If you have ever been to a game in Knoxville, you know the
lyrics:

Wish that I was on ole rocky
top,

Down in the Tennessee hills.

Ain’t no smoggy smoke on rocky
top,

Ain’t no telephone bills. 

Unfortunately
for Volunteer fans, there ain’t been no big wins on Rocky Top in a while,
either.

Quarterback
Josh Dobbs and coach Butch Jones are trying to change that this year.

The
Volunteers come into the 2015 season with their highest expectations in quite
some time – remember the Manning years? – and are hoping to claim their spot on
top of the SEC East.

“We
expect to win,” Jones said Tuesday at SEC Media Days.  “We don’t just hope to win anymore.”

The
bright orange-clad zealots have been through a rough patch recently, as the
program has been searching for right successor to the legendary Phillip
Fulmer.  Lane Kiffin was in Knoxville
just long enough to start getting his mail delivered.  Derek Dooley, son of Vince, seemed more interested
in the right outfit to wear than recruiting and winning games 

Now,
in his third year, Jones has the pieces in place to be a contender.

Sure,
his 12-13 record over the first two years as UT’s main man won’t exactly jump
out at you, but he was taking over a program that did not have the talent that
a school like Tennessee is used to.

Whether
or not the Vols will take that leap will most likely depend on Dobbs.  The 6’3, 215 junior took over for Justin
Worley last November, played well in the last six games and capped it off with
a TaxSlayer Bowl MVP.

That’s
great and all, but this year he must do more. 
The sure starter coming into the fall, Dobbs has emerged as a leader for
the Vols, and will be counted on both on and off the field.

“He
(Dobbs) is way up there in intelligence,” Jones said.  “He has proven himself.  We know what we’re getting from him  We challenged him this spring to be what we call a ‘CEO quarterback’.  An individual who owns the team, owns the offense, can solve problems on his own and provide the leadership and stability that you would expect from that position.”

The
SEC Eastern division is winnable for Tennessee, but the key game for Dobbs,
Jones and the program will be September 26 in the Swamp.  Florida is rebuilding, but that doesn’t mean
they won’t be ready to knock their rival’s expectations down. 

Win
that game, and they will have a leg up on the East, with Georgia coming to
Neyland Stadium on October 10.

“There
has to be a defining moment at some point in your program,” Jones said.  “Maybe they win a game their not supposed to
or finally it all gels and comes together and it clicks and everything you have
been preaching, all of a sudden it comes to fruition.  We are not just building a team, we are
building a program.”

Volunteer
fans have been faithful through this rebuilding process, continually filling
Neyland with more than 100,000 spectators. 
Now, it is up to Jones and his team to start rewarding them.