UT vs. Cal

[OWB]

I am so tired of hearing SEC fans bitch about how great their conference is and how lousy the Pac-10 is.

By the way Cal_Fan, I dont think that I've ever heard an SEC fan complain about the SEC being great. We all take pride in being better than the other conferences. We're not complaining, we're bragging. :biggrin2:

 

[hatvol96]

I know almost beating a team doesn't mean much, but the only reason LSU beat Oregon State and Arizona State were complete special teams miracles. In the '04 season, Alexis Serna crapped out on 3 PAT's. How many times do you see a Groza-winner miss three PAT's in one game? Then in '05, LSU blocks a field goal and punt on back-to-back drives to take the lead. I always say you make your own breaks, but these two games are pretty extreme casses. Missing three PAT's is bad enough in and of itself, and Arizona State put up a staggering 560 yards of offense on LSU's supposedly dominant defense. Those are what I cal freak occurances.

In '04, after Oregon State lost to LSU in overtime, LSU finished 2nd in the SEC West with a 6-2 conference record and Oregon State finished 4th in the Pac-10 with a 5-3 conference record. Then in 2005, after LSU's brush with ASU, LSU went on to the SEC Championship with a 7-1 conference record while ASU finished just fifth in the Pac-10 with a 5-3 conference record.

And I beg to differ. I firmly believe that Washington would take Mississippi State to school, pants them, take their lunch money, steal their milk and make the Bulldogs do their homework.

Welcome Cal Fan. Until now it seems I was the only Pac-10 fan on the board. I'm a fan of Tennessee, but not the SEC. It'd be nice to have some reinforcements. And I have to disagree with you on the conferences... I think the Pac-10 is highly competitive. In the Pac-10, you've got USC, other really good teams in Oregon, Cal, Arizona State, UCLA, and the rest of the bunch. Even lowly Stanford, Washington and Washington State all put up great fights. In the SEC you've got LSU, Auburn, Tennessee, Georgia and Florida who are all very good (maybe Alabama and South Carolina) but then jack squat below that. Ole Miss, MSU, Kentucky and Vanderbilt are four of the worst five or six teams in all BCS conferences IMO and Arkansas is not that good either.

All in all, looking forward to the Cal @ Tennessee game. Should be great. I am rooting for Tennessee first and foremost, and while I'd be bummed with a Tennessee loss, I could also take it in part as a big win for the Pac-10. But. Go Vols.

Ole Miss won the Cotton Bowl after the '03 season. Please tell me the last time Stanford won a bowl game of that magnitude. Also, does the Cardinal have Cal-Davis on their schedule this year? I'm sure they would like get revenge for last year's loss.

 

[tvolsfan]

Everyone out here is so excited to watch the Pac-10 drop 40 points on the SEC.

thats not going to happen, let me just say it now.

let me also say that this game and tennessee's season comes down to the coaching imo.

 

[milohimself]

Let the trash talking begin

 

[milohimself]

fine, hat... The bottom part of the SEC is just not very good. Not comparing them to anybody. Just saying the bottom half of the SEC is usually not that great. Fair? Jesus H. Kentucky was good enough to take Indiana. OOOOOOOH. Big deal.

I would talk trash in defense of the Vols but it doesn't feel rigt after a losing season. If we win our first 3 or 4, then I'll talk trash 'til the cows come home.

 

[checkerboard_charly]

First of all, how great is it that the UT and Cal scheduled this game!?! Gotta love these great non-conference match-ups.

I am so tired of hearing SEC fans bitch about how great their conference is and how lousy the Pac-10 is...the fact is (and you can look this up), when was the last time a great SEC team beat a great Pac-10 team? In the past five years, I watched USC walk into Auburn and slap them around, saw Oregon St almost defeat LSU (i mean c'mon&#33 and saw an Arizona St. team (which finished in the middle of the Pac-10) almost beat LSU as well!!! I am not aware of any other match-ups, but feel free to enlighten me.

The SEC is great football, very competitive from top to bottom (I admit the Pac-10 is top heavy), and I love watching it every saturday. But, i am tired of all the media crap about how great the defense is in the SEC, and how bad it is in the Pac-10. You look up all the Pac-10-SEC games in the past couple of years and you'll see how easily the mediocre teams in the Pac-10 can score on the SEC. I'm ecstatic that we finally get to see a good team from the Pac-10 play a good team from the SEC. It's time to stop bitching and recognize that great football is played on the west coast, as well as the south.

