Tennessee and Georgia will meet this Saturday in a battle of undefeated SEC heavyweights.
On the surface, it seems like the Vols, ranked No. 1 in the College Football Playoff rankings and tied for 2nd in the AP poll, have a tough task ahead of them playing at Sanford Stadium.
However, former Tennessee quarterback Erik Ainge isn’t worried. In his estimation, Georgia’s homefield environment is overhyped.
“Playing between the hedges is overrated,” Ainge tweeted earlier this week. “Not that loud and definitely not intimidating. It’s nothing like playing in Neyland. Vols will be just fine in Athens!”
While it might seem like Ainge is out of his mind for saying that, consider this: in his four seasons at UT (2004-07), the Vols went 3-1 against the Bulldogs and 2-0 in Athens.
That was a long time ago though. Since then, Georgia has become a powerhouse, while Tennessee slumped up until this season.
The atmosphere at Sanford Stadium might be a little different this Saturday than Ainge remembers it.
We’ll see if the Vols have what it takes to get it done between the hedges.