Can't spell "Suck it, Lane!" without UT

After being jilted by the hot, young thing they left their wife for, Tennessee appears to be running back to the old ball and chain, as Phil Fulmer Jr., errr David Cutcliffe is considered the clubhouse leader for the head coaching job.

Cutcliffe has nine wins in two seasons at Duke, which is like 20 wins at any normal school. But his biggest achievement was making Ole Miss just good enough to get himself fired.

Texas defensive coordinator Will Muschamp and Air Force coach Troy Calhoun have each issued the standard coaching hire denials: "Who? What? I've never heard of them before. Tennesse? Don't even know where it is."

Bowl Preview: Chick fil-A Bowl

Chick fil-A Bowl
GeorgiaDome, Atlanta
Virginia Tech vs. Tennessee
Date: Dec. 31
Time: 7:30 p.m.
TV: ESPN
Line: Virginia Tech -5

About Virginia Tech (9-3): Typical Va. Tech. Run the ball, defense, special teams. Don't pass well and have a self-inflated team ego because they hammer crap teams in the ACC. And hell, they couldn't even win that league this year.

Intangibles:
Blacksburg: -1
Bruce Smith: +2
Corey Moore: -1
Michael Vick: -2
Marcus Vick: -4

About Tennessee (7-5): Our boy, Lane Kiffin, did a decent job with a Vols team that was questionable at some key positions. Tennessee managed to win seven games essentially without a passing game. Now, if Lane could just keep his big mouth shut. And not violate an NCAA rule every five minutes. That would be good.

Intangibles:
Daddy working for you: -1
Stupid NCAA with their "rules": -4
All Orange Unis: -4
Vol Ladies: +3

Impact Player: Tennessee quarterback Jonathan Crompton. Seriously, dude, complete some passes and your team has a good chance to win. Play the way you normally due and, well...

Bowl slogan: "Winner, winner, chicken dinner."

Little Known Fact: Phil Fulmer really loves Chick Fil-A.

Watchability (1-5): 4

The pick: Tennessee 21, Virginia Tech 18

Ladies and Gentlemen, your Houston Gamblers...

The Georgia Bulldogs showed up to the World's Largest Cocktail Party with black helmets and black pants. It didn't make much difference, of course, as the 'Dawgs seemed far more interested in seeing how much trash they could talk and how many penalties they could commit. I think they won both of those events.

But the unis? Ugh.

And tonight, Tennessee is wearing a black jersey with orange pants.


Listen up SEC, alternate jerseys are for NBA teams and college football teams with no sense of history. If you're a college football program that changes its uniforms every four or five years, it's because you suck.

Today's notes: Talk about a dangerous precedent

A few thoughts from the blogosphere:

- Geez, Chip Kelly, just cause you got crushed and one of your players cold-cocked a Boise State player, don't give the money back. I'm still waiting on my money from Ohio State for the 1999 Outback Bowl.

- Lane and Urban, sitting in a tree. B-I-T-C-H-I-N-G.
Okay, boys, break it up. This thing's over. Urban, stop talking about the flu. Lane, quit acting like you won. This is football. Grown ups football, boys.

- Irish quarterback Jimmy Clausen has lost his favorite jump ball target, Michael Floyd, for the rest of the year. Charlie Weis hints that Big Ten refs were probably to blame.

Game Day - thoughts so far

- What in holy hell is Oregon wearing now?

- If I thought Tennessee could move the ball at all in this game, I might have been tempted to pick them...to cover. Now that I say that, the Vols are moving down the field...

- Ohio State recovered fairly well with a 38-0 shutout of Toledo, but man, the Rockets defense is horrific. HORRIFIC. I don't know exactly what that says about Colorado.

Pryor ran, threw, etc. but there are still a lot of problems with this offense. Namely the lack of a steady running game. Really like freshman RB Jordan Hall, who looked the most natural RB the Bucks have. The defense was outstanding again. Frustrating to watch Tressel discover the QB sneak - a week too late. Still, a good win heading into Big Ten play.

- nice effort by Minnesota against Cal, but not quite enough. Gophers hurt themselves with some dumb penalties and missed opportunities. Loving the new stadium.

- Michigan struggled to stop the run against Eastern Mich in the first half, but made some adjustments and have now equaled their win total from last season.

