Ranking the Opponents: No. 11 Kentucky

Easy.

It's Kentucky.

By the time UT faces the Wildcats on Nov. 26, coach Rich Brooks' already hot seat may be a supernova if Kentucky doesn't improve on Brooks' 6-17 overall record.

Offensively, first-year starting quarterback Andre Woodson will be the key. The 6-foot-5 230-pound sophomore completed 53 of 82 passes (64.6 percent) for 778 yards, six touchdowns, and no interceptions in three spring scrimmages this season.

Woodson will be helped by a wide variety of skill position players.

Kentucky is high on running back Rafael Little. If he can't secure the starting job, then Tony Dixon and Arliss Beach will lend a hand in the backfield. Beach has never reached his potential due, in part, to injuries.

Wide receiver should be a team strength with Keenan Burton, Tommy Cook, Glenn Holt, and Scott Mitchell rotating in.

Jacob Tamme could be Kentucky's breakout player this season. He played well against the Vols last season, catching four passes for 55 yards and two touchdowns in his first game at tight end. The move from wide receiver has been made permanent.

Tamme, now 20 pounds heavier to 237, caught six passes for 146 yards and two touchdowns in a spring scrimmage.

Kentucky's offensive line seemed to show improvement throughout spring practice. Junior college transfer Fatu Turituri immediately helped the unit. He likely secured a starting position at left guard with his play this spring.

Defensively, Kentucky switched from a 3-4 scheme to a 4-3. There surely will be some growing pains but the Wildcats should be comfortable in the new system by the time they play the Vols.

Compounding the problematic transition is Kentucky's inexperience at linebacker. Jon Sumrall, the team's leading tackler in 2004, was forced to quit football after doctors discovered a spinal condition that made him more susceptible to spinal injuries.

Sophomore Wesley Woodyard is Kentucky's only returning starter at linebacker.

Trey Mielsch has the size (6-3, 280) to be a good all around defensive tackle. How he and defensive end Durrell White respond to the new alignment is unknown. They are the only two returning starters on the defensive line.

Brooks' most pleasant surprise of the spring came from redshirt freshman cornerbacks Jarrell Williams and Shomari Moore. Moore had two interceptions during three scrimmages, including a 60-yard return for a touchdown.

Their progress is key because it would allow junior Karl Booker to move to free safety this season. Senior strong safety Muhammad Abdullah is one of the most valuable players on the team.

Cornerback Bo Smith's return from a serious injury suffered during an off-season fight is still ongoing. Many thought Smith was Kentucky's best defensive back before he suffered a fractured skull when he was hit with a baseball bat.

Final Analysis: Brooks was a questionable hire from day one. The main concern was, "Will the 61-year old coach have the energy and/or ability to recruit to a school in a state with minimal college talent after almost a decade in the NFL?"

During Brooks' first two full seasons, Kentucky's recruiting classes have received only an average ranking by analysts. UT should benefit from playing Kentucky late in the season when injuries and fatigue could affect the 'Cats questionable depth. If Brooks, who will be 63, is under the gun, then that's another distraction the Wildcats will have to deal with.

If the Vols are lucky and good earlier in 2005, the trip to Lexington should be little more than the final primer before the SEC Championship game.