Alabama, Florida, and Oregon at home, and South Carolina, LSU, and Georgia on the road in six of their first eight games. The season ends on an easier swing, but this team could easily be 2-6 and will be playing for their season every game afterwards.

I don't see this team making a bowl, however, they are better than many teams that will, they just don't have a cakewalk schedule like so many big name programs give themselves.