I’m not going to rip the Tennessee Volunteers and I won’t be as bold as their offensive lineman Tiny Richardson, who predicted a win for the Vols over Mizzou. However, there are several factors that all lean heavily in favor of the Tigers this week. I am impressed by Tennessee. The Vols are 4-4 under first year coach Butch Jones and have a lot of things going in the right direction, but they have played just a brutal schedule. If Auburn remains ranked next week, the Vols will have seven ranked teams on their schedule, including games at #2 Oregon and #1 Alabama. One thing for sure…they won’t be intimidated.
Paul Fortenberry of VolQuest.com joins me on this Google Hangout. We point out that Tennessee has an 18 game losing streak against ranked teams on the road and haven’t won on the road vs. a ranked team since October 2006.
They’ll be starting freshman quarterback Joshua Dobbs and their defense struggles against the run. I expect Mizzou to continue to bring the heat on defense and use those backs to take some pressure off Maty Mauk (or James Franklin, who has been throwing the ball this week…perhaps he plays? Unlikely, but not out of the picture)