Adams: UT vs. Memphis gives me chills

By John Adams
Published Friday, November 6, 2009

Have you heard? Tennessee probably will wear orange jerseys tonight.

That's right, the Vols reportedly are returning to their roots and reviving a tradition that has been missing from Neyland Stadium since Oct. 17, 2009.

I get chills just thinking about it.

Sure, the black jerseys looked sharp last week. In fact, they looked so sharp you could actually read the numbers.

But I was ready for something different by the fourth quarter. That's why I'm looking forward to Saturday night.

And I wouldn't be surprised if UT extended the suspense right up until kickoff.

The Vols probably will go through pregame warm-ups in black jerseys. Then, they will return to the locker room, switch into their orange jerseys and race onto the field.

I just got more chills.

Tennessee 37, Memphis 10: No one should be more excited about tonight's game than the Tigers, who might as well have played their last home game under quarantine.

About 4,000 fans showed up for their Tuesday night game against East Carolina. However, witnesses say the crowd sounded more like 5,000.

Memphis won't be without fan support this evening. Its fan contingent is expected to outnumber the UT band.

The program has come a long way since it was derided as "Tiger High."

Georgia 41, Tennessee Tech 10: No word yet on whether the Bulldogs will again wear the same black helmets that tried out against Florida last week. In fact, the helmets were so appealing, Florida linebacker Brandon Spikes tried to steal one from the bottom of the pile.

You really didn't believe he was trying to gouge out the eyes of running back Washaun Ealey?

That was a decoy. He was going for the helmet.

Why else would Florida coach Urban Meyer have suspended him for only the first half against Vanderbilt?

Florida 34, Vanderbilt 10: A rich league got richer this week, thanks to Florida coach Urban Meyer, who was fined $30,000 for criticizing SEC officials.

The big question: What does the SEC do with the $30,000 windfall - and for that matter, all the $30,000 windfalls to come (you don't think UT coach Lane Kiffin will hold his tongue while Meyer is getting all that publicity?).

Suggestion: Buy designer goggles for Florida's remaining opponents.

Alabama 27, LSU 13: The two programs that Nick Saban built are both still in the running for an SEC and a national championship. I like the one with Saban better than the one without him, especially since the Tide has had two weeks to prepare.

I also prefer the team that has beaten five opponents with .500-or-better records. LSU has beaten two teams with winning records, and one of them was Louisiana-Lafayette.

Arkansas 27, South Carolina 24: Here's a shocker: Gamecocks coach Steve Spurrier is disgusted with his offense - again.

And you can't blame him.

South Carolina has scored 33 points in its last three SEC games. Worse yet, it has scored only 37 points in its last three games against Vanderbilt.

The offense will look better today. But it won't look as good as the Razorbacks'.

Ole Miss 45, Northern Arizona 7: Not Arizona or Arizona State. Not even Northern Iowa. Or Raising Arizona.

But Northern Arizona.

And get this: That's not even the easiest non-conference game on Ole Miss' schedule, which also has included Southeast Louisiana, UAB and Memphis.

Freudian interpretation: Why don't the Rebels come out of the closet and admit they want to join Conference USA?

Auburn 41, Furman 13: The Tigers are third in the SEC in total offense, 11th in defense and first in surprises.

Who expected them to start 5-0? After that start, who expected them to lose three in a row?

They obviously have taken on the personality of their first-year coach, Gene Chizik, a man of many streaks.

In 2004, he was the defensive coordinator on Auburn's unbeaten team. A year later, he held the same position on Texas' unbeaten national championship team.

Then he went the other way, presiding over losing streaks of 10 and six games in his two seasons as Iowa State's head coach.

Top 25: Texas 41, UCF 7; Cincinnati 38, Connecticut 13; TCU 38, San Diego State 10; Oregon 38 Stanford 27; Iowa 27, Northwestern 14; Georgia Tech 38, Wake Forest 24; Penn State 27, Ohio State 20; Southern California 34, Arizona State 23; Houston 41, Tulsa 30; Pittsburgh 34, Syracuse 20; Miami 31, Virginia 14; Utah 38, New Mexico 10; Oklahoma State 37, Iowa State 23; Notre Dame 34, Navy 20; Oklahoma 31, Nebraska 17; Arizona 41, Washington State 10; Cal 34, Oregon State 30; Wisconsin 34, Indiana 21; BYU 30, Wyoming 14.

Record: 153-38 (.801) overall, 95-75 (.556) against the spread.

Sports editor John Adams may be reached at 865-342-6284 or adamsj@knoxnews.com.