My question is this. Who is the most proven winner we can get? Petrino is clearly #1 and I think it's hard to make an argument for someone other than Patterson at #2.

I don't understand why everyone thinks that Petrino is all that.  Besides the noise at his three previous stops, the guy broke STATE LAW by hiring his girlfriend and opened up Arkansas to a ton of legal problems.  Now look at his record.  Does he score alot of points, sure, however his defenses have always sucked.  Everytime Petrino went against LSU and Bama, he got blown out and his great offense scores nearly nothing.  We play bama and UF every year, which they will always have great defenses.  Do you really want to beat up on the other members of the SEC only to lose to UF and Bama each and every year?

could Dooley be far behind?

Not doubting you, but where are you seeing this?  It isn't on the ESPN SEC Blog, which you would think Lowe would have an article on.  Also, I can't find any media source in Alabama claiming this?

State has gotten exposed the previous 2 games.  Their D Line can't generate a push (sounds familiar) and their DB's can't cover (sounds familiar).  Their soft schedule masked alot of the problems. 

LSU was more physical than Bama and it looks like the light finally went on in the QB's head.  If their QB plays as well as he did against Bama, I think LSU rolls in this one...big!

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

I will believe that if we offer him and if he turns us down.  Remember, Saban wasn't going to be the next coach at Bama either.  It isn't like Strong is going to come out to the media and say he hates Louisville and is going to leave the first chance he gets.  And Jurich isn't going to say their cap of paying their football coach is X.

Btw, Basilio's source says the short list includes Mullen, Strong and Petrino.

Petrino would win immediately, no doubt. But this guy has caused a train wreck everywhere he has gone. Do not want.

Strong, I like.

I'm not sure Mullen would leave Mississippi State for Tennessee, and I'm not impressed with him anyway. I know everyone was salivating over MSU being a ranked team. I had a MissSt buddy tell me when UT was playing them that I shouldn't feel bad because UT was getting beat by a top 10 team. I laughed at him and said that MSU isn't even a top 25 team...their ranking was due to their incredibly weak schedule. Now that they have started to play good teams, they're getting exposed. Big time.

Agreed...this is what I posted on another site....

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2009 Mississippi State 5–7 3–5 T–4th (West) 
2010 Mississippi State 9–4 4–4 5th (West) 
2011 Mississippi State 7–6 2–6 5th (West) 

His first year at State was 2009 and they finished tied for 4th.  The previous two years he has been fifth in the west.  He has 4 cupcake non-conference games a year, plus UK as their permanent opponent in the East, and Ole Miss has been horrible since his tenue at State.  So, he has 6 wins already built in every single year.  The man has beaten one top 25 team in his tenue at State, has a head coaching record of 28-19 as of right now, and a 12 - 17 record in SEC play.  How is this such an upgrade from what we have right now?

Well since it's in Nashville it wouldn't surprise me at all.  We don't even quite outnumber them every single year even when we are good.

Sorry Bandit, but you are just plain nuts.  Every time we play in Nashville, there is just as many, if not more, UT fans than Vandy fans.

That does suck.  The Commercial Appeal had a story on him yesterday and said he favored the vols.

Or that a range of options are being considered, depending on how it goes from here.

Again, FWIW, this is all playing out so far based on a hunch I have, which is just that, a hunch.  But so far....

Bandit, you keep saying you have a hunch but never tell what that hunch is, which is funny.  Why don't you enlighten all of us about what your "hunch" is.  Why be so close to the vest about it anyway?

I've been resisting this idea because I find the thought that Cheek is working against UT athletics preposterous because of how short-sighted that would make Cheek. The man could be a lot of things but I don't believe he's an idiot.

