Tennessee Football 2011: Will Volunteers Be a Player in the SEC This Season?

In the tough SEC conference, it's hard to be a good team.  Colin Cowherd made a brilliant point this morning on The Herd about the Oregon/LSU game this Saturday in that Oregon made mistakes it won't usually make—because it was playing an SEC team.

As it comes to fans in Knoxville, what is to come of their Volunteers in 2011?  This past weekend, they had an impressive 42-16 victory.

That victory came against Montana, so how impressive was that victory?  Well, they didn't play the worst game in the SEC—that honor goes to Kentucky.

Now that it appears the sanctions against Tennessee thanks to Lane Kiffin are cleared up, there's nothing left for the Vols except to go out and play. 

Starting quick out of the chute was going to be key for this young team. And speaking of young, more than half of the team's starters are underclassmen.

That being the case, Tennessee is going to have a lot of rough spots trying to compete in the SEC.  Looking at its schedule, this team of kids is going to be pummeled in just about all of them.  This is not to say the Vols will lose every game, but they'll be taking some hits.

The Vols host the highly offense-focused Cincinnati Bearcats this weekend, who are fresh off a 72-point performance against Austin Peay this past Saturday.

The Tennessee defense managed to maintain Montana very well in the season opener, but again, I remind you readers that Montana is just not a good team.  Cincinnati isn't what it was during the Brian Kelly regime, but believe me when I say it's headed back in that direction. 

For the young Tennessee defense, containing Zach Collaros will say a lot about how well it will perform.

After Cincinnati, the schedule only gets more treacherous.  At 18th-ranked Florida follows on Sept. 17, then for three straight weeks from Oct. 15-29 the Volunteers face second-ranked LSU, travel to third-ranked Alabama and then meet with 12th-ranked South Carolina. 

Also throw in tough games against Arkansas and Georgia. 

Of all the games I just mentioned, victories will come against Georgia and South Carolina.  The other ones are just too tough for an inexperienced offense and young defense. 

Sophomore quarterback Tyler Bray has shown signs of being a good quarterback, having thrown for 18 touchdowns and 10 picks in 2010.  He started off 2011 right with a 293-yard, three-touchdown performance.

Unfortunately, his line is young just as he is, and the overpowering defenses of teams like Alabama and LSU will mow right through the Vols.  Against the lowly Montana Grizzlies, Tennessee fumbled six times.  In the first half. 

I understand it was rainy, but that's a lot of mishaps.

I foresee a respectable 8-4 season for the Volunteers, which will be nowhere near good enough to compete in the SEC.  They will drop games against Florida, Alabama, LSU and Arkansas. 

In terms of 2011 production, the young Volunteers will show a lot of heart and plenty of skill.  Unfortunately, that won't be enough in a conference like the SEC.

However, the 2012 edition of this article will look much brighter for Tennessee.