This monday at Rose Bowl in a NCAA Football Matchup, the college football fans will be treated to a game between the Tennessee Volunteers and the UCLA Bruins when they take their seats.

Game: Tennessee Volunteers (0-0) UCLA Bruins (0-0)
Date/Time: Monday, September 01 - 8:00 PM EST
Spread: -8 Volunteers Total: 46
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A loss in its opener last season foreshadowed Tennessee's season-long struggle to win on the road. The Volunteers will learn very quickly if those troubles are going to carry over into this year.

The 18th-ranked Vols look to get off to a strong start when they open at the Rose Bowl on Monday night against UCLA and new coach Rick Neuheisel.

Tennessee went 9-4 last season to win the SEC East Division, and defeated Wisconsin 21-17 in the Outback Bowl to earn a No. 12 ranking in the final AP poll. While the Vols were one victory away from playing in a BCS bowl, they missed out on any chance to play for the BCS title because of their road woes.

Tennessee lost at California 45-31 in its season opener, and in its next road game two weeks later was crushed by Florida 59-20. The Vols finished the 2007 season 2-4 away from Knoxville - including a 21-14 defeat to LSU in the conference championship game in Atlanta - for their most road losses since dropping four in 1981.

Tennessee had trouble keeping up with its opponents away from Neyland Stadium, allowing an average of 39.5 points and 483.5 yards in road games, compared to 18.3 and 342.6 in seven home contests.

The Vols have been picked to finish third in the East behind Georgia and Florida, but even doing that won't be easy. After opening at the Rose Bowl, where UCLA has won five of its last six against ranked opponents, Tennessee plays its next road game at No. 10 Auburn on Sept. 27. Its third road contest is against the top-ranked Bulldogs on Oct. 11.

Tennessee's offense will have a new look this season, with Jonathan Crompton taking over at quarterback under new offensive coordinator Dave Clawson. Crompton has the luxury of playing behind five returning starters on an offensive line that allowed a nation-low four sacks last year.

While Crompton will be taking the snaps, he won't be expected to carry the offense. Clawson wants Crompton to get the ball to the team's biggest playmakers, seniors Arian Foster and Lucas Taylor.

Foster rushed for 1,193 yards and 12 touchdowns last season, and is 685 yards away from breaking Travis Henry's school record of 3,078 yards. Taylor had team highs of 73 receptions for 1,000 yards last year.

The Bruins, picked to finish fifth in the Pac-10, will also look different.

Neuheisel, a former Bruins quarterback, replaces Karl Dorrell, who was fired after UCLA went 6-7 last year and lost to BYU in the Las Vegas Bowl.

Neuheisel and new offensive coordinator Norm Chow, however, are experiencing the same problem the previous UCLA coaching staff had - injuries to their quarterbacks.

Patrick Cowan was expected to be the Bruins' starting QB, but he injured his knee in spring practice and will miss the season. Ben Olson hurt his foot Aug. 9 and is expected to be sidelined for two months, continuing the pair's run of injuries over the past two seasons.

The Bruins' early season success will now depend heavily on the play of third-stringer Kevin Craft, a junior college transfer who started five games at San Diego State in 2006, and backup Chris Forcier, a redshirt freshman.

Despite the injuries and a tough schedule that continues with a game at No. 16 Brigham Young on Sept. 13, Neuheisel is thinking positive.

These teams have not met since Tennessee's 30-24 win on Sept. 6, 1997 at the Rose Bowl. The Vols are 7-4-2 against the Bruins.

NCAAF Oddsmakers currently have the Volunteers listed as 8-point favorites versus the Bruins, while the game's total is sitting at 46.

Team records:
Tennessee: 10-4 SU, 8-4-2 ATS
UCLA: 6-7 SU, 9-4 ATS

Tennessee most recently:
When playing in September are 7-3
When playing on grass are 9-1
After outgaining opponent are 8-2
When playing outside the conference are 8-2

UCLA most recently:
When playing in September are 8-2
When playing on grass are 5-5
After outgaining opponent are 6-4
When playing outside the conference are 5-5

A few trends to consider:
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Tennessee's last 7 games
Tennessee is 6-1 SU in its last 7 games
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Tennessee's last 6 games on the road
Tennessee is 4-1-1 ATS in its last 6 games
The total has gone UNDER in 7 of UCLA's last 8 games
UCLA is 5-1 ATS in its last 6 games at home
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of UCLA's last 6 games at home
UCLA is 17-4 SU in its last 21 games at home

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