🏈 Tennessee Tradition

[TheChief]

 

[TerryP]

As I see it, this is likely the 2nd toughest game on our schedule this year.

 

[XXL TideFan]

Ditto

 

[bamaraider]

Replace it with "Stay 2 Quarters With An Opponent"

 

[TheChief]

As I see it, this is likely the 2nd toughest game on our schedule this year.

You need to get your eyes checked. (Now where's that little winking smiley face thingy.)

Seriously Terry, Bama can't beat them bad enough to satisfy me.

 

[TerryP]

You need to get your eyes checked. (Now where's that little winking smiley face thingy.)

Seriously Terry, Bama can't beat them bad enough to satisfy me.

No disagreements found with your last sentence. UT tops my "rivals" list.

I've said this a couple of times this summer regarding UT.

One thing that has always been indicative of a team having success is returning players along the line—specifically offense. When Dooley took over he had three combined starts along his OL. Now, that number is around 100. (I'd have to look up the exact number because I can't pull it at this moment.)

Like a lot of teams, this is going to be contingent on injuries. And, you have to take that into account when you look back at last year. UT hit that four game losing streak against the top teams in the SEC—Bama, LSU, UGA, and UofSC—immediately after Tyler Bray was hurt. They followed it with a loss against Arkansas when he was getting back in the line-up and if not for the RB fumbling at the end of the UK game they'd ended with a .500 record. Tyler had them right at the goal line about to score.

Returning starters across the board on both sides of the ball gives them a huge leg up going into this fall. LSU and Arkansas fall off of their schedule this season.

But, in terms of our game? With the points mentioned above and the fact it's Third Saturday of October—legitimately—it's just going to be a tough game.

I might be persuaded to put a few games equal to the game with UT in terms of being tough games, but I certainly won't put any above them sans LSU.