Soon-to-be a senior Erik Ainge got better as 2006 progressed and so did the Volunteers. Look for Ainge to be one of the better QBs across the land in ‘07; ergo Tennessee will be better in the process as well. He has a stable of RBs from which to choose. Between them, they have over 1300 yards rushing on their resume. Despite some success, they still had problems getting the ground game working against some of the better SEC defenses. The task of improving the ground game will have to occur without All-SEC tackle Arron Sears as the left side of the OL will soon be depleted. Some new receivers will have to step into supporting roles to compliment returning leading WR Robert Meachem, who managed to amass over 1265 yards worth over catches in ‘06 (18.9 average). Tight end could also be considered one of the Vols' strengths with Brown and Cottam back in the mix. In short, locating targets should not be a problem for Ainge. The middle of the DL falls into the key loss department, but finding tackles has never seemed to be a problem for this coaching staff. If Tennessee has a major concern it may be at CB. This unit may not be such a rebuilding process with the return of a healthy Inky Johnson, who is one of the better cover men in the SEC. After failing to make a bowl game in 2005, head coach Phil Fulmer made some coaching changes. The results worked well, and Tennessee is right back into the SEC East title race. While it may be difficult to place this team in an early Top 10 status, they could easily get there before September ends. With a healthy Erik Ainge leading the charge, the Vols are (least of all) assured of duplicating their recent successes. Along with Florida, these are the two teams to beat in the East.