by Pete Fiutak

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Outside of the 5-6 clunker in 2005, Tennessee has been excellent by almost any measure. More than 100 other programs would kill for three 10-win seasons and three New Year's Day bowls in a five-year span. Most coaches could only dream about winning 76 percent of their games over a 16-year span that includes five SEC championship appearances and, oh yeah, a national title.

But even with all the success, Tennessee isn't quite at the level that it's probably supposed to be.

Now that Lloyd Carr has left Michigan, Phil Fulmer moves into second place behind Bobby Bowden for the honor of being the coach with the most impressive combination of accomplishments and current disappointments, at least when it comes to the unattainably high standards set in the past.

Tennessee is a factory for NFL talent, is strong every year, and is always a prime contender for the SEC title, but it's not mentioned in the same breath as LSU, Florida, and now, Georgia, as an elite of the elite of the elite superpower. Volunteer football is certainly respected, but it isn't feared like it used to be.

This might not be the team that can change all of that, but it'll be plenty good. It'll be a typically strong UT team with plenty of athletes and enough talent to beat anyone in the league, but is there enough in the bag to beat out national title-level Georgia and Florida teams? Maybe.

No one will predict the Vols to win much of anything considering offensive coordinator David Cutcliff left to take over the head coaching gig at Duke, and four-year starting QB Erik Ainge is done, but Dave Clawson's offense worked by the end of spring ball and new starter Jonathan Crompton is a sharp, accurate passer who should grow into the type of leader who can carry a team. And then there's the schedule.

It's brutal early with road trips to UCLA, Auburn and Georgia and a home date with Florida. But the Vols can win two of those, and if they win three, look out. The rest of the slate is relatively easy, the team should get much better as the year goes on, and once again, an under-the-radar run could lead the way to another SEC East title.

What to watch for on offense: Clawson. It's not like he fell off the turnip truck and into the coveted Tennessee offensive coordinator position, but he has a lot to live up to with Cutcliff gone. It's no coincidence that much of the Vols' offensive success happened when Coach Cut was running the show, then things fell off the map when he left for Ole Miss, and then the attack bounced back when he returned. Clawson isn't a born-and-bred Vol. From Richmond, he's bringing in some new ideas and an up-tempo offense with a shorter, quicker passing game. If the offense falls flat, he'll end up taking most of the blame.

What to watch for on defense: Can the tackles hold up? Demonte Bolden is a tremendous talent who hasn't played up to his potential yet. Junior Dan Williams is a promising inside presence. While those two haven't played like Reggie White and John Henderson, they'll need to early on as the young talent behind them develops. Most importantly, they have to stay healthy. Walter Fisher is a good option, but it'll be uh-oh time if the DTs are fantastic right away.

The team will be far better if: ... the Vols can generate a pass rush. It's inexcusable for a defensive line with ends like Tennessee has to be so poor at getting to the quarterback. Eleventh in the SEC in tackles for loss and 25 sacks in 14 games ... this is Tennessee? If the ends can't get it done again this year, the linebackers will have to be sent more on a variety of blitzes. It'll help to have one of the nation's best secondaries, but if there's any consistent pass rush, the pass defense could be a brick wall.

The Schedule: Patience could be the key. If the Vols can keep their head above water early, they should blow through the late part of the schedule without breathing hard. But talk about top-heavy — at UCLA, Florida, at Auburn and at Georgia by mid-October, and Mississippi State, Alabama, at South Carolina, Wyoming, at Vanderbilt and Kentucky to finish. If Tennessee is actually good, it has to win all of those final six games. Layups against UAB and Northern Illinois will keep the first six weeks from being a total disaster.

Best Offensive Player: Senior RB Arian Foster. He's playing for a contract. After flirting with the idea of turning pro early, the 6-1, 215-pounder, who'd have been a top 50 pick and might go in the first round next year, if he stays healthy, tore off 1,193 yards and 12 touchdowns, and showed he could catch with 39 grabs and two scores. Jonathan Crompton will be fine under center, but the more Foster can carry the workload early on, the better the offense will be.

