The Tarhells are a fraud.

Go Dook!   

All I can say is two teams I despise. Too bad it can't end in a tie. I gave Clemson a reprise in early eighties, a high school teammate of mine played point guard for them, Marc Campbell, '80-'84. I resumed despising them when he graduated.

One of my college baseball team mates, who has been a good friend ever since those fun days of college, has a son who started at third base for the Tiglets for 3 years.  He was drafted a couple of years ago and is now in pro ball. 

While my good friend's son was playing there I still hated, despised, and loathed the rat bastard Tiglets as much as I ever did.   

The obvious answer is that I'm pulling for the largest meteor in history.

 

This.  Plus I hope a category 5 hurricane out of nowhere follows said meteor. 

What if we beat LSU in the SECC in 2001.   

The beginning of the more than a decade long downfall. 

First of all I do NOT wear ORANGE glasses.  Second Bandit I said I think he is overrated when people say he is a great coach.  He has won games against lower level of talent sure but he has beaten ONE and only one team with a winning record in THREE years.  That means he has his teams ready to play so it means he is doing his job.  So what if it is at Vandy or any other school, he is (along with the loosened admission requirements from Vandy enabling him to recruit some players that Vandy had not previously recruited - I have friends that work over at Vandy and have complained that Vandy is lowering standards to admit some of the players) a coach that has won games that any college coach should have won.  Also if you analyze the OOC schedule the last few years you will see that the Strength of Schedule is abysmal in regards to the other schools in the conference.  So he can win playing Wake Forest, UMass, Autin Peay, etc etc etc.  Could he have beaten Oregon?  (HELL NO it would have been as bad as we were skunked).  Franklin is not a great coach, but he has won some games and overall I would so far say the jury is still out on the Bald Headed West Ender until he competes with the big boys while at Vandy.  But iot does not look like this will happen since he is NOT going to stick around at Vandy.  I guess the administrations refusal to even think about a New Dudley Field or actually FILLING up a stadium when they are playing is the straw that broke the Franklin's back!!!

Finally Herb just because I disagree with you is no reason to say I am wearing Orange Colored glasses.  I frankly have a very logical viewpoint in looking at Franklin that includes analysis of the records and looking at the compilation of the wins and loses.  Franklin has done some good things but that does not make him a great/good  coach.  He has recruited against and won some players from the most god awful coach in UT history aka Fooley Dooley and he moved into a power vacuum within the state in the Kiffin debacle.  As I have said before the biggest mistake that was ever made was hiring a person that was not an athlete as the AD at UT.  He did not understand the "team" mentality and was the puppet of the guys with the dollars that he saw as the "heart" of UT's atheltic efforts.  Franklin was at the apex of the "perfect storm" in the state and it enabled Vandy to get some recruits.  Now with Butch Jones in the mix Franklin is getting to Twitter about Vandy losing recruits to UT not the other way around.   If Franklin sticks around (highly doubtful) we will see at his next stop whether or not he is a great coach if he can take things to the next level or if he is a flash in the pan. 

Sorry, Emeril.  I just don't see how one can discount what Franklin has done at Vandy.  I repeat at VANDY.  Blaming Dooley has nothing to do with the reality of what he has done there.  Yep, Dooley gave him an opening, but he not only opened that door, he kicked it in. 

Anyway you try to justify it, that's looking through orange colored glasses. 

I can't stand him personally, but he has won games where no coach has been able to win games before, down SEC East or no.  Credit where credit is due. 

However, with a wind chill of about 15 degrees there will be no golf today. 

Woosie.  You could at least go sit at the 19th Hole and enjoy a fine cigar and an adult beverage.  The bartender and waitperson still need to earn livings, you know. 

What if Kiffin had not told Tajh Boyd that he didn't "fit his system"?

Don't forget to ponder that Kiffin also ran off Bryce Petty, the starting QB of Baylor.  

As I recall you are in the Cedar Bluff area, correct? 

There is a place at the Hardin Valley exit off of Pellissippi Parkway called Double Dogs.  They have about a million big screens and I'm sure each of them will be tuned to the NCG.  The menu is good - I like their wings, and as they name might suggest they have many varieties of hot dogs, along with other burger and sandwich options.  Good selection of craft and domestic beers. 

I enjoy going there.  Nice atmosphere, and there will be people of all ages watching.  Usually fans from a lot of different schools there, too. 

["While such a meeting has not yet taken place with Briles focused on the first BCS appearance in school history for Baylor, a source told the Statesman that he would be willing to talk. Two other sources indicated that Briles would take the job if offered."]

Again, agreed.  Briles seems like he'd be a great fit at Texas... could they lure him you think?

Interesting story on Briles' interest in the Texas job:

http://www.burntorangenation.com/2014/1/1/5264614/art-briles-texas-longhorns-interview-baylor-bears-charlie-strong

"While such a meeting has not yet taken place with Briles focused on the first BCS appearance in school history for Baylor, a source told the Statesman that he would be willing to talk. Two other sources indicated that Briles would take the job if offered."

Really?  What objective measure would you base that on?

