Today On Rocky Top: Lady Vols Are Preseason Favorites

Mar 2, 2012, Nashville, TN, USA; Tennessee Lady Vols players celebrate after defeating the Vanderbilt Commodores during the second round of the SEC tournament at Bridgestone Arena. The Lady Vols beat the Commodores 68-57. Mandatory credit: Don McPeak-US Presswire.

From WBIR

"Southeastern Conference coaches have made Tennessee the preseason favorite to win the league title.Tennessee, the SEC’s defending regular-season champion, received 11 of the 14 first-place votes in the coaches’ poll that was released Tuesday.Kentucky, picked to finish second, received the other three first-place votes. LSU was picked to finish third and Vanderbilt fourth. South Carolina and Texas A&M tied for fifth in the balloting."

From the Washington Post

"Tennessee quarterback Joshua Dobbs has a reputation as a quick learner on the field and in the classroom.Now the freshman is eager to show just how much of an education he received last week in his first career start. Dobbs showed flashes of potential, but committed three turnovers in a 31-3 loss to No. 9 Missouri."

From Bleacher Report

"Since they don’t play every season, the Tennessee-Auburn football game has lost a bit of the luster it used to carry when the teams were annual rivals.But recently, this game has been as streaky as UT’s rivalry with Alabama. Much like the series against the Tide, the Vols have come out on the short end of the games against AU lately.UT has lost five consecutive games to Auburn since last winning 24-0 in 1999. Before this current run, the Vols enjoyed a 5-0-1 streak against the Tigers, according to UT’s game notes."

From Tn Sports Radio

"Michael Palardy almost didn’t play at all on Saturday at Missouri.The senior specialist’s back locked up on him last Thursday, confining him to the training table.“I couldn’t sit, I couldn’t lay down and I couldn’t stand up without having pain,” Palardy said. “I came into here and the training staff did an awesome job at getting me ready. I just tried to work out that muscle. I didn’t really have any idea what happened.”Palardy progressed throughout the week. On Friday the injury was “touch and go”, according to Tennessee head coach Butch Jones. By game day, Palardy said he knew he was going to be able to give it a go."