quote:
i dont know if it will be as high as 11 but i tend to agree that we are going to be favored (at least at opening) by way more than any neutral or tennessee party would predict right now

Tennessee is a #3 ranked team. I will be surprised if we are favored by more than 4 or 5 points.

quote:
there were 1000 different ways that they could and probably should have lost that game on saturday. either way, they still appear to be quite good, so im not hating on them.

There were also 1000 ways they could have won by more. If the hand off between the QB and RB goes smoothly then the scoop and score does not happen and all of a sudden the FGs do not matter. Also, Tennessee was playing the 4th quarter without their top 4 cornerbacks and (I think) a starting safety and Alabama could not take advantage of it.
Alabama has some serious problems in their secondary...they can be fixed, but make no mistake Tennessee's offense is legit. Their defense is absolutely apalling, but keep in mind their defense gave up fewer points than Alabama's by 10 or so points.

The key to our game with Tennessee will be how we use out TEs. We will need to exploit the medium pass game to the TEs and when their safetys creep up go over the top. Their front 7 is legit and running the ball will be difficult, but doable if we can get the short to medium passing game going. I expect to see a similar game plan as we had against Oregon, throwing quick outside screens and short to medium passes to Bowers and Washington. Defensively I think we will try to pressure Hooker but not necessarily sack him. We will keep a spy on him to keep him in the pocket with a controlled rush with players staying in their lanes to prevent him from pulling the ball down and running.

I see a 4-5 point spread. It could be a close game or we could blow it open. If their receivers get behind our DBs they could blow it open, too. This one scares me.