I'm not settling in for the afternoon.

Kiffin hired at UT, swears he'll be home by midnight

One of ESPN's horde of bloggers/reporters/online dudes is reporting that Lane Kiffin will take over at Tennessee on Monday for retired/fired Phil Fulmer.

Wow. Gutsy, but I have a hard time believing this hire is going to work out. Kiffin hasn't done much but be an offensive coordinator at USC and have a horrid job as the Raiders' whipping boy for crazy Al.

Rumors already have Kiffin bringing in his Dad, Monte, a longtime NFL defensive coordinator along with former Ole Miss coach Ed Orgeron who can recruit like crazy.

eh. I still don't see Tennessee as a good place for a 33-year old with no head coaching experience at the college level.

Tennessee-UCLA Live!

OT - great win for UCLA. Killer miss for UT. I was pretty much wrong all around on this game. And I couldn't be happier.

:00: I jinxed the hell out of that one. going to OT. I like UT in the overtime. UCLA thought they won with that last score. Tough to come back from this.

:27 UCLA scores. wow. Have to wonder if after the last two years, Fulmer will ever take his team to the West Coast again. I'm no Neuheisel lover as I find him a smug, arrogant jerk who thinks he's above the rules - but it's nice to see the SEC lose. does this start the Phil Fulmer early retirement plan? I'm probably talking too quickly. Still time left for a FG.

:49 Kevin Craft has turned into Troy Aikman in the last two drives. UCLA ball at the UT 28.

1:54 Fourth quarter: UT nice drive with short passes and smartly didn't give up on the running game. You could see UCLA's defense wearing down at the end of the drive. 21-17 Tennessee.

6:51 Fourth quarter: Wow. UCLA scores on a heck of a drive for QB Kevin Craft. Guess I'm the idiot. Blackledge is waxing poetic about Kevin Craft but the playcalling was different. Screens and slants were the difference. no deep stuff over the middle until that pass to the TE in which the safety got completely turned around. Also, interesting to see former OSU recruit Adam Myers-White from Hamilton playing OLB for the Vols. Myers-White was a DB in high school.

10:09 Fourth quarter: Somehow, one drive could win this for UCLA. Hard to believe. But they're across midfield with short throws and UT backed up in a zone. Have to believe UT will tighten up soon.

12:26 Fourth quarter: Big punt return for UT, but now it's third and nine. They just can't get the knockout blow. big sack for UCLA. gotta love how hard they're playing. long field goal attempt....and...delay of game. gotta punt it now, Fat Phil.

:16 Third quarter: I thought Crompton was a runner? I haven't seen the kid take off once. Wasn't he supposed to be mobile?

1:40 Third quarter: 14-10 UCLA kicks a field goal. Craft completes some nice short passes, but takes a bad sack on a play he should have audibled out of. Still, the Bruins are very much alive. UT just can't seem to put this one away.

6:41 Third quarter: By the way, Todd Blackledge and apparently Rick Neuheisel's worry that taking out UCLA QB Kevin Craft would "shatter his confidence" is, uh, completely ridiculous. He just tossed four INTs in the FIRST HALF. He's got no confidence - RIGHT NOW. Make the change if his backup can play at all.

10:17 Third quarter: UCLA lives! A fumble inside the 10 keeps the Bruins hopes alive after Jonathan Crompton morphed into Andy Kelly on the last drive. Memo to Rick and Norm: DO NOT THROW THE BALL DEEP or at all if you can help it.

Hafltime: 14-7 Tennessee
This seems like one of those games that's going to get out of hand in the second half. UCLA just has too many holes and can't make enough plays to overcome any kind of deficit. And if UT is smart, they'll just keep pounding. - Phil

:23 2nd quarter:
Letting Kevin Craft continue to sling the ball around like he's still in a meaningless game at San Diego State hurts the Bruins. Why are they throwing the ball at all at the end of the half? Gotta know the limitations of your players, Rick.
- Phil

4:12 2nd quarter:
It's becoming clear UCLA will have to win this game with duct tape and spit. They've got a quarterback who cannot throw the ball past 10 yards and no running game. UT may not have much more. Cromopton is under the impression his receivers are all Lew Alcindor. Not sure why UT is not just pounding the ball. Why even mess with the pass? - Phil