Just caught the last minute...glad we won, but not the greatest effort, I guess.

rut row!

If it comes down to the end and we have to make a play.......we are screwed.

To be fair, we made plays at the end of the last game, even if it was Troy.

I am going 35-31 Vols as my straight prediction, but factoring in intangibles, I will go 42-28.

Kennesaw State is horrible They won 1 game last Season

Wow, I didn't think such a bad record was hardly possible.  I suppose at some point a bball team has gone winless the entire season, but I don't recall hearing about it.

And let me make clear...when I say we "expect Dooley to win these games" I don't mean we are PREDICTING he will.   

I mean that our EXPECTATIONS at Tennessee are that we should beat Missouri, Vandy and Kentucky, even in a down year.  Or "he had BETTER WIN these games, or he really suxes".

Thought I should clarify that.   

I didn't realize this until just now, but the NCAA keeps up with schedule toughness for PAST, FUTURE, and CUMULATIVE (total season) games. 

As of today, our PAST schedule is the 7th toughest in the country (before Troy we were third)

http://web1.ncaa.org/mfb/2012/Internet/toughest%20schedule/fbs_9games_cumm.pdf

Our CUMULATIVE or total schedule is 31st

http://web1.ncaa.org/mfb/2012/Internet/toughest%20schedule/fbs_9games_cumm.pdf

And our FUTURE schedule (last three regular season games) is all the way down at 106st 

http://web1.ncaa.org/mfb/2012/Internet/toughest%20schedule/fbs_9games_future.pdf

We all pretty much knew that we had a tough schedule through USCe, and that the last four games were softer, but man does this put it in perspective and quantify it.

This is in no way an excuse for our previous performance.  I think we should have another win or two.  It doesn't really say anything, you can read into it what you like.

I will say this...we all definitely expect Dooley to win these last 3 games, while wondering if he can.

The numbers above show HOW BADLY we should win IMO.  Our PAST schedule is 7th in the country, and our remaining games are 106st!  Wow, if Dooley can't climb that mountain.....holy crap.

http://www.salon.com/2012/11/08/karl_rove_reaps_the_whirlwind/

”This time, the October surprise was not a dirty trick but an act of God. Hurricane Sandy interrupted Mr. Romney’s momentum and allowed Mr. Obama to look presidential and bipartisan”

So God has spoken...and Obama is President!

LOL!   I don't care for Obama at all, but IMO Republicans are being punished for the many sins of George W Bush, one of the worst Presidents in history.   

You point out that Romney is out of touch with us commoners, and maybe he is.  However, if you think that Obama is any more in-touch, you're as crazy as wanting to keep Dooley around.    (that last part about "crazy" was in jest)

Hm, not sure what you mean.  I am no fan of Obama's but he is likely to be more in touch with common people than Romney. He did come from the middle class.  Of course, it's been awhile since he was middle class, so he probably is out of touch now, but I doubt he has forgotten his roots.

You may mean that Obama surrounds himself with a bubble and feels immune to criticism.  If so, I have no doubt at all that this would be true.  Both Obama and Bush in their first debates as incumbents looked shocked...literally shocked...that anyone would talk to them that way. Because, as the most powerful men on Earth, they are pretty much surrounded by a bunch of butt kissers who have a hard time speaking unpleasant truth to them...or so I suspect.

Good to hear he is doing better, and I hope the animal that did this goes behind bars a long time.  Maybe he will like the prison tech school a bit better.

Iggles can and will pay more, so he may go.

Believe it when I see it...

Nooooos!

I did hear Andy Reid was about to get fired.  Iggles fans, weigh in.

I don't want Reid...I think half his problem is personal, his son died of an OD, so I really don't want him.

Seriously though...if Gruden is considered "all that" there may be some other good NFL coaches out there.

Jim "Playoffs!" Mora is doing a great job at UCLA, believe it or not.

[It wasn’t about Tennessee taking anything from Alabama."]

Lance Thompson should have been offered the DC anyway, IMO.  I heard that he wasn't interested, but also heard that he got passed over.  He had been the LB coach at bammer, and they offered the DC slot to the current LB coach.  So why not go back to bammer. Thompson hardly can be blamed.

Further, Lane made a big deal about getting Lance from Saban's staff, partially due to the fact that Lance is an outstanding recruiter, and Saban seemed upset to lose him. 

Whereas, when Sunseri came to UT, Saban publicly endorsed him.

http://espn.go.com/college-football/story/_/id/7458507/alabama-crimson-tide-sal-sunseri-leaving-job-tennessee-volunteers

"Sal is an outstanding coach and really did an excellent job with each and every responsibility he had while he was here at the University of Alabama. Although we hate to see Sal go, we understand this is an opportunity for him to grow in this profession and take on the role of defensive coordinator," Alabama coach Nick Saban said in a statement.

