Talk about two teams headed in the wrong direction. Both Oregon and Tennessee have had off seasons that closely resemble a nightmare. What is left of these two teams meet in Knottsville on 9/11.

Oregon finally got over the hump last season, and won the Pac 10 Championship. They were then embarrassed by Ohio State in the Rose Bowl, something not that suprising when you consider that Oregon's last Rose Bowl win was in 1917. This year the Ducks appeared to be loaded on offense with 9 starters returning, but then starting QB Masoli decided that he was the Pink Panther and was nailed for burglary. He was suspended for the season. This leaves a huge hole at the QB spot. Masoli's ability to scramble and throw the ball was a key element in the Oregon attack. Now everything will fall on the shoulders of RB James, assuming he can keep his tail out of trouble. He has already been suspended for the opener for a domestic incident. Oregon's defense returns only two starters, and certainly was not real good last year, allowing 36 or more points in 4 of their games, and 26 points to an Ohio State team that was held to 15 points at home by USC, and 18 by Purdue. This unit is really going to have to improve.

Whatever new HC Derek Dooley is doing at Tennessee, it is certainly not working. The Vols only returned 4 starters on a rather weak offense to begin with, and now three potential starters, QB Stephens, RB Bryce Brown, and RT Aaron Douglas have left the program. This leaves Tennessee with two QB's who have no experience to run the ship. The offensive line, according to Dooley, reminds him of a bunch of "Hapless Babies". The defense returns 7 starters, though 3 were out with ACL injruies in the Spring. This unit was the strength of the team, but faltered late in the season last year. Eric Berry leaves, and that hole will be impossible to fill.

This is a very interesting matchup from a wagering point of view. Oregon is 2-4 ATS vs non-con teams in the past two years, including a 0-2 record ATS on the road. This team has gone form the #4 ranked team in the nation to the #4 ranked team in the Pac 10. Former A.D. Bellotti was forced out the door, and chaos has prevailed in the spring. Tennessee is 0-3 S/U and ATS, in their last 3 efforts against Pac 10 teams. Both teams start the season at home with patsies, Oregon playing New Mexico, and Tennessee playing FCS Tennesseee-Martin. Oregon's weakness on defense matches up well with Tennessee's weakness on offense. When you have to start matching up weaknesses instead of strengths, that is a sign of a game that you should be very careful when wagering. This is a critical game for both teams. Normally, these type of games go under the total, but I have no idea what that total may be. Good Luck with this game. It should be entertaining, to say the least.