Georgia vs Tennessee

The Dawgnation has had this date circled on the calendar for a year, after UT came into Sanford Stadium and ruined our 2004 season. Last season was supposed to be the year that UGA had all the pieces to the puzzle to make that run toward the national title game. The expectations were off the chart after the Dawgs dismantled LSU the weekend prior 45-17, the college football world was made well aware of the boys between the hedges. All week long the UGA players heard and read how good they were, what a great win that was against LSU and how UT didnt stand a chance. Georgia was cocky and confident that they would win, and they were riding a 17 game home win streak entering the contest.

The Vols had come into that game considerable underdogs, a team with a season on the brink. They had just came off a devastating loss at home against the Auburn Tigers 34-10, the worst home loss for them since 2003 when UGA beat them 41-14. Another conference loss would have put them out of contention in the always tough SEC Eastern Division. I was on the field that afternoon, and watched the demeanor of the Vol players as they entered the stadium. You could sense a team with a do or die attitude had just arrived for a football game, they had heard enough about Georgia. The bookies in Vegas did not give them a shot coming into the game either, a 12 point underdog and that was being polite. Yet somehow the UT players and coaches tuned it out for 60 minutes, and earned a very close hard fought 19-14 victory.


This season the golden slipper is on the other foot, or so it would appear. UT was a pre-season Top 5 team and to say that expectations put on them by the media were high entering the 2005 campaign would be an understatement. The Vols bubble was burst a few weeks ago with a loss at Florida, but since they have recovered with a road win at LSU and a yawner vs Ole Miss last week. Yet a small percentage of their fan base is acting like this weeks game wont even be close, saying that the dawgs just arent as good as the previous 3 seasons a combined 34-5 record.

The Vol nation need look no further than the archived message board posts from last years game to see that it is the same trap that Dawg fans fell into last year. There are a few very educated fans of the game on both sides of the fan base, who understand this game could go either way on Saturday. This game will have all the makings of an ESPN Instant Classic, with the team that scores 20 points probably coming away with a hard fought win.

Go Dawgs!