You have to truly live in an ivory tower to think that a downgrade in the importance of UT athletics is necessary for its academics to shine. No, I think it's more than that . . . you have to live in such a tower to believe a downgrade in UT athletics won't hurt its academics. A guy like Cheek-- who spent his entire career at a major SEC school with numerous successful programs and championships while having very good academics for a public school-- surely must understand that you can't expect people in the south to detach themselves from football but still feel just as passionate about their university. That is wishful thinking at its very best.

This is why I still don't think Cheek is playing the role in this that is rumored. I'm still inclined to think it's conspiracy nonsense that goes back to irritation at hiring two administrators (DiPietro and Cheek) that had spent a number of years at UF.  Maybe we'll find out the truth sometime.

Totally agree Clockwork.  No one knows what is going on behind close doors.  I honestly don't believe some of the "rumors" out there that Cheek is working against Hart.  I would think if that was the case, that several media outlets would be reporting this.  I haven't seen anyone reporting that except people that think they are in the know!  Unless I have missed something...please someone correct me if I am wrong....but I have seen nothing like that stated from a reputable media source.

With that said, Cheek spent his time at UF which has a strong athletic program.  I would believe he would understand about needing a strong athletic program.  Also, people talk about Cheek wanting to improve the academic side like it is a bad thing.  I think most people fail to realize that UF, UGA etc are all national ranked acedemic wise and are a top 25 school, which is what UT is trying to achieve.  Those things have more to do with research dollars than anything, which has nothing to do with athletics. 

With all that being side, I still believe if we lose one of the remaining games that Dooley will be gone.  Whether we like it or not, nothing was going to happen before the season was over.

Kiffin put a great product on the field here considering what he had to work with, but he's not doing that at SC. That having been said I think he only has 75 scholarships this year, but I could be wrong.

Not quite....the scholarship reductions start next year.

This really is the slowest defensive LB and DB I can remember, plus their geometry skills are non-existent.  Pursuit angles are definitely not their strong suit.

AMEN..I have never seen such horrible pursuit angles in all my years of watching college football.  There was one play in the SC game that drove me crazy.  I believe it was their first touchdown.  Our guy ran a straight line towards where the receiver caught the ball.  Did he not think the receiver was going to advance downfield any???

Also, another thing that has driven me crazy this year is our guys have no clue how to use the sideline as an extra defender.  Time and time again, someone goes down the sideline and all we have to do is force them out of bounds and we don't.

Too Funny!

Vinnie, what's the little guy dressing as?  Mine is winnie the pooh.

I disagree.  Hunter has a child if I am not mistaken.  If he goes to the combines and puts up very strong numbers, the NFL will draft him early and the money will be hard to turn down.  I do agree that I wish he would stay for his Senior season but can't blame him if the money is there.

This morning he's backtracking, saying it isn't going to happen and blaming it on Cheek, with the implication that Cheek isn't willing to pony up the dough to make it happen.

That just sounds illogical to me. There's no way Hart would have been prepared to go forward with a public announcement in 12-13 hours if he hadn't already discussed it with Cheek. Scratch what I said about FL98 being as solid as anyone, I guess.

Exactly, Cheek has been involved from the beginning.  You don't go to your President 12 hours before the press conference. 

His appeal to an entire generation of players and parents is undeniable. And we know that college is at worst 60% about players.

I know some don't like the guy and I'm not even sold that he will be a success but right now Tennessee needs to make a splash. There is not a coach out there that would splash like Jon Gruden. He has a great gig, one of the best jobs in sports, and to leave that to come coach UT?

Plus I think he could get some fairly good assistant coaches.

I don't know why he would leave bama for any other school....he currently has it about as well as he could imagine.  If Tejas offers more money, the mouth-breathing crimson hordes will take out an equity loan on their many trailers and counter it.

Plus, Tejas might not be as willing to look the other way on the massive cheating that bammer is almost certainly doing.   

I strongly disagree.  For someone like satan, he is not driven by money.  He has all the money he could ever need/want.  However, he does have a huge ego.  If he wins another championship at Bama, what is there left for him to achieve there?  Would his ego drive him to try and duplicate that at a huge place like Texas or would he want to try the NFL again and see if he can be successful there instead of the failure that he was????

