Bleacher Report - Articles by Tennessee Volunteer02

College Football Week 1: Top 5 Games—Previews & Predictions

Tennessee Volunteer02 — Wed, 27 Aug 2008 16:15:18 -0400

Well, its finally here. As the summer draws to a close, college football fans are ready for for the 2008 season to get underway, and I ask, can it get any better than this? Enough talk radio, enough ESPN college football previews, enough pre-season magazines, from Phil Steele to Lindy's to Athlon, it is time to kick it off, and it can't get here soon enough! Here's a look at five of the opening weekend's most intriguing contests.

1. No. 20 Illinois v. No. 6 Missouri—(Saint Louis) This top 25 match up is headlined by two extremely talented signal callers in Heisman hopeful Chase Daniel and All-Big Ten candidate Juice Williams.

Missouri returns 14 total starters, including sophomore sensation wideout Jeremy Maclin, who will once again be a favorite target of Daniel. The loss of Rashard Mendenhall will prove to be huge for Ron Zook's offensive squad.

Sophomore Arrelious Benn will need to emerge as a consistent playmaker for the Fighting Illini if they plan to duplicate their nine-win season and Rose Bowl appearance from a year ago.

Illinois lost key talent on the defensive side of the football, which, in turn, will bode well for a versatile Missouri offense that allowed Daniel to tally 37 total touchdowns and more than 4,500 total yards in 2007.

The leadership, experience and play-making ability of Daniel will prove to be the difference in this early season battle. PREDICTION: Missouri 34 Illinois 20.

2. No. 24 Alabama v. No. 9 Clemson—(Atlanta) This SEC/ACC clash pits two of the most tradition-rich programs in the South. Tommy Bowden's Tigers are predicted by most to be the clear front runner in the ACC, and predicted by many to be a dark horse candidate to play in the BCS title game.

The Tigers' offensive unit has the potential to be explosive, anchored by Cullen Harper at quarterback and star running backs James Davis and C.J. Spiller. The Crimson Tide will be led on offense by senior quarterback John Parker Wilson and talented sophomore running back Terry Grant.

The key to this game will be how Nick Saban's young, inexperienced defense handles the one-two punch of Davis and Spiller on the ground and Harper's playmaking ability through the air. In the end, Bama's defense will not have enough answers. PREDICTION: Clemson 31 Alabama 23.

3. No. 18 Tennessee v. UCLA—UCLA has been decimated offensively by numerous pre-season injuries. Quarterbacks Patrick Cowan and Ben Olson are out, leaving junior college transfer Kevin Craft under center.

New head coach Rick Neuheisal and successful offensive coordinator Norm Chow may have to wait a year before truly being able to put the type of offense on the field that they want; thus, the Bruins will be dependent upon a solid defensive unit led by defensive coordinator DeWayne Walker.

The Vols also have a new offensive coordinator in Dave Clawson, and a new quarterback in junior Jonathan Crompton. However, Crompton is surrounded by several proven commodities on offense, including 1,000 yard receiver Lucas Taylor and running back Arian Foster, who is on pace to become UT's all-time leading rusher.

Keep an eye on sophomore wideout Gerald Jones and a skilled secondary led by safeties Eric Berry and Demetrice Morely. PREDICTION: Tennessee 31 UCLA 17.

4. No. 3 Southern Cal v. Virginia—Quarterback Mark Sanchez has officially been cleared to play after injuring his knee in pre-season camp. The Trojans have once again reloaded and are strong at every position.

UVA returns 11 total starters from a 9-4 football team. USC simply has too much for the Cavs. Rey Maualuga and Brian Cushing will lead a defensive unit that will shut down UVA in Charlottesville. PREDICTION USC 38 UVA 14.

5. No. 17 Virginia Tech v. East Carolina—(Charlotte) UPSET ALERT!! Skip Holtz has put together a brutal non-conference schedule for the Pirates, including this opener with the Hokies. ECU won eight games last season and seem to be headed in the right direction.

The Hokies named Sean Glennon as the starting quarterback earlier this week, and decided to red-shirt talented sophomore Tyrod Taylor. Shaky offensive line play in 2007, the loss of talent to the NFL, including its top receivers, and the loss of running back Brandon Ore could amount to a tough season for the Hokies. PREDICTION: ECU 24 Virginia Tech 21.

Others to watch:

Appalachian State v. No. 7 LSU—Appalachian State pulled off the miracle upset in the Big House over Michigan last season. This is a talented, well coached team. But, despite question marks at quarterback, the defending BCS champs will dominate. PREDICTION: LSU 41 Appalachian State 17.
N.C. State v. South Carolina—An undermanned Wolfpack squad will be handled by one of the most talented defenses in the SEC. Tommy Beecher was named the starting quarterback for the Gamecocks, and, if history tells us anything, don't be surprised if Coach Spurrier shakes things up at the position if things don't go smoothly. PREDICTION: South Carolina 17 N.C. State 6.
Georgia Southern v. No. 1 Georgia—Georgia Southern defeated Appalachian State last season—and, we all know how good Appalachian State was. However, Georgia has way too much. Knowshon Moreno will steam roll Georgia Southern as the Bulldogs will hold on to the number one spot. PREDICTION: Georgia 41 Georgia Southern 20.
Utah v. Michigan—Rich Rodriguez will try to have a quarterback ready to run his spread offense for the season opener against the Utes - but, at this point, even Rodriguez isn't sure who that will be. Utah is favored by most to win the Mountain West. The home opener for Rodriguez could be a rough one. PREDICTION: Michigan 20 Utah 17.
Washington v. No. 21 Oregon—A PAC-10 clash to begin the season. Ty Willingham's crew may be hard-pressed to equal last season's four win total. Oregon may very well be the second best team in the PAC-10 behind USC. Jeremiah Johnson will lead the offensive attack, which will prove to be too much for a Huskie defense that lost five starters and allowed 465 rushing yards to the Ducks last season. PREDICTION: Oregon 34 Washington 20.
Hawaii v. No. 5 Florida—Applaud Hawaii for going out and scheduling an SEC power to open the season. However, the trip to Gainesville will only be pleasant for the Hawaii athletic department budget. Tim Tebow and the Gators will roll to victory. PREDICTION: Florida 48 Hawaii 17.

