It's game week! We're just two days out from opening up the 2016 season in front of 102,455 orange clad crazies in Neyland Stadium. Ladies and Gentlemen, It's Football Time in Tennessee!!!

Off the top this week I want to say a special thank you to all of you great folks who support and listen to The Tony Basilio Show and read this great blog every weekday. This marks my 6th year as a contributor to this wonderful blog which has really evolved into a great online sports section for all Tennessee Volunteer fans as well as sports fans in general. I am more than honored to work along side Tony and all of these great contributors as we continue to strive to bring you the best coverage of Tennessee Athletics, inside and out, that you will find anywhere and it doesn't cost you a dime! My hat is off to all of you! Now lets break some bread and get down to it!


The Volunteers are poised to make some noise in 2016. Coach Butch Jones has the cupboard stocked entering his 4th season at the helm here in Knoxville and the excitement in and around the program is as high as we've seen it in well over a decade.


This week I'm going to lay out 6 reasons (in no order) as to why I think this Tennessee team will win the East and have a chance to win a conference championship and quite possibly earn a playoff spot. Marcos Garza has your six and so does your old Vol Colonel!


SCHEDULE - This Volunteer football team will play 9 games inside the state of Tennessee including our two biggest rivals (UF & Bama) inside the friendly confines of Neyland Stadium. Control our border!


SUPERIOR QB PLAY - On paper Tennessee will have the superior QB starting in Joshua Dobbs over every team on the schedule. Some folks may knock Josh because it is assumed he isn't the greatest passing QB to ever suit it up for the Volunteers, but make no mistake, Josh is the engine that makes this team go. There's a reason Josh is listed as one of the Heisman favorites by the oddsmakers in Vegas. Simply put, this kid is dynamic on and off the field!


RUSHING ATTACK - Team 120 might just have the greatest rushing attack in school history. Our ground game is the bread and butter of this offense. I dare say there's not a team in this country that I would trade places with as far as our backfield and ground game goes. QB Josh Dobbs, RB's Jalen Hurd, Alvin Kamara, & John Kelly are the most dynamic set of rushers on any team in the nation, in my estimation. Last year these guys rushed for over 2,900 yards. Even with a little more emphasis on the passing game this season, there's no doubt in my mind that these guys can break the 3,000 yard mark on the ground. Jalen Hurd is a beast and is also listed on the big board of Heisman favorites out in Vegas this year. Kamara is a dynamic back in his own right and John Kelly has improved his game by leaps and bounds this offseason. Dobbs will cause opposing defensive coordinator's tons of headaches with the things he can do with his legs and feet. This is going to be fun to watch!


DEFENSIVE ENDS - Derek Barnett leads the way for this group and has 1st team All-American capabilities. A lot of folks are enamored with those twin terrors out at Texas A&M as far as DE's go, but with Barnett, Corey Vereen, LaTroy Lewis and newcomer Jonathan Kongbo, and Kyle Phillips, make no mistake, Tennessee has the horses to annihilate other teams QB's. This is the deepest set of defensive ends we've seen around here in over two decades in my opinion. New Vols DC Bob Shoop is going to let these guys loose and they are going to wreak some havoc, you can take that to the bank!


SECONDARY - as with our DE's, this is one of the deepest units we've seen around here in a long, long, time. Cameron Sutton is one of the finest corners we've ever had around here. He's a staple of consistency and he can lock his man down. Justin Martin has 1st round NFL talent written all over him and he finds himself in a back-up role to Emmanuel Moseley. Todd Kelly Jr. is poised to have a big season at Safety and is a fan favorite. Micah Abernathy has had a great camp and has locked down a starting spot and then you have Evan Berry and Stephen Griffin who will rotate in and out, not to mention Nigel Warrior who is a star in the making and is going to see significant playing time. Over at Nickel, Rashaan Gaulden will make some noise this season and Malik Foreman is going to see a lot of action too. Bob Shoop has worked a lot with these safeties this summer and these guys have a chance to not only be a great last line of defense, but these kids will knock your block off. You have so many guys back there in the secondary who can play multiple spots, this is going to one deep and very talented unit!


SPECIAL TEAMS - Aaron Medley has quietly had a great offseason and has been booming it through the uprights and Trevor Daniel who was a huge surprise last season, looks to be one of the finest punters we've had around here since we last seen a Colquitt manning the position. Evan Berry is a 1st team All-American kick returner who can take it to the house any time he touches the ball and Cam Sutton is certainly a threat at returning punts. Alvin Kamara is another vital cog back there who will be with Berry on kickoffs and will also back-up Sutton some on punt returns. Butch Jones puts a big emphasis on special teams, the most we've seen around here since Coach Majors was at the helm. This is an absolute strength for this football team and you can bet your bippy somewhere along the way it will be our special teams that will win us a close ball game!


There it is folks, there's six good reasons as to why I think this Tennessee team is going to do big things in 2016.


Just two more days until we kick it off under the lights in Neyland Stadium vs Appalachian State. I fully expect this Volunteer team to win the SEC East and to have a great shot at winning the whole SEC and quite possibly finding ourselves in the playoff picture at seasons end. That streak to Florida is going to end this year and Big Bad Alabama better watch out as they will be walking into a hornets nest in Neyland come October!


Thanks again to all of you for supporting what we do here at Tony's site and thank you for 6 great years of getting to talk to you folks every week. It's a true labor of love!


Have a Great Day and Go Big Orange!


Your Vol Colonel