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#19 Tennessee Volunteers Preview
By titan-poker.mysportsbookonline.info

Fall camps are under way and the regular season will be here soon so that means getting an early jump on the 2006 NCAA football season. Knowing the teams now will save you time and Matt Fargo is here to help you get a grasp of what to expect this upcoming year. We go from worst to first in this 2006 College Football Preview.

#19 – Tennessee Volunteers 5-6 SU; 3-8 ATS

Fargo’s Take For the first time in 17 years, Tennessee finished with a losing record, raising questions about the future of the program. Either 2005 can be considered an abnormality or the Volunteers simply are not the team they used to be. More than likely it’s the former. The musical chairs at quarterback gave the offense no consistency while four of their six losses were by single digits. Head coach Phillip Fulmer heard the grumblings after finishing 90th in total offense and 101st in scoring offense so he brought back former offensive coordinator David Cutcliffe to restore the order. Getting back to a bowl game should not be a problem and while many are calling Tennessee a sleeper team to win the National Championship this year, there are too many lingering issues to make a serious run at the title. Competing in the tough SEC East is challenging enough.

Returning Starters on Offense – 7 The offense was horrendous last season, topping 30 points only once after accomplishing that seven times the previous season. Now that junior quarterback Erik Ainge has a hold on the position, he should not be feeling the pressure that the signal callers felt last season. Getting yanked in the middle of the game occurred often and that provided no consistency. Seven starters are back including the entire backfield plus tight end and top wide receiver. Cutcliffe had a hand in developing both of the Manning brothers and Ainge will benefit greatly from his return. The biggest concern is replacing three offensive line starters but it is still a very experienced unit and one that is big and athletic. The offensive unit is ranked among the top three in the SEC heading into this season and there is no doubt it will be more productive in 2006.

Returning Starters on Defense – 5 The defense was one of the few positives last season but graduation took its toll on the unit especially the front seven. All three linebackers need to be replaced as do three

of the four defensive linemen. The Volunteers are not going into panic mode however as there is an abundance of talent waiting to take over. Justin Harrell and Turk McBride will form one of the best defensive tackle combos in the conference and there should not be much of a dropoff from Tennessee’s rushing defense that ranked 2nd in the country last season. The linebackers are not as strong but Marvin Mitchell in the middle provides needed leadership. The secondary, which was the weakness last season, will turn into a strength as all four starters are back. Seven of the eight on the two-deep chart are either juniors or seniors.

Schedule Even if the offense comes into its own and the defense remains tough as nails, the Volunteers will still have a rough time with their brutal schedule. The first four games are at home which is always bonus for a team trying to reload but two of those games are extremely difficult ones against California and Florida, both of which are ranked ahead of Tennessee. The Volunteers get a short break with games against Memphis and Marshall but then they hit the SEC schedule running. Three road games at Georgia, South Carolina and Arkansas are all tough while two home games against Alabama and LSU could be even tougher. Closing out the season against Vanderbilt and Kentucky will be two easy wins.

You can bet on… For the first time in the Fulmer era, things are unsettled in Rocky Top. He has assured everyone that things are fine and last year was just one of those seasons where everything went wrong. He is right, to a point, but a lot of the problems stemmed from some of his coaching decisions. He is hoping the return of Cutcliffe fends off the dogs. Tennessee has not has a winning record against the number since 1999, going 32-43 since then including a putrid 3-8 ATS mark last season. The Volunteers are just 3-13 ATS as a favorite over the last two years and an even worse 9-23 ATS as a home favorite since 2001. They will be dogs in possibly four of their Neyland Stadium games but that won’t help as they are 0-3 ATS as a home dog over the last six seasons.

Matt Fargo is a documented member of the Professional Handicappers League.

Read all of his articles at http://www.procappers.com/Matt_Fargo.htm

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