With the stench of the Florida loss still lingering in Neyland Stadium, the Tennessee Volunteers have to pull themselves together for a tough test at Auburn on Saturday. I won't re-hash the Florida loss. It speaks for itself. It was a debacle that embarrassed the program nationally.
Simply put, Tennessee has to beat Auburn. With a loss, the program could be looking at a repeat of the 2005 season when the Vols finished 5-6 and didn't go to a bowl for the first time since 1988. It's that urgent. A loss Saturday will likely cause a complete lack of motivation for the rest of the season.
A win, however, will keep UT in the hunt for the SEC Eastern Division title. Based on what we've seen so far, that seems like the mother of all long shots already, but hope is a good thing.
Auburn is one of the toughest places to play in the league. However, the Vols have a few things going for them. Auburn is coming off a tough, emotional loss to LSU. As we all know, LSU usually beats up its opponents so badly that is often takes them weeks to recover (ask Alabama from last year). Plus, Auburn's offense is as inconsistent as Tennessee's. In a low scoring game, the Vols have a chance.
Still, based on what we've seen so far, can we expect Tennessee to rise to the occasion in such a hostile environment? My heart says one thing, but I better go with my brain.
The pick: Auburn 16 Tennessee 7
Other SEC picks: Georgia over Alabama, Florida over Ole Miss, South Carolina over UAB, Kentucky over Western Kentucky, LSU over Mississippi State, Texas over Arkansas
Last week: 5-2 (.714), Overall: 29-7 (.806)
4 comments:
I just don't see any way Tennessee beats Auburn this week.
That said, I've "crunched" Vandy's schedule and I can very easily see them winning 7 games this season. Hell, if balls bounce entirely their way, Vandy could win 9 games this season.
If Vandy goes to a bowl game this year and UT don't, is it safe to say that Phil F's days will then be numbered?
in a word, yes
Auburn 14 Tennessee 12. Unfortunately, the game played out as expected. We need offense...AND NOW!
"We need offense...AND NOW!"
Ain't gonna happen. As it stands, Tennessee's '08 offense is gonna soon - if it hasn't already - make folks pine for the days of '05.
Wow. Did I just say "pine for the days of '05" ...?
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