The State of Tennessee

This year's Volunteer team is one of the most talented ever in Phil Fulmer's years at Tennessee. What has happened? The answers are being said at Voluminous.

I say it is the loss of Brent Schaeffer to the College of Sequoias in Visalia, Ca. I am just being facetious, but Schaeffer's athletic ability might have jump started a Volunteer offense this year that has been rather stagnet.

Does Tennessee need to make a coaching change? The things that are happening on Rocky Top, do not usually happen on well coached teams.

Since winning the national title in 1998, Fulmer and Tennessee have gradually gone down in performance every year. Fulmer has gotten some the best recruiting classes in the nation since 1998, but has only one BCS bowl to show for it.

Peach Bowls and Cotton Bowls are nice if you are a Gamecock, but not a Volunteer. The fans of Tennessee deserve better. There is no reason in the world why Tennessee should lose more than three games in a year, let alone four in the first seven games. With a trip to Notre Dame this week and a potential landmine against rival Vanderbilt, the Volunteers may finish under .500 for the first time since 1988.

Ironically, 1988 was the year Steve Spurrier took an underdog team (Duke) into Knoxville and beat mighty Tennessee, 31-26. History does tend to repeat itself. A 5-6 season would all but seal Fulmer's fate in my opinion, but the guy did win a national title and should be entitled to at least one lousy season.

The problem is Tennessee was not rebuilding this year, nor do they have insurmountable injuries. Riggs just got hurt last week, and UT was already 3-3. The Volunteers are just not getting it done on the football field. Players play and coaches coach, but both work together to win. Tennessee ain't winning, and it is easier to get rid of one head coach than over 100 football players.

Norm Chow is coaching in the state of Tennessee these days. Chow has been itching to get his hands on a college program. I doubt a major program like Tennessee will hand over the reigns to a first year head coach like Chow, but former Florida State offensive coordinator Mark Richt has done wonders at Georgia in his first head coaching stint.

CHOW'S THE MAN!