The upshot is that I think Saban put one over on Dooley.  Endorsed Sunseri..."he's ready to be a DC" ..."He really is!"...or whatever, and totally fizzleed us.

But look what we see here...

http://www.mrsec.com/2012/01/checkmate-bamas-saban-takes-thompson-back-from-uts-dooley/

Dooley:  “I told Nick when I called him that it is a hard call because it wasn’t about a Tennessee and Alabama deal… And I was really pleased at how professionally he handled it.  And we have a friendship, too.  So that will never get compromised.  It wasn’t about Tennessee taking anything from Alabama."

Oh my....that is certainly true.   

Listening to Herman Cain talking to Robin Meade (OK, so I'm looking at Robin Meade) and he is stumping like crazy for himself.

I hope he runs again for the comedic value.

New post...this editor gets me every time.   

Back to my point about the 47%.  It shows to me, that Romney was in fact out of touch with most ordinary Americans.  I don't think he or most politicians have any idea what it takes to support a family of four on less than 50K a year, and he insulted these very people.  Who, ironically, were among his biggest supporters!   

It's in line with comments like "I'll bet you 10,000" (did you see the look on Perry's face, lol).  "I know NASCAR owners and I love NASCAR" or, replayed from a March show on Finebaum as I pulled into the voting booth parking lot yesterday, "I know the owner of the Jets, I know the owner of the Dolphins, and they are wonderful people but I prefer for Peyton to go to Denver because I am a New England fan and Robert Krause is one of my best friends". 

The reason Obama was able to exploit the perception that Romney was an out of touch wealthy heir who really didn't have to ever worry about money is because - well, he is.

Having said that, I have no doubt that there is still a rather large percentage (just not 47%) of our population that is dependant on the government and is unwilling for that to end.  And I definitely think that needs addressing.  I just doubt the politicians have the will to do it.  But I will be hopeful for a couple months anyway.  Let's see what happens by January (53 days to the fiscal cliff!     )

I thought about voting for Johnson, but did not.

I didn't like either major party candidate, but with Romney, the main problem I had was that he offered to cut taxes 25% across the board and failed to say how he would address spending, entitlements, and the debt.  Because, as you point out, neither side wants to tackle those.

The Republicans want to cut taxes and increase spending anyway, the Democrats want to increase taxes and spend even more.  Either way, you get a burgeoning and unsustainable debt.

I am mildly optimistic that they can compromise somehow on the "fiscal cliff".  Personally I hope they follow the Simpson-Bowles recommendations, and limit entitlement growth coupled with less deductions.  That will make a huge dent in future debt if so.

But I suspect they will keep slinging mud at each other to avoid taking any responsibility for the mess we are in.  I guess we'll find out.

I will push back on the 47% comment a bit though. First, it's not that 47% don't pay taxes, it's just the percentage that don't pay INCOME taxes.  Everyone employed pays payroll - social security and medicare/caid - taxes.   And that's a much larger percent of the population than 53%.  This website states that only 17% pay "no taxes at all".

http://www.cbpp.org/cms/index.cfm?fa=view&id=3505

Second, of the percent that pay no taxes at all, many are retirees who should not be taxed, many of whom have no actual retirement and mostly depend on social security.

So the 47% was way overstated, and IMO reflects a widely held misconception that there are more "slackers" in thie country than there are. 

"Joe the Plummer" was turned into an icon by McCain, who ended up featuring him at rallies in 2008, for asking Obama why he was going to raise his taxes.  Laughably, it turned out that Joe the Plummer was one of the 47%. He only made 38K a year and paid no income taxes.  This  perfect example illustrates exactly what I am talking about.  The perception of slackers feeding at the trough is way overblown.

Having taken a shot at Joe the Plummer, let me make it clear that I totally respect him as a person who works (or did  I think he might be living off his celebrity now) for a living.  So I would say that, using him as an example, there are many people that have a family and make less than 50K who work and pay no income taxes and I don't look down at them for that.

Goes to show what a cluster-fizzle Hamilton pulled.  Kiffin?  I still say "who the hell is that"?   

Simply an awful hire.  Losing record at Oakland and accused by AL DAVIS of having character issues.  Good gawd!  WTF was Hamilton thinking.

Well Virginia and Colorado were both close, but went for Obama.  Those were tossups anyway.

