Can the Vols be Mega-Overachievers in 2011?

That depends on your expectations.

And, have any Vol teams of the past ever been overachievers?

The Artful Dodger Who Wore Number Seven

He was our quarterback when I became an undergraduate student at the University of Tennessee. The program was in the beginning of a steady decline into near-oblivion. But nobody knew that at the time, partly because of the wonderous exploits of Condredge Holloway.

The Lucky One – Part 2

Carlton was finishing up his medical school residency in Philadelphia, after graduating from the Temple University school of medicine, when he met Reggie White.

The Lucky One – Part 1

Carlton was one of seven children of the Wilson family. He grew up in Chattanooga when it wasn’t a nice place to be a young black kid. But, it could have been worse, much worse – like it was for his older brothers and sisters. They had most of, and for some, all of their entire childhood colored by the spectrum of segregation. But Carlton was the youngest. He escaped the worst of it due to his age alone. He was the lucky one.

Remembering The Ancient Enemy

My apologies to NorCalVol and other readers for my absence of two weeks or so; however, the near-clinical depression that I have been suffering after the losses to LSU and Georgia has inhibited my rational thinking, and caused something of a writer’s block. So, with some trepidation I share a few memories and thoughts with you about Tennessee’s ancient enemy — the Crimson Tide of Alabama.

The Material Answer

I remember that back in the ’70s, the tear-away jersey was all the rage. What I don’t remember was where it was introduced. I believe that if we weren’t the first school to use it, we were one of the first. Nevertheless, it was eventually banned. It was also used in the NFL in the ’70s, eventually being outlawed. Greg Pruitt of Oklahoma and then the Cleveland Browns was famous for his tattered white top with brown numbers and orange trim.

Ruminations on the Bayou Bengals

Hello, friends! I am helping out norcalvol while he is away in Iceland, and throwing my 2 cents in about our Vols — specifically, to share some of my thoughts about Tennessee’s opponent this upcoming weekend, the LSU Tigers, and some recent history of the series between the two teams, from my own personal observations.

I want to give this caveat, however — I am not quite as technologically savvy as some of you, and am still learning about this whole blogging thing. So bear with me, and with that in mind, away we go!

Ducks 101

Anybody who has been watching college football over the past decade knows the Oregon Ducks. They have been one of the game’s most entertaining teams to watch, from the high powered offenses to those quirky uniforms (more on that at the end of this post). By their visibility you would think their program has been in the upper echelon for a long time.

Looking for Number 52 on Saturday

In 1985, Tennessee quarterback Tony Robinson threw for 259 yards and 4 TDs in the Vols’ seismic upset of Number One Auburn and Bo Jackson, 35-20. The next week, Robinson graced the cover of Sports Illustrated. “The Tennessee Waltz: Tony Robinson Buries Auburn” it read. Later that season, Robinson blew out his knee in the win at Alabama, ending his college career. A few months later, he was arrested on cocaine charges and sentenced to a penal farm followed by probation.

Neutral Ground

Notre Dame and Army play at Yankee Stadium in 1933.

College football games played at neutral sites are nothing new. (NOTE: A ‘neutral site’ is herein defined as a stadium that is not the home stadium of one of the two teams even though one of the schools may be located in the same city.) But by the list below, there seems to be an unusual number of such games scheduled for the 2010 season.

The Poll Tax

College sport distinguishes itself from the professional ranks in many ways. A reminder was provided on Friday with the announcement of USA Today’s Top 25 pre-season college football poll.

Since 1936, polls have been a continuous part of the workings of college football, beginning with the Associated Press College Football Poll. The AP provided the first college champion by vote, the Minnesota Golden Gophers. The coaches joined the process in 1950 with the United Press publishing their voting tallies.

Romance of the Chains

A potential game-changing event in a football game is determined with two sticks connected by a chain. Photo by Rick Stewart/Getty Images. Source: NYTimes.com

Recently as I was lying in my easy chair on the back deck, wafting in and out of consciousness in the glorious summertime weather that is the Bay Area, I caught myself thinking about moments in a football game that are unlike any in other sports. One such moment is the measurement.

The first down is the immediate goal of nearly every offensive play in a football game. The more I thought about how football deals with confirming whether or not a first down has been made by the offensive team when the umpire cannot readily make the determination himself, the more I thought how utterly odd it is. The chain, which connects two poles, is something that people hundreds if not thousands of years ago could have used to measure a specific distance. 

The Announcement of Doug’s Rug

Tom Mattingly’s post of today on his blog The Vol Historian is a great reminder of how different communications were 42 years ago.

Got Time?

I’ve been thinking about the fortunes of the football Vols lately, now that all of the media-storm surrounding the hiring of Derek Dooley, spring practice, and the promotional caravan has died down (it never really dies in Tennessee). I’ve considered what a whirlwind the last two seasons have been – two of the most eventful, for reasons other than winning championships, that I can remember.

Naturally, the big weight hanging around the neck of all thoughts on this subject is what 2010 will bring. The circles of thought bring me ’round again and again to the same thing, a point in time, the 1977 season.

The Gators’ Agoraphobia

In Monday’s post, The Table Never Lies, I asked what would Florida do if 11 SEC games were played in a 13-game season, leaving two non-conference games—one for a local rival and one for an intersectional game, knowing full well that the Gator Nation has a phobia of out-of-region clashes.

So, I thought I’d look into their history. You know, facts.

What I found was absolutely astounding. Get this…

The last time Florida played a non-conference opponent, on the road, outside the state of Florida, was 1991. That is nearly 20 years ago!