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2011 Tennessee Volunteers Gambling Odds | Predictions

NCAA football preview guide for the 2011 Tennessee Volunteers NCAAF betting season. NCAA football gambling guru James Hayes weighs in with his college football picks, and BCS National champion cappers analysis…

2011-2012 Football Previews – SEC – Tennessee Volunteers

This program has had its share of turmoil since long-time coach Phil Fulmer’s forced resignation in 2008.

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SEC 2011-12 Football Previews: Tennessee Volunteers
Coach: Derek Dooley
2010 Record: 6-7
Tennessee Gambling Odds from Sportsbook.com to win BCS: +10000
Tennessee Team Page – Players Stats – Roster – 2011 Schedule –>

The self-entitled Lane Kiffin took over his post, and made coaches, boosters and fans alike in the SEC hate him before he bolted to Southern Cal.

Two seasons ago, Louisiana Tech head coach Dooley took over the clipboard position at Rocky Top.

UT always grabs choice freshmen, but there have been both legal problems with new recruits and de-commits recently. The end result is the talent cupboards being quite bare by Tennessee standards.

There is both talent and potential among the starters, but there is not much depth in Knoxville – at least until Dooley gets comfortable on the dog-eat-dog SEC recruiting trail.

Ultimately, in the Volunteers we have a re-building program that is moving in the right direction, albeit slowly.

Team Strengths

There are many talented pieces on offense. Sophomore QB Tyler Bray impressed many last year with his poise and strong arm; he only started the final five games yet racked up nearly 2,000 yards passing.

The 6”6, lanky Bray will be a staple on an offense that also features senior RB Tauren Poole, a more experienced and bull-strong O-line and talented targets like youngsters Justin Hunter, Da’Rick Rogers and DeAnthony Arnett.

Defensive tackle Malik Jackson, though undersized, is vital to the front seven. The secondary returns experience and redshirt freshman P Matt Darr brings a thunderous foot to the table.

Team Weaknesses

Expect many new starters among the defensive front seven. Jackson must be the glue that holds down this unit after 2010 playmakers Nick Reveiz and LaMarcus Thompson move on. A huge addition will be senior Ben Martin, if he can bounce back from a serious Achilles injury.

Though Darr has a big leg, he and K Michael Palardy are new starters replacing P Chad Cunningham and longtime fixture K Daniel Lincoln.

Dooley is a coach on the rise with a top-notch pedigree (his father is Vince Dooley, a former HC at Georgia), but he is still cutting his teeth in the SEC.

The receiving corps is long on talent and speed, but short on experience, which can be devastating in the many conference and divisional dogfights certain to happen every year. The top three receivers from 2010 depart.

2011-12 Tennessee Football Prediction: 7-6

The schedule gods are not kind to the Vols in 2011. Tennessee draws the three best teams out of the SEC West in Alabama, LSU and Arkansas. The Vols must travel to ’Bama, Arkansas and the dreaded Swamp to do battle with Florida. [soliloquy id=”82219″]

This is an improved squad and the sky should be the limit in upcoming years as this storied program regains its stability, post-Kiffin.

Bray, Poole, Rogers and a nasty O-line is an excellent starting point on offense. There are more questions on “D”, but the talent is there for things to congeal if some players on the defensive line and in the linebacker corps exceed expectations.

The results may not wow the delirious Knoxville fan-base right away, but this team is on its way back in the SEC East.

It just might not happen in a jiffy.

2011 Tennessee Volunteers Schedule

9/3/11 12:00 PM ET MON
9/10/11 3:30 PM ET CIN
9/17/11 12:00 PM ET @FLA
10/1/11 12:00 PM ET BUFF
10/8/11 12:00 PM ET GEO
10/15/11 12:00 PM ET LSU
10/22/11 12:00 PM ET @ALAB
10/29/11 12:00 PM ET SOCAR
11/5/11 12:00 PM ET MTENN
11/12/11 12:00 PM ET @ARK
11/19/11 12:00 PM ET VAN
11/26/11 12:00 PM ET @KENTY

Click here to check out MORE 2011 college football previews for the 2011-2012 NCAA Football Season!

By James Hayes

James has been naming every player on the EA Sports video game rosters for half a decade now, he’s finally putting his knowledge to better use writing for us here at CappersPicks.com. Your comments are welcome below…Give Us Your Take!

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