2008 TENNESSEE VOLUNTEERS FOOTBALL PREVIEW

Tennessee Volunteers Football is a glorious thing. Of course I may be a bit biased as a UT graduate and fan. But almost anyone would agree that one of the 7 wonders of the world is watching (or even better joining) 107,000+ orange-clad Volunteer fans cheering as the VOLS run through the T on a crisp fall Saturday afternoon or evening.

And the VOLS are just good enough to really torture their fans. I mean, they are almost always in the hunt for the SEC crown and ... just maybe ... the national championship. They almost always don't quite obtain either, but they are good enough to keep their fans fully engaged all year long. The brass ring seems always just out of reach...

And this year will not be an exception. Except it may not be quite as painfully tantalizing because I don't think the Big Orange will come close in 2008. Sorry fellow Vol fans, brace yourselves for a rocky 2008. Wish I could say otherwise, but I just don’t see a good year ahead of us.

First, our outstanding Offensive Coordinator, David Cutcliffe has left to be head coach at Duke. We have at least 3 other new assistants this year. Long-time QB Erik Ainge finally graduated. But, the biggest problem is not so much the Vols as it is the rest of the SEC East. It’s simply brutal. Tennessee is good; really. Just look at their roster (below). They’d probably win the ACC. But, in the SEC, other teams are simply better.

Georgia and Florida look to be perhaps the top 2 teams in the country and South Carolina looks considerably improved as well. And, you’ll remember it took several miracles to beat South Carolina at home last year.

For the most current UT VOLS Football info, check out our Tennessee Football Blog and/or The Big Orange Round Table.

Credit for the outstanding photos above to flickr.com/photos/motionblur except that credit for pictures 1, 2, 4, 12, and 14 to to flickr.com/photos/royce58. Some rights are reserved for these photos.

This year we face the Gamecocks in Columbia. We also play Georgia and Auburn on the road as well. Sorry, but I see 3 losses there. The 2008 Volunteers also fact UCLA at their place and Florida, Alabama and Mississippi State at home. Maybe we go 2-2 in those 4 games. (Each of the 7 teams we’ve mentioned so far are in the national Top-25.)

So, that gives us 5 losses. And, Vandy and Kentucky are rarely easy wins. So, I think a 7-5 record will be about as good as Vol fans should expect in 2008. That will leave us in 4th place in the SEC East; still good enough for a minor bowl game.

OK, let’s talk a little bit about UT’s 2007 football season. The Vols ended up winning the SEC East (as SEC Sports Fan predicted before the season) and finishing with a nice 11-4 record, beating Wisconsin 21-17 in the Outback Bowl. Very nice.

But, oh what a wild (and lucky) ride it was. The Vols were thrashed by California and Florida. They were beaten soundly by Alabama and lost to LSU in the SEC Championship game. The key win was against Georgia; a win that probably saved Fulmer’s job. But, we were so lucky against South Carolina, Vanderbilt and Kentucky. You can read more about that at 2007 Tennessee Football.

Quick academic note: Did you know that over 50 UT football players had a 3.0 or higher class average in the Spring of ’08? All told, 223 Tennessee athletes earned Spring honors. Congrats to all those hard working “Volunteer” student-athletes.

Do you know that ever since Coach Philip Fulmer took over the head coaching job here at Tennessee more than NINE million fans have passed through the Neyland Stadium turnstiles?

Does Fulmer deserve the raise/contract extension he just got? Join the discussion below or at Did Phil Fulmer Deserve a Raise?

2008 Tennessee Vols Football prediction: 7-5; 4th in the SEC East.

We are always wanting more SEC vs Big Ten regular season football games. Great news! Tennessee and Ohio State announced they'll play a 2 game series in 2018 (at Knoxville) and 2019 (at Columbus). Great for college football fans! Tough on the coaches.

2008 Tennessee Volunteers Football Schedule:

Sept. 1 at UCLA
Sept. 13 UAB
Sept. 20 Florida
Sept. 27 at Auburn
Oct. 4 Northern Illinois
Oct. 11 at Georgia
Oct. 18 Mississippi State
Oct. 25 Alabama
Nov. 1 at South Carolina
Nov. 8 Wyoming (Homecoming)
Nov. 22 at Vanderbilt
Nov. 29 Kentucky

2008 Tennessee Volunteers Football Roster:

Key players include 2008 All-SEC Pre-Season 1st Team selects Arian Foster (Running Back); Anthony Parker (Offensive Line); and All-SEC 2d Teamers – Lucas Taylor (Wide Receiver); Rico McCoy (Outside Linebacker); Eric Berry (Defensive Back); Daniel Lincoln (Placekicker); and Britton Colquitt (Punter). But Colquitt is suspended for 5 games due to a DUI. Safety Demetrice Morley is back with the team after spending last year at a Jr. College to improve his grades. Morley should be a big help in the secondary.

Here's a link to the complete schedule: 2008 Tennessee Volunteers Football Roster.

UNIVERSITY OF TENNESSEE VOLUNTEERS FOOTBALL INFORMATION

Head Coach: Phillip Fulmer (1972 UT Grad and former VOL offensive lineman)
17th season coaching -- all at UT (147-45 .766)
Former Richmond Coach Dave Clawson replaced David Cutcliffe as Offensive Coord. Latrell Scott is the new Wide Receivers Coach and former Florida Assistant Stan Drayton is the new Vols Running Backs Coach. Stadium: Neyland, Shield-Watkins Field (87 years old; 104,079; but packs in 107,000+ for big games). Neyland ranked top college football stadium in a 2001 Sporting News poll.
See these links for your Tennessee Volunteers Merchandise and Apparel, Tickets, and Baseball Caps.

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