Now, i'm impressed with some of the knowledge you guys are dropping about Cal. Our QB sucked ass last year, i can't lie. You were highly over-rated and had a mediocre team (what's with the Clauson kid turning his back on UT!!&#33...both are supposed to be much better. Everyone out here is so excited to watch the Pac-10 drop 40 points on the SEC. UT doesn't have a terribly impressive offense, and Cal is going to have a very good defense next year, so that will be an interesting match-up. Our O-line is definately depleted and that is a question mark, but, we have two RB's who are stellar and are going to give you fits. Longshore is totally green, and frankly, there is a good chance you will rattle him...just keep in mind, that Auburn game was Leinart's first game as well.

if cal puts 40 on us i will put my wife up for auction. u might get 40 rushing yards but 40 points is not gonna happen my suntanned friend. u gotta come with something stronger than that.

 

[hatvol96]

if cal puts 40 on us i will put my wife up for auction. u might get 40 rushing yards but 40 points is not gonna happen my suntanned friend. u gotta come with something stronger than that.

Good to have you back CBC.

 

[hatvol96]

fine, hat... The bottom part of the SEC is just not very good. Not comparing them to anybody. Just saying the bottom half of the SEC is usually not that great. Fair? Jesus H. Kentucky was good enough to take Indiana. OOOOOOOH. Big deal.

I would talk trash in defense of the Vols but it doesn't feel rigt after a losing season. If we win our first 3 or 4, then I'll talk trash 'til the cows come home.

You said they were 4 of the 5 or 6 worst teams in BCS conferences. I would consider that a comparison. Also, I'm still waiting for my answers regarding that vaunted Stanford program.

 

[vols kick balls]

if cal puts 40 on us i will put my wife up for auction. u might get 40 rushing yards but 40 points is not gonna happen my suntanned friend. u gotta come with something stronger than that.

if there was any way i would win the auction i might want tennessee to lose

 

[checkerboard_charly]

if there was any way i would win the auction i might want tennessee to lose

lol. ask hatvol for a loan

 

[milohimself]

You said they were 4 of the 5 or 6 worst teams in BCS conferences. I would consider that a comparison. Also, I'm still waiting for my answers regarding that vaunted Stanford program.

I'll openly admit I was stretching it. Here's my opinion, final: if you were to ask me which BCS conference has the worst bottom half, I will say the SEC. Period.

Didn't catch the Stanford part. Lost to UC-Davis but also beat Arizona State by 10, lost to UCLA by just 3, and lost to Notre Dame in an extremely close game. If that game turns out any differently, it would have been Stanford who would have taken Notre Dame out of a BCS game. I know almost doesn't cut it but you can only expect so much out of a team that lost to UC-Davis.

 

[hatvol96]

I'll openly admit I was stretching it. Here's my opinion, final: if you were to ask me which BCS conference has the worst bottom half, I will say the SEC. Period.

Didn't catch the Stanford part. Lost to UC-Davis but also beat Arizona State by 10, lost to UCLA by just 3, and lost to Notre Dame in an extremely close game. If that game turns out any differently, it would have been Stanford who would have taken Notre Dame out of a BCS game. I know almost doesn't cut it but you can only expect so much out of a team that lost to UC-Davis.

Once you get past the U, FSU, Va Tech, and BC, the ACC isn't much. A group of mediocre teams, held up by some really bad teams at the bottom.

 

[milohimself]

Yeah. I will reserve the title "Worst in the BCS" for Duke, easily.

 

[rockytopinalabam]

Unless your gonna win the BCS championship i dont see this game being that important.

Anymore, the only way an SEC team gets a BCS bid is to win the SEC championship.

I'm not worried about losing to Cal, i'm worried about losing to Ga and Florida. Those 2 games are the ones that make or break the season.

After last year we need to build some confidence and how better than to beat a good nonconference team right off the bat.

 

[rockytopinalabam]

Just remember this.... as bad as the Vols were rated (in NCAA IA) in passing offense last season...... Cal was rated even worse. Offensively, Cal is a one trick pony. If the Vols defense can stop the Cal rushing attack, it could be a good day for the Vols.

We should be ready for a good RB after the past couple of years: UNLV and LA TECH had good ones.

 

[rockytopinalabam]

Lynch is great, but we have a pretty good west coast runner too by the name of Arian Foster. If he could run on BAMA's defense I'm sure he'll have no problem running on Cal's D. But no wonder PAC TEN teams can not play good D. They're going up against people like Bush, and Leinart, Lynch and other great offensive players. The SEC has been down a little in recent years due to the lack of QB'S like the Mannings, Tee Martin Eric Ziar, and Danny Wuerreffel.

 

[VolinArizona]

Few things:

1. Washington was 2-9 last year. Mississippi State was 3-8. MSU plays in a superior conference. Pants them and do homework? Not even close. If you wanted to wager with me the records for these two schools over the next 10 years at $x each year, I'd take MSU every year. It'd be a close series, but MSU beats Wash more often than not.

2. Cal will not drop 40 points on Tennessee. I guarantee it.

3. The Pac10 is underrated by a lot of people. They are good. Very top heavy. USC, UCLA, and Oregon are consistently good, and Oregon State is really climbing up to be a great program.

