In case you want to hate Justin Wilcox, remember, he's one of us.

Oregon may be playing an SEC team Saturday, but they might as well be preparing for the WAC.

While you might think that’s a stinging statement about the current state of the Volunteers football program, it’s actually where the Ducks are going to find most of Tennessee’s game film.

That’s because new Tennessee coach Derek Dooley brings his system from WAC school Louisiana Tech while defensive coordinator Justin Wilcox hails from Boise State.

Yeah, that Wilcox, the former Oregon defensive back and, more recently, the bane of Chip Kelly’s existence.

While most acknowledge that Oregon has a decided advantage in this game, some are pointing to the Wilcox factor in making an argument for Tennessee.

After all, in two games against Oregon, Wilcox’s Broncos held Oregon to a total of 40 points.

Most famously, he was the architect of the defense that held eventual Pac-10 champion (and offensive juggernaut) Oregon to just 8 points to open the 2009 season. Word on the street is, Wilcox has Oregon’s number.

But it’s not that simple. The Ducks were breaking in four new starters on the offensive line last year. They looked disorganized and, well, new. LeGarrette Blount was the feature back while LaMichael James got all of two carries. And a guy named Kenjon was barely an option. Simply put, that wasn’t the 2009 Oregon offense that became so prolific.

It’s also not the offense that Oregon brings to Knoxville on Saturday. The offensive line is completely intact from a year ago while James and Barner will be the most prominent playmakers.

There is the matter of quarterback. Darron Thomas is facing his first road test and it’s a doozy. Then again, he’s the quarterback responsible for 19 of the 40 points a Wilcox team has surrendered to Oregon. And he did it on just five drives in one quarter.

The Wilcox factor is probably being overplayed. It’s a catchy angle to look at and given the magnitude of last year’s game, it has some staying power among the media. But as far as relevance to what Oregon is capable of doing in 2010, it’s not that big of a deal.

Consider what Kelly said in a Portland Tribune article:

“I know Justin’s running the defense. But, we’re not playing against Justin Wilcox, we’re playing against Tennessee. It’s a little different animal.”

Indeed it is. Different players, different circumstances, different game. And while Kelly also said Tennessee looked “schematically similar” to Boise in its first game, the success of Oregon’s offense usually has more to do with its own execution than anything an opposing defense does to stop it.

Worry more about Rocky Top and humidity. Kelly can handle the Wilcox problem.

“We made sure to let the national press know that a win against the 16th ranked BYU, which is now unranked, is not as strong as Boise State’s signature win against No. 16 (AP) Oregon, which is now ranked eighth,” Cole said. “Those are the types of things that dictate what our positioning is in terms of reminding media and getting stats in front of [the media] just so they can be honest and not ignore Boise State.”

After Oregon’s win over USC last week, the firm reminded media members that Oregon’s only loss came at the hands of Boise State and that the Broncos held the Ducks to several season lows, including points and total yardage.

The whole argument centers around Oregon which amounts to 8.33% of the season.

The blog demands better so it got to work doing some of that investigative journalism that was all the rage back when newspapers made money. What I found was that this PR firm has made similar arguments before.

2009: The firm was hired to promote the English pop band Right Said Fred to reach out to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame:
	In 1992, you might remember that Right Said Fred had one of the top hits of the year in I’m Too Sexy. In fact, did you know that in February of that year, it was the #1 rated song? Michael Jackson’s, at the same time, was only rated 8th. This rating is not as strong as Right Said Fred. Don’t forget this one-time legendary group while voting on your next set of inductees.
1977: Sony hires Scott Peyron & Associates to promote its Betamax technology and addresses consumers throughout the world:
	Take a hard look at Betamax. It’s a superior technology. While everyone else is in complete agreement that VHS is the preferred format and the superior machine, we know that if you actually give Betamax a chance, the machine will prove itself better than what you’re currently hyped on.
2005: The firm is hired by Chevrolet to run a smear campaign against industry rival Ford:
	Anyone who saw the Edsel that Ford debuted in 1957 can attest that the company is an epic failure. Sure, it’s true that since then, Ford has more top sellers by a 3 to 1 ratio with cars like the Focus, the Explorer, all those F-Series trucks, the Taurus, the Mustang and the Escort, but let us not forget that Edsel. Man, it was a disaster.