Looks like I missed on Florida.  Florida was closer to being a toss-up than I thought.

Oh well, it was interesting following this...

LOL,did You ever want to go to Notre Dame?

No, not go there, but I did like the football team.  My first real year of following CFB was 1977.  Followed Notre Dame from the Purdue game, when Montana came off the bench in the third quarter and led them back from a 3-TD deficit, to the Cotton Bowl where they crushed Earl Campbell and undefeated, no 1 Texas 35-7 even while taking a knee at the 2 of Texas with time running out.  They drilled SoCal 49-14 that year when SoCal was at the height of the Robinson years.

Montana didn't start until the third game of the year, and Notre Dame actually lost their second game to Ole Miss, of all teams, on the road.  Without that loss, I would tout them as one of the greatest teams of all time.

I suppose you could say they were from the Purdue game on.....

Olivia Wilde as Leia...because she's HOT!  And frankly, she is descended from British royalty and looks like a princess, so why not.  She may be too young though.

The dude that played Indy's son in Raider's 4...Shia LeBeuf...as Luke.  Why not take on all the Lucas legacies.  (LOL! - just kidding). Ummmm.  DiCaprio?  Have no idea.

Hard to say who Luke could or should be...no idea actually.  I am pretty bad with actors...just really DGAS about celebrities. Not one to read the tabloids or watch Entertainment Tonight.

Han Solo...hard to say really.  Harrison Ford is one of a kind.  That would be tough.  Does he need to be middle aged, or relatively young?  Answer depends on that.  Could Liam Neeson pull it off?  Nah, too serious.  Robert Downey Jr.?  That's the best I can do in five minutes.

I would actually prefer that they focus on a whole new generation and bring in the actual actors for cameos as old dudes, while they are still alive, but that may not be what Lucas had in mind, and I want them to stick with his plan.

Strong says he will not leave Louisville, and Tom Jurich will not let Strong leave Louisville. 

I forgot about that.  But in spite of what Jurich says, Strong has to recognize that Tennessee is way better than Louisville.

I'll never forgive my mom for selling all my Star Wars stuff in a garage sale.  I had probably 75 of the figures, An X-Wing, Tie Fighter, Millenium Falcon, Landspeeder, and probably more that I can't remember.  That stuff would be worth a fortune today.

Wow, the figures would be worth a lot, in the box, definitely and even out of it.

I was in the 5th grade when Star Wars came out, and my mom babysat a 5 year old at the time.  He had every single action figure and would bring them with him to our house.  I thought they were so cool that I would sometimes "help" him play with them, I am not at all ashamed to admit.   

I still have the original Obi Wan figure that I found in the street one day.  Light saber is long gone, probably worthless, but I have it.  I also have a tie fighter and X-wing of the miniature variety.

If we can't win it, I'll be pulling for Indiana.  I've always liked them the best of the "Big 6".

My home state until I was 15...definitely my second favorite college team.  Oh wait, I have to move Purdue ahead of them since I have  degree from there...but it's close.   

Glad to see them finally back.

Clearly, they ponied up that dough just for Willow and Labyrinth. 

Thanks for the update guys, glad to hear it.  While I am a huge Star Wars fan, I haven't been hanging breathlessly on every press release by Disney, so I actually had no idea that the sequels were the main reason they made the purchase, as you seem to imply.  For all I know, they might sit on the product and collect merchandizing like they did for years with the Muppets, though they eventually did do a Muppet movie or two.

So...sequels to Star Wars.  All for it! I hope that they follow Lucas' general idea for the movies, at least.  He was a bad to horrible director, but his overall storytelling ability is among the best IMO.

OSU is a tough place to win at considering how big Oklahoma and Texas are there. He gets My respect for winning year after year with the competition They have!

The thing about OSU is that T Boone Pickens has donated $100 million to them, just like Phil Knight (I think?  Nike guy) has donated tons of money to Oregon.  Although OSU has nowhere near the tradition that UT has, right now they are a better program than us, and he is deep into building their program.   I doubt he would leave OSU for anywhere, to be honest.  Maybe USC if Kiffin gets fired, but I would be willing to bet that T Boone is happy with the progress at OSU and would pony up a bit to keep him there.

I mean, if you spend $100 million on a freaking college football team, what's a couple more million a year to keep Gundy.   

But yeah, Gundy is A MAN!  Who is FORTY YEARS OLD!   (or was....)   

Edit: The better question is why I'm sitting on the toilet at 3:30 a.m. crunching numbers in the midst of a season in which I've already stated that I've entered DGAS mode. 

DGAS, or CGAS?  CGAS would explain the long post.