4. Kentucky > Indiana
Big 10 > Pac 10
SEC > Pac 10
Kentucky > Washington, Stanford

Follow me?

5. I rank Duke, Syracuse, Cincinnati, Baylor, Illinois, Indiana, and Washington as bad or worse than Kentucky, MSU, Vandy

Regardless, great game to come. I'm very excited!

 

[vols kick balls]

...

5. I rank Duke, Syracuse, Cincinnati, Baylor, Illinois, Indiana, and Washington as bad or worse than Kentucky, MSU, Vandy

Regardless, great game to come. I'm very excited!

this year i would probably put vandy with that group. they will be pretty bad

 

[dduncan4163]

Cal could put 62 points on us as long as we put 63 on them. I really do believe that this along with LSU will be the toughest games we play this year. A win over Cal will give us control of our own destiny until LSU comes looking for revenge.

 

[IBleedOrange]

Cal could put 62 points on us as long as we put 63 on them. I really do believe that this along with LSU will be the toughest games we play this year. A win over Cal will give us control of our own destiny until LSU comes looking for revenge.

you really think cal is better than uga or uf or ua??? what makes you come to that conclusion? imo i would compare cal to a south carolina type of team, dangerous but we should still beat them.

 

[WA_Vol]

Cal is primarily a rushing team from what I read.

Considering UT lost 6 of the starting front 7 I think this match-up heavily favors Cal. I expect Cal to be a big favorite to win this game, coming in as a top 10 team and UT most likely unranked.

UT has a lot of things to prove on offense this year. Its do or die time for Ainge, otherwise I think we will see Crompton early on.

 

[GAVol]

I'd be willing to bet that if things do start bad we won't see Crompton until at least after the Florida game. I just don't think they are going to allow any sort of QB controversey.

 

[IBleedOrange]

Cal is primarily a rushing team from what I read.

Considering UT lost 6 of the starting front 7 I think this match-up heavily favors Cal. I expect Cal to be a big favorite to win this game, coming in as a top 10 team and UT most likely unranked.

UT has a lot of things to prove on offense this year. Its do or die time for Ainge, otherwise I think we will see Crompton early on.

very true....but it always seems like chief keeps putting together one of the best defenses in the nation on a fairly consistent basis....granted he has his work cut out for him on the d-line and with the linebacker corps. plus, it's always been my opinion that defenses usually have a better game in the first game of the season anyway because the offense hasn't really had a chance to find a rythm yet :twocents:

 

[milohimself]

Few things:

1. Washington was 2-9 last year. Mississippi State was 3-8. MSU plays in a superior conference. Pants them and do homework? Not even close. If you wanted to wager with me the records for these two schools over the next 10 years at $x each year, I'd take MSU every year. It'd be a close series, but MSU beats Wash more often than not.

2. Cal will not drop 40 points on Tennessee. I guarantee it.

3. The Pac10 is underrated by a lot of people. They are good. Very top heavy. USC, UCLA, and Oregon are consistently good, and Oregon State is really climbing up to be a great program.

4. Kentucky > Indiana
Big 10 > Pac 10
SEC > Pac 10
Kentucky > Washington, Stanford

Follow me?

5. I rank Duke, Syracuse, Cincinnati, Baylor, Illinois, Indiana, and Washington as bad or worse than Kentucky, MSU, Vandy

Regardless, great game to come. I'm very excited!

1. Washington's non-conference schedule: Air Force, Idaho, Notre Dame
Mississippi State's non-conference schedule: Murray State, Tulane, Houston

One of those schedules is miles better than the other.

2. Maybe. Low 40's is the scoring ceiling I give Cal going into the game. Tennessee's IMO is about 35.

3. Thank you.

4. No. Indiana beat Kentucky by two TD's last season and had a better record with a roughly equal schedule.
Big Ten > Everybody. Last year, anyways.
SEC > Pac-10... I don't argue that. I just hate people thinking the Pac-10 is as bad as the Big East or Mountain West.

5. I agree with Duke, Cincinnati and Baylor. The rest I'm not sure on.

Same. Should be a classic.

 

[hatvol96]

1. Washington's non-conference schedule: Air Force, Idaho, Notre Dame
Mississippi State's non-conference schedule: Murray State, Tulane, Houston

One of those schedules is miles better than the other.

2. Maybe. Low 40's is the scoring ceiling I give Cal going into the game. Tennessee's IMO is about 35.

3. Thank you.

4. No. Indiana beat Kentucky by two TD's last season and had a better record with a roughly equal schedule.
Big Ten > Everybody. Last year, anyways.
SEC > Pac-10... I don't argue that. I just hate people thinking the Pac-10 is as bad as the Big East or Mountain West.

5. I agree with Duke, Cincinnati and Baylor. The rest I'm not sure on.

Same. Should be a classic.

Idaho is one of the 5 worst teams in D-I. Houston is better than Air Force.