So as an avid Oregon alum who’s been intimately following the team, traveling the country to see them play for more than 20 years I have to say our looming road trip into SEC country is one of the more exciting road trips in recent memory. Recent road trips to Ann Arbor and Madison have topped my list but this trip should be a lot of fun as we get to experience Neyland Stadium and all the pageantry of Rocky Top football. Before I say anything, I think most Oregon fans have the utmost respect for the tradition of UT and it’s conference. Oregon fans recognize we don’t have hats to hang on national championships or Heisman Trophy winners, that we are still shooting for that.

• I want to know where Tennessee fans see this game, is there an excitement at getting a shot at the defending Pac-10 champions who will probably be ranked in the Top 10? Or is this some no name team from all the way out in the sleepy Pacific Northwest with ugly uniforms, swaggering into Neyland Stadium only to get slapped back to Eugene because the mighty SEC is that good?

I’ll be at the game, and we’ve got a few houseboats where we’ll be starting Thursday afternoon 9/9, establishing the ‘Oregon Navy’. We hope to have a large contingent of Oregon fans greeting our team as they leave Friday’s walkthrough. Should be a great intersectional matchup on national TV.