Both Tennessee and Florida learned a lot about themselves after the 23-13 Florida victory last Saturday. The Gators might not be the untouchable #1 team they seemed to be, and the Vols still have some fight in them.

Tim Tebow and company were supposed to wipe the floor with Tennessee and were favored by 30 points. But when Eric Berry knocked Tebow flat on his back, the Vols made a statement that they weren’t going down easy.

This game was an all-out war between two SEC teams and rankings didn’t matter. If a few key plays had gone differently, this game could have gone either way. But in the end, Florida was the better team and came out on top.

Though Tennessee lost the game, they now have some of their swagger back that they had lost after the UCLA game. The Vols head back to Knoxville this Saturday to face the Ohio Bobcats.

Ohio should be an easy win for UT, but blowing the Bobcats out isn’t the focus of this game. It is critical that Jonathan Crompton plays well and gets a confidence boost. Tennessee needs Crompton to be ready to face upcoming SEC opponents Auburn and Georgia.

Crompton needs to work on getting into a rhythm on his throws and work on his accurarcy downfield. Against Florida, it seemed everytime Crompton threw a ball further than 15 yards it would be intercepted. This passing needs some serious work if the Vols expect to convert on long third downs.

The running back tandem of Montario Hardesty and Bryce Brown has emerged as a legitimate 1-2 punch. Also with freshman David Oku showing some promise, this backfield could turn into a 3-headed monster. The running game is the strength of this Vols offense and these two backs should tear right through the Ohio defensive front.

The Florida game showed that the Vols have a championship level defense and arguably the best defensive player in the country in Eric Berry. If Lane Kiffin can get his offense back on track, this team could be near the top of the SEC East.

Saturday’s game versus Ohio will be a stepping stone for the Vols to get ready for SEC play.
My prediction: Tennessee- 35 Ohio- 7

Quote of the century- After the UT- Florida game. CBS sideline reporter: “Coach Kiffin, I guess you won’t be singing Rocky Top tonight like you planned, but what did you think of the game?” Lane Kiffin: “Pardon me? I can’t hear you. Rocky Top is playing right now.”

Tonight, the Cleveland Browns take on the New York Giants at Cleveland Browns Stadium, nestled comfortably in the heart of the Midwest. Thus far into the 2008 season the Browns have not done as well protecting their home turf as they did last year when they went 7-1 at home. Already, two writers here at Midwest Sports Fans have predicted a win tonight for the Browns in their Monday Night Football matchup against the currently undefeated Giants.

And while the Browns are clawing their way to a tough, hard-fought, highly significant victory this evening, Cleveland residents, and anyone planning on visiting the city, have the opportunity to enter a contest for a chance to chance to win a significant victory of their own.

PositivelyCleveland.com is sponsoring a contest that honors Cleveland’s history as the Rock and Roll Capital of the World. All you have to do is follow this link to the Cleveland Rock and Roll In the Know Sweepstakes and fill in your name, email address, and phone number to enter.

The winner of the contest will receive four tickets to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, along with a private guided tour with the museum’s curator. According to official contest rules, entries must be received by this Friday, October 17th, at 11:59am.

There are plenty of compelling reasons to enter:

1. Did you know that the first ever rock and roll concert was held in Cleveland in 1952? I did not. Hence, the presence of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland.
2. Should you be chosen as the winner, you can make an entire week out of your trip to Cleveland. You can take your tour of the greatest music museum in the world, shoot on down to Canton and visit the Pro Football Hall of Fame as well, see the Goodyear blimp in Akron (also the hometown of LeBron James), and enjoy some outstanding parks and golf courses during your downtime.
3. Brady Quinn is still wearing a hat and holding a clipboard, so if you profess your support for John McCain and Sarah Palin, as Brady Quinn did recently, he might be compelled to accompany you on your tour. (Disclaimer: This claim is by no means guaranteed and is, in fact, utterly preposterous. Do not plan a trip to Cleveland hoping Brady Quinn will be your tour guide. Who knows — if the first half goes badly for Derek Anderson tonight, Quinn could actually be playing.) As of right now, Brady has nothing better to do, and he is obviously a rock and roll fan as evidenced by the picture of he and Brett Michaels from Poison to the right.
4. Our very own Ryan Russell, a Cleveland native who predicted a victory for the Browns tonight and is also a professional musician for The Franchize (who recently played a show at the Playboy Mansion), has been to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame “50 times” according to him, and thinks it’s a necessary trip for any music fan.
5. Karma. The more fans of the city of Cleveland who enter the sweepstakes, the better the Cleveland Browns chances of beating the New York Giants tonight and winning the AFC North. Don’t believe me? Well, answer me this: can it hurt? No. But it could, possibly, in some cosmic way help. To me, that says zero downside, but huge potential for upside. Right now, if you’re a Browns fan, you should be doing everything to increase this team’s karma and good fortune!

Prove your fan loyalty and sign up for the Rock and Rock In the Know Contest right now. Then come back here and leave a comment with your prediction for the score of the game. Whoever comes the closest to the actual game score (assuming a Browns victory — remember folks, we win and lose as a team) will receive two free passes to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, independent of the sweepstakes. We’ll roll the free passes over to next week if the Browns somehow come up short tonight. (Hint: There is NO incentive to pick the Giants to win. We’re all about boosting the Browns karma here at Midwest Sports Fans, objectivity be damned. Let’s see how long of a comment thread we can get of overwhelming Browns positivity!)

Aren’t you glad you kept reading?

So go sign up for the contest, leave your comment and score prediction here, and then cheer your heart out for the Browns tonight. The Season of Great Expectations is at a crossroads this evening, but a victory puts the Browns back on a positive track. We’ve already given you our predictions for the score of the Browns’ victory. What is yours?

[tags]cleveland, cleveland browns, rock and roll hall of fame, pro football hall of fame, ohio, contest[/tags]