Best Defensive Player: Sophomore SS Eric Berry. Probably the best defensive back in America you've never heard of, if you don't live in SEC country, Berry was a superstar recruit with cornerback speed and big-time tackling ability for 5-11, 195-pounder. He'll be a free safety at the next level, with his range and skills to hunt down passes making him a perfect cover-2 defender. But for now, he'll be one of the SEC's best all-around defensive backs and on the short list for All-America honors.

Key player to a successful season: Sophomore FB Kevin Cooper. The fullback wasn't used, and was barely existent, in the former offense, but might be a key factor in the Clawson attack. Cooper is a big blocker who might not carry much of the load, but he'll need to be a consistent hitter and a good receiver out of the backfield. There's a chance he could become the team's unsung star.

The season will be a success if: ... Tennessee wins the SEC title. You don't try for anything less at Tennessee. The Vols know how to win the East, but now they have to close after losing the last three SEC championship games they've been in since 1998. The East is the better of the two divisions, Auburn is rebuilding, and LSU isn't going to be the LSU of last year until, maybe, next year, so if the Vols can win the division and get back to the show, they might actually be the favorite.

Key game: Sept. 20 vs. Florida. The Vols have lost three in a row to the Gators, and with road games at Auburn and Georgia to follow on the SEC schedule, a fourth straight defeat might mean a disastrous start to the conference season. It's not a stretch to suggest Tennessee could be out of the SEC title hunt if it loses to the Fighting Tebows.

Offense

Welcome to the Dave Clawson era. The former Richmond head coach has taken over the offensive coordinator reins from David Cutcliffe and while he's not going to overhaul the solid attack, he's going to change things up a bit. He'll add more to the running game giving the offensive line a chance to be more physical and use more power than it did under the Cutcliffe finesse attack. Fortunately he has the line to do it. The Vols won't give up just four sacks again, but it'll do more for the running game and with five starters returning and a slew of good backups, it should be dominant.

Vols running back Arian Foster, a potential first-round draft choice, may be called upon for more production this season. (Andy Lyons / Getty Images)

Lucas Taylor and the receiving corps are promising, and Arian Foster leads a strong group of running backs who should thrive with the new tweaks. And then there's the quarterback. Can Jonathan Crompton be the player he was throughout spring ball? If so, the offense will be unstoppable. The only real concern is at fullback where David Holbert was supposed to help the power game before hurting a knee. Kevin Cooper needs to be the blocker who helps add more balance to the offense.

Quarterbacks: Crompton might not be Erik Ainge, but he appears to be the real deal and ready to make a huge jump up in production. He doesn't have to do it all by himself in this offense, but he'll have to be steady and he'll have to keep the chains moving. Nick Stephens and B.J. Coleman are fine, but they need more time and seasoning. All three options can throw extremely well and should get plenty of time to operate. The O line will make them look better than they actually are, but they'll make the throws since plays will get time to develop.

Running Backs: The passing game dominated the offense under Cutcliffe, but with backs like Foster, Lennon Creer and Montario Hardesty, the focus of the offense will shift back to a more balanced attack with the running game doing more. Foster isn't a special back, but he's really good; the offense can rely on him to carry things until Jonathan Crompton and the passing game gets going. The Vols won't be ninth in the SEC in rushing again. Tennessee always has good backs, and it has another possible first rounder in Foster while Creer looks like a keeper. If and when Hardesty is back and healthy, the backfield will be loaded with options.

Receivers: A potential weakness of last season should now be a strength. Lucas Taylor is a true No. 1 target with at least five good players around him to take the attention away. That doesn't count the tight ends who should be fantastic. The key will be to see how this group produces with a new quarterback. Erik Ainge made everyone look great, and now the corps has to return the favor to Jonathan Crompton. Taylor stepped up and Austin Rogers and Josh Briscoe were excellent. Now there's depth to rely on with players like Denarius Moore, Gerald Jones and Quintin Hancock ready to push for starting roles.