Tennessee Vols 2008: Could the Vols Repeat the Magic of '98?

Tennessee Volunteer02 — Mon, 25 Aug 2008 07:46:15 -0400

To your average college football fan, a prediction that the Tennessee Volunteers will win the 2008 Bowl Championship Series title may sound like a bit of a stretch, or even downright crazy. To the “Vol” faithful, on the other hand, those lofty goals and expectations are present year in and year out.

But whether you are a totally objective observer of college football, or a fan up on Rocky Top looking at the world through orange-tinted glasses, you would be kidding yourself if you failed to recognize the striking preseason similarities between the 1998 and 2008 Volunteer squads—similarities that have some Vol fans envisioning one heck of a 10th anniversary party on Cumberland Avenue.

Just as in 1998, this year's edition of Volunteer football isn’t predicted to win the Southeastern Conference Eastern Division, but many prognosticators have the Vols slated as the third best team in the division. And, to that end, no one could argue with those predictions, especially considering how strongly Georgia finished last season and the fact that the mighty Gators return a certain defending Heisman Trophy winner and a defense that should be much improved.

From a national standpoint, the 1998 Vols were ranked tenth or lower in most preseason polls. Similarly, the 2008 Vols have not cracked the top ten in the preseason rankings, as they are ranked 18th in both the Associated Press and Coaches' Polls.

Another noticeable similarity is the traditionally tough schedule. Just as you can count on death and taxes, so to can you count on Phillip Fulmer to play a rigorous schedule. Granted, being a part of the SEC, and particularly a part of the SEC East, the Vols' schedule routinely ranks as one of the most challenging slates in America. However, the Vols also consistently play at least one established non-conference opponent per year.

During the Fulmer era, the Vols have played the likes of Notre Dame, Miami and California to name a few. And this year, just as in 1998, the Vols open the season on the road against a solid non-conference opponent. Vol fans will remember the last second, season opening Jeff Hall field goal that knocked off the Donovan McNabb led Syracuse Orangemen (now, simply the Orange). This year the Vols will travel to the West Coast to take on the UCLA Bruins, who will be led by new head coach Rick Neuheisal and offensive coordinator Norm Chow.

In 1998, the Volunteers were coming off of a trip to Atlanta where they brought home the SEC Championship in 1997. The 2008 Vols are not defending SEC champs, but they do return major contributors from a team that that surprisingly took home the SEC East title, played in Atlanta, and nearly knocked off the eventual BCS champion LSU Tigers.

Both the 1998 and 2008 teams lost key performers from the previous season. In 1998, the Vols lost defensive star and co-captain Leonard Little. This year's squad will also face a tough challenge replacing star linebacker Jerod Mayo, who, like Little, brought great explosiveness and leadership to the defensive side of the football.

While the loss of Little was huge in 1998, the most notable loss was the graduation of Tennessee legend Peyton Manning. Many fans thought the Vols had missed their chances of a national title after losing Manning to the pros.Tee Martin, a highly-touted high school recruit out of Alabama finally got his opportunity in 1998. He had waited patiently behind Manning for two years before he was handed the keys to the Big Orange offense. Likewise, Jonathan Cromptom will step in as an unproven and untested signal caller who will follow an established, successful QB who put up impressive statistics.

According to those close to the program, Crompton has exhibited great leadership and is well-liked by his teammates. In 1998, the Vols rallied around Martin. Martin turned a preseason question mark at the QB position into a strength. This current UT squad must do the same if they want to succeed. And, from the feelings around campus, that may very well be the case.

As tough as it is for Vol fans to face, the Gator roadblock again is readily apparent. Throughout the 1990s the Vols could not seem to get over the hump, i.e. Steve Spurrier's Gators. Since the arrival of upstart head coach Urban Meyer, the Vols have been unable to defeat the boys from Gainesville.

Thus, the proverbial hurdle once again must be cleared if the Vols want to reestablish themselves as a national power. It should be noted that the Vols have obviously not forgotten about the beatdown in Gainesville last season. This year, on September 20, the Vols will host the Gators in Knoxville and take their shot at payback—which, in turn, could catapult them into the SEC title picture.

In 1998, head coach Phillip Fulmer was looking to break through. This year, Fulmer has something else to prove—that he still has it. The similarities are obvious. The challenges and obstacles are huge. And, if the Vols want to return to national prominence, what better time than on the 10th anniversary of the perfect season in 1998.