Derek Dooley and the Vols learned earlier Tuesday that freshman wide receiver Justin Hunter was approved by the NCAA Clearinghouse to return to practice and is eligible to play right away.
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Arkansas opens the 2010 season vs. Tennessee Tech, Saturday at 4 p.m. in Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium.
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In a press release, the NCAA said Masoli’s request violated the intent of the waiver: “The waiver exists to provide relief to student-athletes who transfer for academic reasons to pursue graduate studies, not to avoid disciplinary measures at the previous university.”

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With football season just two days away, it is time once again for the Team Speed Kills SEC Power Poll, which this week asks us to rank the conference’s uniforms. Frankly, I haven’t been called upon to author a posting that placed me so far outside my comfort zone since I compared SEC teams to “So You Think You Can Dance” contestants, but ask and ye shall be answered:

1. Georgia Bulldogs: What, you were expecting someone else? Occasional decisions to don black headgear notwithstanding, the ‘Dawgs have one of the iconic looks in college football, complete with the oval “G” logo on the helmet and the cheer-inspiring silver britches.

2. LSU Tigers: The Bayou Bengals sport a good look, particularly considering their tradition of wearing white jerseys at home. While the Washington Huskies do the purple-themed uniform better, Louisiana State isn’t far behind.

3. Alabama Crimson Tide: The defending national champions’ football suits rank so high not because of any special trait they possess, but simply because of their unchanging classic look. The Tide are the anti-Oregon, as fundamental and unvarnished as any team in the sport outside of Happy Valley.

4. Kentucky Wildcats: Back when my father still got season tickets, the game my mother always wanted to attend was the contest (usually homecoming) against Kentucky. She preferred to go to that game because she liked the Wildcats’ blue uniforms. I have to say, she’s right.

5. Mississippi Rebels: Ole Miss checks in at the number five spot largely by default. Nothing about the Rebs’ garb distinguishes itself sufficiently to warrant leapfrogging one of the four teams above them, but there’s no inherent flaw in Mississippi’s uniforms to justify dropping the Magnolia State club down in the rankings.

6. Vanderbilt Commodores: Black and gold is a look that can work, but what’s with the all-black look? Beyond that, what’s the thought process behind the “V” inside a star? A star? Really? If they were the Generals, I could see it, but for the Commodores?

7. South Carolina Gamecocks: The Palmetto State Poultry also suffer from an overabundance of black, which, with the addition of garnet to the mix, makes them look like great big bruises. Also, the helmet logo featuring a chicken superimposed over the letter “C” looks like it ought to be on the sign outside a Church’s franchise.

8. Mississippi St. Bulldogs: Let’s face it . . . the Western Division Bulldogs are ‘Bama done wrong. When you’re the class of the conference, you can wear boring uniforms, and the press will think you’re minimalist. When your last SEC championship was in 1941, though, it merely makes you dull.

9. Arkansas Razorbacks: I’m still having nightmares about the look that featured hogs on both sides of the helmet and on both shoulder pads. If you’re showing off that much pork, you’d better be prepared to serve up some barbecue.

10. Auburn Tigers: The Plainsmen’s uniforms rate near the bottom because they feature orange. Since Auburn uses orange only as an accent color, though, the Tigers managed to avoid the cellar altogether.

11. Florida Gators: The Sunshine State Saurians wear more orange than Auburn; therefore, their uniforms are worse than the Plainsmen’s. Also, as a better blogger than me once noted, the script “Gators” makes Florida’s helmet look like the side of a Sunkist bottle.

12. Tennessee Volunteers: I don’t mean to rag on the Vols, because I respect Derek Dooley, and, as a rule, I like Tennessee fans better than I like fans of any other annual rival, but, when you put orange on the pants, orange on the jersey, and orange on the helmet, then wash it out like an early ‘80s music video to give it that faded dreamsickle look, you’ve got yourself an outfit no Bulldog fan could love. Sorry, Big Orange fans.

Go ‘Dawgs!

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Base Offense: Spread. Larry Fedora coached under Mike Gundy at Oklahoma St. and has a similar style. He is considered an effective offensive mind. He’ll spread the field with more than two wideouts and work you with both the run and the pass.

Returning Starters: 4. The key losses are former star tailback Damion Fletcher and four offensive linemen.

Key 2010 Rankings: 31st in Total Offense; 33rd in Rushing Offense; 43rd in Passing Offense. Notice the balance.

Quarterback: The Golden Eagles return two experienced quarterbacks in Austin Davis and Martevious Young. Davis began last season as starter and Young came in after Davis got hurt midway through the season. Davis goes into the game as the starter, but Southern Miss. coaches have said they may use Young in some situations. Expect Young to get most of the snaps, though. Both were very effective last year, with Davis being a bit better pocket passer and Young more mobile.

Runningback: USM has little returning talent here after graduating Fletcher, the school’s all-time leading rusher, and Tory Harrison; those two got the lion’s share of the carries last season. V.J. Floyd, who got only 17 carries last season, comes into this game as the starter. Floyd, a smallish back, has only gotten modest carries over his career, but he is a senior and should know what he’s doing. He’s looking to cap off his career with a good season.

Continue reading after the jump.

Offensive Line: The Golden Eagles fielded an experienced offensive line last year that helped protect its quarterbacks and lead Fletcher to his fourth-straight 1000-yard season. This year, though, they’ll be playing with four new starters, two of whom are sophomores. The talent USM fields on the line is closer to SEC-caliber than one might think, but inexperience is always a major cause for concern for offensive lines, which typically show a steep learning curve.

Wide Receivers: USM features a well-regarded cast of receivers. The leader of the group is DeAndre Brown, a former five-star recruit. Brown battled back from a gruesome 2008 injury to have a good season last year. There were some questions about his health during pre-season camp, but it sounds like he’ll be ready to go. It should be interesting to see the showdown between him and Stephon Gilmore–Brown is a legit talent and one of the best wideouts we’ll see all season, probably the best, actually, outside of A.J. Green.

Analysis: Although runningback is a question mark, USM’s talent and experience at QB and WR should be sufficient to scare any opposing defense. Brown, in particular, is a freakish player who is capable of making the kinds of gamechanging plays big upsets are made of. With the quality of our secondry, though, I generally like our chances there.

Where USM has to be worried, I would think, is the battle in the trenches. Going up against a young offensive line, our defensive front should be able to make some big plays and rattle USM’s quarterbacks. That could, hopefully, negate any relative potential the Golden Eagles can take advantage of with the passing game.

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I mentioned the other day that the Commie football team had supposedly landed another verbal from a recruit in Big-Ten country, well ESPN.com and Rivals are now reporting that CRC and his staff have got a verbal commitment from Keith Heitzman, a DE recruit from Hilliard, Ohio. Heitzman stands at 6’2, 230 and is rated a 75 (138th ranked DE) by ESPN.com and a 3-star recruit by Rivals.

Tennessee’s 2010-11 basketball schedule features numerous noteworthy storylines in non-conference play. Here are just a few to ponder, as the Vols’ first exhibition game is just 64 days away.
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STARKVILLE, Miss. – Fans are invited to the season debut of DawgTalk with head football coach Dan Mullen on Thursday evening at 7 p.m. at Harvey's in Starkville. The hour-long radio call-in show, featuring the Bulldogs' second-year head coach along with Mississippi State football analyst Jim Ellis, will air on more than 20 radio stations throughout the region, including locally on 100.9 FM, WKBB-West Point.
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The Alabama football team practiced for two hours in full pads Tuesday afternoon at the Thomas-Drew Practice Fields in preparation for Saturday’s season opener against San Jose State.
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