Here are my updated predictions for this year:

Date Opponent Place
Sept. 1 California Berkeley, Calif - L (just too many new starters, wont be ready yet)
Sept. 8 Southern Miss Knoxville, Tenn. - W (will be VERY close if we beat Cal, if we lose to Cal we it wont be as close, really scared about this game, has all the elements of a classic Fulmer fuck up)
Sept. 15 Florida* Gainesville, Fla. - L
Sept. 22 Northern Illinois Knoxville, Tenn. - W
Oct. 6 Georgia* Knoxville, Tenn. - W
Oct. 13 Mississippi State* Starkville, Miss. - W
Oct. 20 Alabama* Tuscaloosa, Ala. - W
Oct. 27 South Carolina* Knoxville, Tenn. - W
Nov. 3 Louisiana-Lafayette Knoxville, Tenn. - W
Nov. 10 Arkansas* Knoxville, Tenn. - L
Nov. 17 Vanderbilt* Knoxville, Tenn. - W
Nov. 24 Kentucky* Lexington, Ky. - W (could be really close, KY is going to surprise a lot of people this year)

9-3

7/23/2007 2:32:09 PM

I'm going to the first game. I'm going to rooting hard for the Hippy's over the Hillbillies.

7/23/2007 4:10:20 PM

oh shit, Hillbillies, this is a new viewpoint, I am interested in your other original ideas.



and that game has L written all over it. Tedford was embarrassed last year, said the ass kicking bothered him more than any other loss ever, had all spring/summer to study film, Tennessee lost their top 3 WRs, 3/4ths of their secondary, implementing a totally new offense with really really young WRs...

Unless it just comes down to superior, bigger, stronger, faster athletes, then I see Cal winning this one.

7/23/2007 4:29:19 PM

I think Cal uses the quarter system instead of semester, most of the students probably won't be in town yet. I saw Oklahoma play at UCLA in early '05, and there may have been 55,000 people there, and 2/3rd's were Sooner fans.

7/23/2007 4:42:07 PM

well the crowd is the last thing that worries me ha ha.

7/23/2007 4:44:55 PM

since I know you all care, Jacques McClendon broke the school bench record (560lbs) that was held by Darwin Walker, who was my partner in a boring (HA, pun, HA) ass soils lab where we had to bore/hand drill for this soil sample... we finished about 45 ahead of every other group haha

7/24/2007 8:14:47 PM

To go along with the Bonds HR chase, Rivals is doing a nifty thing for some schools, showing some of the important numbers associated with them:

1939
Gen. Robert Neyland's 1939 team remains the benchmark. The Vols went unbeaten, untied and unscored upon – the last college football team to pull off a perfect regular season – 15 straight games without allowing any points.

The Vols hold the modern-day NCAA records for most consecutive quarters holding an opponent scoreless (71). - This blows my mind

23
Not renowned for his accuracy, quarterback Tee Martin couldn't miss against South Carolina in 1998. He set the NCAA Division I-A record for a single game by completing his first 23 passes, and they weren't all dinks, either.

Manning is the only player in school history to throw for more than 400 yards in a game, and he did it three times. His high was 523 yards against Kentucky in 1997. In that same game, Kentucky's Tim Couch had 476 yards in a wild 59-31 Tennessee victory. - I was at this game, very fun... cant even fathom UT scoring 59 points now

14
Casey Clausen was 14-1 as Tennessee's starting quarterback on the road from 2000-03.

7/26/2007 3:40:15 PM

Damn I cant wait until football starts up... some highlights from 2006

great move













Coker is retardedly fast


[Edited on August 4, 2007 at 6:52 PM. Reason : d]

8/4/2007 6:52:35 PM

ahahahahahha

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/news/story?id=2965321

stop selling rock lamarcus!


[Edited on August 8, 2007 at 1:00 PM. Reason : i bet he was selling blow]

8/8/2007 12:58:04 PM

Quote :

"Oct. 13 Mississippi State* Starkville, Miss. - W"

Loss. Mainly b/c we're due for 1 upset this year. And why not Tennessee.

Go Dawgs!

8/8/2007 4:29:00 PM

Wow, Coker had 4 failed drug tests.....I think Fulmer has no choice but to suspend him for the season, 4 failed tests, wow. Makes you wonder why he wasn't handed a one game suspension for the second offense so that he might rethink his decisions and avoid a 4th one??

