"No, I don’t wanna think about the bad times. Anyone could have a bad year. But I hear that voice in my head say, ‘here we go again.’’ — Everclear

The instructions on most shampoo bottles say, "lather, rinse and repeat." Not many folks do that, of course.

Those instructions are basically just a way for the shampoo companies to get you to run through your shampoo at twice the speed. And then buy more.

But if you’ve ever tried the "lather, rinse and repeat" routine, then you know all about "the shampoo effect."

The first time you lather up, it takes a little bit of work to soap up your hair. The second time you do it, the lather practically springs from your head.

The foam rises much quicker the second time around. And this isn’t just a hair-washing phenomenon.

I’ve heard tell of "the shampoo effect" being a concern for certain college buddies of mine who attempted "the hair of the dog" method of battling a hangover.

My guess is it applies to football as well.

If Tennessee doesn’t perform particularly well in today’s season opener versus Cal, "the shampoo effect" will be in full effect when it comes to the mood of UT’s fans.

Last year, it took three months and a loss to Vanderbilt to get parts of the fan base so angry and so loud that UT coach Phillip Fulmer actually found himself on the hot seat (a seat he hopes to cool today).

But if UT gives a poor showing today, don’t be surprised if all the negativity of last November immediately returns. Instead of, "we’ll turn it around," a lot of people will be saying, "here we go again," as they exit Neyland Stadium.

That’s why today’s game against the Golden Bears ranks among the most important in Phillip Fulmer’s tenure. Win and the fan base will start talking about the great 1989 turnaround (11-1 after a 5-6 season in 1988).

Lose ugly and Fulmer and the Vols could experience "the shampoo effect" when it comes to fan reaction.

"What’s the worry, what’s the hurry? Do you hear me, do you fear me?"

— Marianne Faithful

The talk of the town for the past month has been the play of quarterback Erik Ainge. Back and forth the chatter has gone.

"David Cutcliffe is back and he’ll fix him." "Oh, the kid never was that special to begin with." "But he set a freshman record with 17 touchdown passes in half a season!" "But what did he do last year?"

Ainge’s play is obviously important. But it’s not as important as the play of Tennessee’s offensive line. That’s the key to the Vols’ offense this afternoon.

If the offensive line performs well, Tennessee will be able to run the ball with Arian Foster and his back-ups. That will take pressure off Ainge and the passing game.

If the offensive line performs well, then Ainge won’t be running for his life and having to improvise in the face of a tough pass rush.

Though Ainge looked much more likely to dump the ball off to his backs during pre-season scrimmages (a welcome sight), Vol fans will still have lumps in their throats when No. 10 has to throw under duress.

Visions of the LSU and Notre Dame

games will no doubt pop into their heads every time Ainge is pressured.

So keep an eye on the offensive line. Especially when one or more starters come out of the game. This is where today’s game will be won or lost.

"I am the man, that’s what I am. I’m a straight shooter with a master plan." — The Philosopher Kings

It’s tough to predict season openers. You go by last year’s results. You take into account who’s back and who the newcomers are. You go by scrimmages and coaches’ quotes.

Well, all those things considered, I’m not so sure that Tennessee’s offense is ready to be consistent again. Yet.

False starts, motion penalties, mental mistakes, turnovers and sacks aren’t the types of things that aid 12-, 13- and 14-play drives. And I still saw a lot of those things in two of the three preseason scrimmages.

Maybe those problems will disappear this afternoon. Maybe they won’t.

If they don’t, then Tennessee will be right back where they were last year: desperately seeking big plays on offense. Last year, those big plays never came.

Running backs would break nice gains, then fumble through the end zone. Ainge would overthrow an open receiver. An open receiver would drop a perfectly thrown ball at the goal line.

Have playmakers developed over the past nine months? Have the coaches figured out better ways to get the ball to existing playmakers? Who’s going to be "the man?"

If the Vols aren’t consistent on offense, then playmakers have to come from somewhere. Will they? We’ll know in just a few short hours.

John Pennington hosts The Hall’s Salvage Sports Source on Sunday at 11 a.m. on WATE. He also writes a blog at govolsxtra.com.