They did have one new formation in this year's circle drill than in previous years.

First off, where is Hart going to get the big money to hire a Big Name coach? If there were a big donor willing to pony up the cash, where were they the past four years when UT has been paying fired coaches salaries?  The answer is simple; they do not exist.

UTAD has zero cash reserves and cash flow is very bad if any of you have been listening to Hart.  UTAD has been donating big bucks to the university and this administration will never let that cash cow go in tight fiscal times.  Unless the university president is willing to let UTAD keep $5M to $7M a year to spend on coaches, all this talk of Gruden if just talk.

Once again the majority of fans are going off and losing touch with reality and imagining that dreams are now the truth.

If it is Gruden, fine.  But do not hold your breath because I just feel almost everyone will be disappointed.  Outside of Hart, a select few in UTAD and Athletics Board, and Hart's bosses. no one knows.  All these internet rumors, confidential or reliable sources, whatever...no one but Hart knows.

Remember all the sure thing rumors the last two times?  How many Defensive Coordinators were a sure thing, the deal is done, an agreement was made.... before we finally hired one?

Just remember that old saying "There's a sucker born every minute."

73....you are way off base.  First of all, big donors do exist.  Heard of Thunder Thorton, the Haslim family?  They just paid $1Billion for an NFL team.  So don't think that big donors don't exist.  Plus I love this idea that the UTAD is financially strapped.  First of all, there are alot of accounting tricks that make nonprofits and businesses look like they are losing money.  Secondly, UTAD just combined athletic departments for men and women to save money, which is the way every other school has their athletic department.  Third, the university gives money to the school which they are not required to do.  Fourth, UTAD is self sufficient and receives no state money.  There are only a handful of unversities who are self sufficient.

Now do I think the "cash reserve" fund is low, sure.  But the same thing happened at Bama when they hired Satan.  Their cash reserves were very low but look what hiring a big name coach got them.  They are now swimming in cash. Big donors didn't step up in previous years because they didn't have confidence in the AD.  However, I think Hart being at FSU and Bama makes these people believe that he knows how to hire a big time football coach.

Season ticket holder in Memphis here.  I will be at the Missouri game for sure.  Probably not for Troy and UK is still up in the air.

Like I said in an earlier thread....Time and time again, you can see that Hamilton, while a great fundrasier, knew nothing about hiring a coach.  He screwed up when he fired Fulmer without having a replacement hire in his back pocket.  I have greater hope in the coaching search with Hart at the helm since he was at FSU and Bama and knows what it takes to be successful in football.

Exactly!  Time and time again, you can see that Hamilton, while a great fundrasier, knew nothing about hiring a coach.  He screwed up when he fired Fulmer without having a replacement hire in his back pocket.

I am of the camp that says wait for the year to play out, but I am also in the camp of Dooley has to beat someone with a pulse.  With that said, assuming we are in the market for a new coach, I have greater hope in the coaching search with Hart at the helm since he was at FSU and Bama and knows what it takes to be successful in football.

Thanks guys.  I still can't believe I am not in Knoxville today!

So we planned a huge tailgate this weekend in Knoxville.  All the regulars plus some fraternity brothers from conn., seattle, and Nashville.  We were leaving this morning to head east.....until my 15 month old son spiked a high fever last night.  Took him to Dr today and he has a virus that will last 3 - 5 days, so....no knoxville for me and my wife!  Part of parenthood, but still sucks!

To everyone in knoxville, yell your lungs out and let's beat those gators!

I believe the stadium is going to be rocking....the fans are really into it this year.  I can't wait to get to Knoxville!

I figure UT still has wrinkles that UF hasn't seen either.  I understand your other corners are good, but they haven't ever played with two playmakers like we have at WR, not to mention a great TE.