8/8/2007 6:50:39 PM

took you bitches a lot longer than I thought it would to come with this...


and Coker is a dumbshit, all the talent in the world but cant turn down the green... dumbass


^ and if its the 4th then he would permanently be off the team, rule used to be 3 times but now 4, so its either his second or third offense, either way, hes a fool

[Edited on August 9, 2007 at 2:58 AM. Reason : d]

8/9/2007 2:56:31 AM

Here is a question. In Alaska, where small amounts of marijuana are legal to possess, are the NCAA athletes up there under the same restrictions as athletes in states where weed is completely illegal.

Also, for the record, I think it is completely ridiculous that weed is illegal. If it presented a health issue like cocain, heroin, or alcohol, then fine. Unfortunately this is not the motivation behind the law.

8/9/2007 8:44:08 AM

Mark it down, baring some freak injury or hanging out with Coker too much, Eric Berry is going to be special... like Champ Bailey special

8/13/2007 3:52:32 PM

Champ Bailey special, huh? put down your pom poms and think about what you just said

8/13/2007 3:54:47 PM

ha, just wait and see... #1 CB recruit in the country, been playing lights out in camp and scrimages, wasnt even slated to start at NB but has worked his way into probably starting at #2 CB or even #1 and of course my prediction is going out on a limb quite a bit, but it really wouldnt be a prediction if I waited until he made the All American team as a junior or something like that.

8/13/2007 3:58:42 PM

you're still comparing a kid who hasnt played a single snap in college to the best d-back in the NFL

8/13/2007 4:03:01 PM

hahaha, well, wasnt thinking that far ahead... I meant Champ Bailey in college, more specifically Champ Bailey when he first started, which I believe was freshman year. Obviously he is nowhere near Bailey right now

8/13/2007 4:06:56 PM

ok thats a little different

8/13/2007 4:08:28 PM

Quote :

"going to be"

8/13/2007 4:09:24 PM

on that note, JJ Hickson is going to be Tim Duncan special

8/13/2007 4:14:47 PM

shit, that fool cant even pick the right school to go to... missing out on a rising power

8/13/2007 4:20:28 PM

he prefers his coach to keep his shirts on i guess lol

8/13/2007 4:21:17 PM

true


HEEEEEYY-OOOOOOOOOOOOOOO


[Edited on August 13, 2007 at 4:22 PM. Reason : d]

8/13/2007 4:22:03 PM

damn, Ben Martin, one of the top recruits in the country tore his ACL, done for the year

8/21/2007 1:48:19 PM

11 days until the greatest time of the year, cant fucking wait

8/21/2007 5:07:36 PM

^^ sweet, just a bone bruise... only out 2-3 weeks

8/22/2007 9:23:34 AM

ahhh shit!


motherfucker


dammit

Ainge hurt his hand in practice, might not play against Cal


if he cant play, that would be first game of the year with no returning starting QB, RB, WR, (ANY) or TE hahaha

[Edited on August 28, 2007 at 3:54 PM. Reason : e]

8/28/2007 3:25:36 PM

well, place your bets on Cal... Ainge has a broken finger... hes going to try to play but it doesnt look good

8/29/2007 7:23:14 PM

My detailed breakdown:

CAL
positives:
1. Jackson is one of the best (if not THE best) WRs and return men in the country
2. At home, I was at the game last year at Neyland, they looked lost from the second play on, wont have to deal with that this year or the travel
3. Tedford (and the team) was pissed off after last years beat down and has said he spent all summer planning for two games, this one and USC
4. much better special teams

negatives:
1. got ass raped last year
2. lost a few good players
3. shitty offensive line
4. cal isnt much of a home field advantage


TENNESSEE
positives:
1. much better defense
2. destroyed Cals secondary last year, and Cal isnt any better defensively
3. much better O-line

negatives:
1. lots of injuries/people out who were in last years game: ALL starting WRs , starting RB, starting TE, 3/4ths the secondary, 1/2 the D-line, kicker, and kick offs
2. really young in the passing game, both WRs and Secondary. If you count 3 WRs, and the 4 guys in the secondary that will be 1 out of 7 who played any time last year
3. always been shitty on kick coverage, but now with them being moved back and kicking to Jackson...AND the kicker who was going to do kick-offs for TN is hurt, so a freshman with a weak leg is going to have to now
4. Ainge's god damn finger is broke


Outcome:
I see Cal getting at least 1 TD on kick/punt returns, Ainge throwing at least 2 INTs with the broken finger... this could get ugly. Only hope is for TN to run it right down their throats, be more physical, and keep the ball away.


