Shots Across The Bow

Vols ranked 8th in AP, 9th in Coaches Polls

Is Tennessee really that good?

I'm saying yes, but it has less to do with the Georgia game and more to do with the season so far. Georgia's numbers, particularly on defense, were inflated by a soft schedule, (opponents went a combined 11-18) and the offense was revealed as suspect by their struggles against Ole Miss and winless Colorado.

But let's look at the rest of Tennessee's schedule to date.

• Tennessee has faced one of the tougher schedules in college football. Our opponents have a combined record of 20-12
• Cal is on a 5 game winning streak since losing to the Vols, scoring 40+ points per game and reclaiming a top 10 ranking. They just beat a highly ranked Oregon team soundly.
• Air Force is undefeated in conference play
• The Gators are rolling towards an undefeated season. And no, Georgia has no chance agains the Gators.
• The Vols are 2-1 against teams ranked in the top 10 when we played them, and lost by 1 point to Florida.

So yes, the Vols are a top 10 team. You could argue that there are a couple of teams ranked behind them that could beat them, but there are also a couple of teams ranked ahead of them that they could handle fairly easily. As the season progresses, we'll see how it all shakes out.

Posted by Rich at October 9, 2006 1:44 PM | TrackBack