SEC Football Q&A: What Will Tennessee's Record Be at the End of the Season?

Every Thursday on The SEC Blog, we will feature questions from the B/R inbox, Twitter and email. Do you have a question for next week's Q&A? Send it to SEC Lead Blogger Barrett Sallee via the B/R inbox, on Twitter @BarrettSallee or at [e-mail].

From Stuart D. Davis (@stu623) on Twitter: What record do you see Tennessee ending up with? 7-5? 8-4?

Right now I have Tennessee at 7-5 with losses to N.C. State, Florida, Georgia, Alabama and South Carolina. I'd say the game on Nov. 10 against Missouri is a toss-up. Since it's at home, I'm counting that as a win for the Volunteers for now.

The problem for Derek Dooley and Co. could be the first three of those five losses that I predicted. If the Vols drop games to N.C. State, Florida and Georgia, they would enter a bye week at 2-3. Dooley may not be on stable enough ground to get through that bye week still employed with a sub-.500 record. As the old saying goes, "idle hands are the Devil's workshop." If Tennessee officials have to sit on a 2-3 record for two weeks, it may signal the end of the Dooley era.

The thing with Tennessee is that the talent is there. It's hard for any team to contend when its starting quarterback and star wide receiver are both injured and lost for the majority of the season. Quarterback Tyler Bray, and wide receivers Justin Hunter and Da'Rick Rogers could make that team lethal, but they need to catch some breaks—something that hasn't happened on Rocky Top in quite some time.

From Justin Davis (@jersymikejr) on Twitter: What are the chances the Tide flip current Georgia commit Derrick Henry? If they do, does he come to Capstone as a running back?

It sounds more likely this week than last week, but I still think he's going to stick with his Georgia commitment when it comes time to sign the dotted line next February. If there is anyone who can flip him, though, it's Nick Saban and that Alabama coaching staff.

At 6'3", 240 pounds, and with 4.5 speed in the 40-yard dash, Henry is a freakish athlete who can find a home on either side of the ball. Alabama certainly has produced its fair share of running backs lately, but if he does wind up in Tuscaloosa, I wouldn't be surprised to see Henry move over and play outside linebacker in that 3-4 scheme.

From Andrew Stephens (@StephensAndrew) on Twitter: Will Texas A&M pose a legitimate threat in the SEC West anytime in the near future?

In the near future, no. I see Texas A&M battling with Mississippi State for fifth spot in the SEC West for their first couple of years in the conference.

Texas A&M doesn't have the roster depth to contend in the SEC—particularly in the SEC West. We saw that jump up and bit the Aggies several times last year, when they were unable to finish games in which they held significant leads. Part of that is coaching, and part of that is conditioning and depth.

The Aggies will contend eventually, though. Now that they're in the SEC, they will able to sell that to recruits throughout the state of Texas. I discussed the impact of that jump with my colleague Michael Felder over at Your Best 11 on Bleacher Report's Full Ride.

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