Prediction:
Cal 31
Tenn 17

8/29/2007 7:54:28 PM

Quote :

"The excitement is building in Berkeley. Again. They're talking loud and proud. Again. The University of California's season-opening football game against Tennessee has attracted a sellout crowd of more than 76,000 – an attendance figure in Berkeley usually reserved for Stanford, USC and anti-war demonstrations. Even the skinflints on "Tightwad Hill,'' the grassy area behind venerable Memorial Stadium where Cal football games can be watched for free, might even buy into the idea that this year the Bears will finally stake a claim among college football's national elite. The last three years Cal was at the lip of national prominence only to get punched squarely in the mouth. In 2004, the Bears were angry at being left out of a BCS bowl, but then were routed by Texas Tech in the Holiday Bowl. Jeff Tedford and Cal have been reminded often of last season's loss to Tennessee. In 2005 they got off to a 5-0 start, but lost four of their next five. In 2006 they opened the season ranked ninth, were promptly annihilated by Tennessee 35-18, and were never really taken seriously again. "We won 10 games last year and I think the question that gets asked most is (about) Tennessee,'' Cal coach Jeff Tedford said. "You might get a little bit of 'Oh, by the way, good job in the bowl game.' "That's what comes out of last year, but that's the worst we've ever played (the Tennessee loss), I think. I don't think in five years I can remember looking up and being down 35-0." Of course, it was hard to remember when Tennessee was starting a season seeking redemption. The Volunteers sputtered to a 5-6 finish in 2005 and were determined to re-establish themselves as a nationally significant team before a raucous crowd in Knoxville. "That helped us last year when we had a big win over Cal," Tennessee coach Phillip Fulmer said. "It got us back on track after we had the real poor season - for us - in '05, and we wanted to show people what we were really about as a program. (Opponents) hoped we'd just go away, and we didn't go away." Instead, the Volunteers won going away as quarterback Erik Ainge passed for 291 yards, including touchdown passes of 42 and 80 yards to Robert Meachem, who embarrassed Cal's then-freshman cornerback Syd'Quan Thompson. But this time Tennessee might start freshman cornerback Eric Berry as part of a rebuilt secondary that's facing perhaps the nation's premier group of receivers in Cal's DeSean Jackson, Lavelle Hawkins and Robert Jordan. Also, Ainge has a broken little finger on his right (passing) hand and running back LaMarcus Coker is suspended. Cal also has home-field advantage, and the revenge motive in its favor. "It's not really revenge. I think, if anything, it's redemption," Tedford said. "We didn't play very well last year when we went there and probably got caught a little too much focusing on (Tennessee) and the environment and that type of thing. "If we go out and play to our potential we'll have a chance to be successful." If not, the Bears – and all their optimistic fans in that sellout crowd – will be left painfully disappointed. Again. Week 1 Game of the Week: No. 15 Tennessee at No. 12 California California rushing offense vs. Tennessee run defense: After two seasons in which he was considered one of the premier backup running backs in the nation, California's Justin Forsett steps into the starting role. Forsett, who has rushed for 1,674 yards in his career, will ease the loss of first-round draft choice Marshawn Lynch. Forsett has big-play ability and benefits from running behind an experienced offensive line. The group up front is anchored by center Alex Mack and tackle Mike Gibson. Last season, the Bears averaged 163 rushing yards per game. Tennessee held the Bears to 64 rushing yards a year ago, but overall was below average on run defense. Linebacker Jerod Mayo heads a list of five returning starters on the Tennessee defense. The Volunteers have allowed just six running backs to rush for 100 yards in their last 37 games. Edge: Tennessee California passing offense vs. Tennessee pass defense: The Bears' trio of receivers DeSean Jackson, Lavelle Hawkins and Robert Jordan all had at least 46 catches and averaged at least 12.4 yards per reception last season. Quarterback Nate Longshore threw for more than 3,000 yards and 24 touchdowns. Containing them could be a problem for the Volunteers. Safety Jonathan Hefney is All-American caliber, but he's the only proven player in the secondary. True freshman Eric Berry may start and at least figures to get extensive playing time. The Volunteers need to pressure Longshore, which they did very successfully in last season's crushing of