Offensive Line: A monster disappointment over the last several years, the Vol front five was fantastic last season in pass protection and was decent, but not great, for the ground attack. Now the line should be phenomenal with five returning starters and a few good backups ready to step in and start when needed. This is an extremely versatile, very good line that'll give the skill guys all the time they want to operate. With all the size and all the veterans returning, led by All-American Anthony Parker, there's no reason the running game should average just 4.2 yards again. Making the overall rushing production even more mediocre was the pass protection. Usually teams that finish around 73rd in the nation in rushing has problems with sack totals bringing things down. That's hardly the case here. Spring ball did nothing to show that this group can pound on anyone.

Defense

There's an interesting mix of superstars, pedestrian talents, and overhyped prep prospects who never lived up to their billing. While all top teams have that, it's more pronounced on the Tennessee defense that'll boast the phenomenal safety tandem of Eric Berry and Demitrice Morley and a fantastic outside linebacker in Rico McCoy, but could be woefully lacking at the other linebacker positions and strangely mediocre on the line. Tackles Dan Williams and Demonte Bolden are fine, but the defense desperately needs to generate more of a pass rush after struggling to get into the backfield last year. Defensive coordinator John Chavis might have to find ways to manufacture pressure from different places. The secondary should be able to handle the stress, but it would be nice if the ends could get to the quarterback on their own.

Defensive Line: Look at it this way; the Vols won the SEC East, beat Wisconsin in the Outback Bowl, and finished with 10 wins even though the line was mediocre at best. This year's front four isn't going to be bad, but it's not the killer Tennessee defensive line of the past. The tackles should be solid against the run and all four spots will be solid, but there needs to be more spectacular plays and more from the ends. Robert Ayers and Wes Brown have to become big-time. But if the ends can't get it done again this year, the linebackers will have to be sent more on a variety of blitzes.

Linebackers: This could be the team's Achilles' heel. The defensive line isn't good enough to hold up without a killer threesome behind it, and while Rico McCoy will be special, there are screaming panic sirens going off around the rest of the corps. Several young players like LaMarcus Thompson, Chris Donald, Josh Hawkins and Savion Frazier are the future, and they could quickly become the present if there are problems early on. For all the concern over the potential problems, Tennessee always seems to generate production from whatever configuration of linebackers gets thrown on the field. Defensive coordinator John Chavis is great at getting his linebackers in positions where they can make plays.

Secondary: While the offensive line will be good and the running backs and receivers are potentially explosive, the secondary will be the strength of the team. Eric Berry and Demetrice Morley should be in the NFL right now, while the corners will be terrific once all the pieces are back and healthy. With the rest of the defense merely average, the secondary has to play up to its capability after allowing a whopping 239 yards per game. It's not like there aren't options if Berry and/or Morley go down, but there's a huge, 25-mile-wide chasm between those two and the backups. To put it simply, Tennessee must have a big year from its safeties to have any hope of playing for the SEC title.

Special Teams: Sophomore Daniel Lincoln had a great first season hitting 21 of 29 field goals with two of the misses coming from beyond 50 yards. He hit a whopping 7-for-10 from 40-to-49 yards and he connected on 52 of 53 extra points. Basically, he was a godsend as his emergence allowed Britton Colquitt to spend his season just dealing with the punting duties. Just when it seemed like Colquitt was about to become a star, he got nailed for an incident with alcohol and will miss the first five games of the year. He averaged a solid 41.6 yards per kick putting a whopping 23 inside the 20 and forcing 15 fair catches. Until he returns, the Vols will tread water with sophomore Chad Cunningham, who average 40.7 yards per kick forcing three fair catches on his three boots last year. Speedy corner Dennis Rogan will handle the return duties after averaging a stunning 29.5 yards per kickoff return and a decent 9.7 yards per punt return. He'll get help from running back Lennon Creer on the kickoff returns.