Cal. Mayo had three sacks. Edge: California Tennessee rushing offense vs. California run defense: LaMarcus Coker, the Volunteers' leading rusher from '06, won't be available Saturday because of a suspension. However, Arian Foster is available, and he picked up 879 yards in 2005 and rushed for 69 against Cal last season. Tennessee's offensive line play was disappointing in '06, but the word out of Knoxville is that area figures to be vastly improved. We'll take their word for it. Five opponents rushed for more than 150 yards in'06 against the Cal defense, which has three new starters in the defensive line. The Bears also lost leading tackler Desmond Bishop, but feel linebacker Zack Follett will contend for postseason honors. Edge: Tennessee Tennessee passing offense vs. California pass defense: Erik Ainge, who threw for 2,989 yards and 19 touchdowns a year ago, riddled the Cal secondary for 291 yards and three touchdowns last season. But two of those touchdown passes were to Robert Meachem, who is no longer on the roster. Neither are Jayson Swain and Bret Smith, who ranked second and third in receptions for Tennessee last season. Lucas Taylor, Austin Rogers and Josh Briscoe aren't as good as the departed wideouts, but junior college transfer Kenny O'Neal has shown flashes. Tennessee no longer has Meachem, but Cal no longer has All-American cornerback Daymeion Hughes. Sophomore corner Syd'Quan Thompson improved as the season progressed last year and figures to be a good one. Cal's pass rush is average at best. Edge: Tennessee California special teams vs. Tennessee special teams: Jackson was the nation's premier punt return man last season. He brought four back for touchdowns in '06 and has five returns for touchdowns in his career. Kicker Tom Schneider is solid, and punter Andrew Larson is one of the best in the Pac-10. Tennessee punter Britton Colquitt could be an unsung hero if he can get sufficient hang time on his kicks and neutralize Jackson. Hefney is a solid punt return man for the Volunteers, but they have questions about redshirt freshman kicker Daniel Lincoln. Edge: California California coaches vs. Tennessee coaches: Phillip Fulmer has directed Tennessee for 14 years and the Volunteers have endured just one losing season in that span. He has a national championship to his credit, although detractors point out it was almost a decade ago. David Cutcliffe is one of the country's best quarterback coaches. Receivers coach Trooper Taylor is already highly regarded, and his profile will be enhanced if the Vols receivers remain productive this year. Jeff Tedford turned around a Cal program that had endured five consecutive losing seasons before his arrival, and the Bears have not won fewer than seven games in his five seasons in Berkeley. Edge: Tennessee Tennessee will win if: The Volunteers definitely need to pressure Longshore just as they did a year ago when Mayo posted three sacks. Offensively, the Vols need to run the ball well and execute a good short passing game. Tennessee wants to control the ball and keep the Cal offense off the field. Cal will win if: The Bears must prove they can match Tennessee physically up front and keep Tennessee's running game in check. They also need to protect Longshore so he can capitalize on Cal's apparent advantage over Tennessee's inexperienced defensive backs. X-factor: Ainge broke the little finger on his right (passing) hand in practice. Though he still plans to play, it raises a legitimate question about how effectiveness. Some of his teammates said the injury wasn't an issue in practice, but game action is different. If his performance is compromised by the injury, the Volunteers can go to Jonathan Crompton, who is one of the better backup quarterbacks in the country. If cornerback Eric Berry is in the starting lineup, he will be the first true freshman to start a season opener on defense in Fulmer's 14 seasons as Tennessee's coach. The only other true freshman starters under Fulmer were quarterback Brent Schaeffer in 2004 and offensive tackle Michael Munoz in 2000. … Buchanan's pick: California, 27-20 Other Rivals.com Expert picks: Steve Megargee, national college football writer: California, 27-23 Mike Huguenin, college sports editor: California, 21-17 Bill King, RivalsRadio host: California, 31-28 "

damn, EVERYONE is picking against Tennessee... they always play best when no one expects them to win but I just dont know this time, too many injuries and very scared of Jackson and the return game

[Edited on August 31, 2007 at 11:34 AM. Reason : r]

8/31/2007 11:34:23 AM

Heading out at noon. I've yet to even see Cal's campus but I'm going with someone who has tailgated there before... hope UT loses.

9/1/2007 12:14:29 PM

ass. Just got to hate dont you.




And I see it happening just everything seems to be in Cal's favor this year. As I said, biggest thing that scares me is kickoffs moved back/Tenn. kickoff kicker hurt/Jackson

9/1/2007 12:16:55 PM

Quote :

"Vols' Chances of Beating Cal: Slim and None, and Slim's Got a Broken Finger At least that's the conventional wisdom going into Saturday's game between Tennessee and California. The Vols opened as underdogs and the line has moved against them twice, once when news that punter Britton Colquitt might not play and again after Erik Ainge's pinky went from sore to sprained to broken. The truth is that if Colquitt (who was supposed to handle place-kicking and punting duties) can't play, his absence will have a bigger impact on Tennessee than whatever Ainge does because there are three things UT needs to do to win, and none of them call for highly accurate passing. 1. Play "Johnny Ball" There's a thing in Tennessee called Johnny Ball -- named after former coach Johnny Majors, long criticized for being too conservative. It's a mind set of football that calls for lots of running between the tackles with an occasional crossing route and throwing deep every now and then. It's usually used in a derogitory sense, as in when Tennessee runs off tackle on third-and-six, fans say "Aw crap, we're playing Johnny Ball again." 2. Nate Longshore Must Die Ok, so die might be a bit overboard, but he's got to be knocked down a lot. Tennessee did a great job of getting to Cal's quarterbacks last year, then slacked off as the season progressed (linebacker Jerod Mayo had three sacks against the Bears, but Tennessee finished the season with just 17). Justin Forsett is a fine running back, but Cal's playmakers are the wide outs. With Tennessee's youth and inexperience at defensive back, if UT doesn't pressure the QB, the scoreboard could start smoking in a hurry. 3. Pay no attention to the revenge behind the cutain There has been a good deal of talk out of the Cal players about "revenge." This Ivan Maisel article does a good job of summing it up: Cal feels they learned a lesson by getting beat up in Knoxville last year. "

9/1/2007 4:07:28 PM

FUCK!

Its times like these that I wish I was wrong sometimes

9/1/2007 9:07:10 PM

Ainge looks really good

9/1/2007 9:08:12 PM

yeah, its been gutsy as hell

12-13 135 yards, 2TD



but now the best defensive player, Heffney, is hurt, sigh

[Edited on September 1, 2007 at 9:45 PM. Reason : d]

9/1/2007 9:23:45 PM

I am hoping for a Tennessee comeback in a very big way.

For the simple fact I just hate watching elitist nerd pricks win football games.

The shots of the Cal fans/students make me want to vomit.

SMUG ALERT IN BERKELEY

9/1/2007 10:29:50 PM

haha, well me too obviously, but I just think Tenn is too young and too injured.. give me this game with our WRs from last year...

9/1/2007 10:30:59 PM

that was some great playcalling

9/1/2007 10:35:54 PM

I want Tenn to win, I still am a Florida kinda girl but I want everyone to stop talking about Ainge's damn fingers!

9/1/2007 11:14:51 PM

GO CAL!!!!!!!!!!!

9/1/2007 11:28:51 PM

Cal Ripken???

9/1/2007 11:46:54 PM

No. CALifornia, g.

9/1/2007 11:48:25 PM

Glad to see Mitchell is moving his arms.

And I wish Brent Musburger would shut the hell up.

9/1/2007 11:51:19 PM

win or lose, that was a dumb play by cal

9/1/2007 11:53:01 PM

heh, if they gave a most annoying announcer of the year award, he'd probably get it.

9/1/2007 11:54:04 PM

well, that went about how I expected, I nailed the point differential haha (14 points)

9/2/2007 12:01:21 AM

Quote :

"How long until basketball season?"

9/2/2007 7:55:55 PM

not sure what to feel about this game. If we had beat Cal then I would be really worried about this one but even with the loss it still bothers me... mobile QB, great RB, always play good teams really close, Florida next week for Tenn, kicker hurt, apparently Ainge cant throw too deep with the pinky...


Southern Miss - 27
Tennessee - 28

9/7/2007 8:07:16 PM