Here are the last four Rivals ratings for Vandy: 19, 29, 71, 61 (average of 45)

Here are the Rivals last four ratings for Tennessee: 21, 17, 13, 9 (average of 15)

Yeah, I know, recruiting rankings are not perfect, but that's a huge discrepancy.

What about NFL draft choices?  

Here are the last three years including this year's projections for Vandy:  2 (2012), 2 (2013) , 4 (2014 projected)

And Tennessee:  1 (2012), 4 (2013), 6-7 (projected 2014, depending on what AJ decides)

I have to admit, Vandy having 4 this year is impressive, but overall in the last three years (factoring in that this year is only projected), we have put or will put 16-17 players in the NFL (not including undrafted free agents like Bray and even, lol, Simms) while Vandy will put 10.  That's still a pretty big difference IYAM.

You do hit on a couple of keys. Vandy's talent has been playing together three years with a good coach and learning how to win, while ours was getting mind fizzleed by Dooley.  And yes, QB is a key position and they had plenty of experience and us none.

But it's hardly "laughable" to say Tennessee is still more talented than Vandy.  You can look at the last two years of recruiting under Franklin and say they are certainly catching up, but Butch is taking care of that.  

Your argument is just further proof that he has done a great job at a school that hasn't won many games since the modern era of college football began with less talent than a lot of the teams he beat.  Using your argument he took lesser talent and coached it up and beat teams who had recruited better players on paper.  

Anyway one spins he he has done a great coaching job at Vanderbilt - let me repeat that, it's Vanderbilt - in a short period of time.  9 wins in year two, and 8 in year three with one left to play speaks for its self.

And I repeat - I can't stand the rat bastard, but that doesn't mean I don't give the devil his due.  

Our fan base would've condoned it and made every excuse in the world for Miles. And, sadly, I would've probably found it in myself to have forgiven him, too. That's what sucks about sports fandom. We're too easily persuaded to support throwing precious resources at thugs who should be in jail. This should not be a win-at-any-cost game. That's the road we've been headed down for some time now and the final destination isn't pretty. Just ask the kids who Jerry Sandusky molested who might've otherwise been protected if college football wasn't placed on a pedestal above accountability and moral decency. Or perhaps Mr. Hernandez's latest murder victim.

Forgiveness isn't the issue.  We should all forgive, but issues shouldn't be forgotten to the point that they are accepted as the norm. 

Being accountable and paying the penalty is the issue. 

So is Cutcliffe an "outstanding coach" ?   

Yes, he is.  Asking the Manning family and UT fans how outstanding he is.  When UT had him as the OC the UT offenses were prolific.  When UT didn't have him as the OC the offenses were either adequate or below adequate. 

Not every outstanding coach makes an equally outstanding head coach, however.

And this wasn't a comparison between Franklin and Cut.  Two different coaches in different stages of their careers at two different schools in totally different conferences.  That's an apples and bananas comparison.

All you say about the SEC East is true, but the bottom line is that Franklin's Vandy teams beat those "down" teams.  Past Vandy teams would have still lost to those teams and more.  No matter what spin one puts on it, Franklin has brought Vandy up to the next level (I said next, not top) in a very short period of time.  The guy is a hell of a football coach.   

How do you give up a 99 yard 35 inch TD pass? 

You just can't let a receiver get behind you there - period. 

Stupid Bulldogs. 

Came in to the new year with my definitely better other half listening to the Dirty Guv'nahs at the Tennessee Theater.  Great show.   

It's on ESPNU.  That should tell you something about that alleged bowl game.  

It's simple economics but I do hate it for the women who aspire to take their game to the next level and make a career out of basketball. Of course what it boils down to is whether those of us who would like to see the ladies have some of those same opportunities as the men want it bad enough to shell out money for tickets, merchandise, etc. As for me, I guess I don't.

Yep.  And let me make myself clear - my opinion has nothing to do with the fact that the WNBA is obviously a women's league.  I am an equal opportunity avoider (if that is a word?) - I don't watch the NBA, either.  Just not interested in professional basketball. 

The reality is that the WNBA has been around long enough that if it isn't paying for itself it doesn't need to be operating.  It's no different from any other business.  The NBA actually extended its financial commitment to the WNBA much longer than they intended. 

It's time to fish or cut bait.  If the fans want to see the WNBA continue they need to pay for it. 

Again, agreed.  Briles seems like he'd be a great fit at Texas... could they lure him you think?

Texas has more money than most nations in the world do.  If they want Briles they can make it happen.  He's obviously done a great job at Baylor, but he'll never play for, much less win a national championship there.  He can win a national championship at Texas.  

He is in fact a heck of a coach, but I still think Texas would or should prefer Briles. If what Franklin did at Vandy is impressive, well Baylor is not a much better situation.  In fact, Baylor is kind of the "Vandy of the big 12".  Granted, Texas is easier to recruit in, but Baylor was/is a top 10 team this year with one loss and the Big 12 champion.  And even if the rest of the Big 12 is down, so is the SEC East as Emeril points out.

So he is a good coach, but unfortunately he will be around a while longer.  That's good, because we owe him at least two ass beatings.   OTOH, if Briles turns down the fake UT, good riddance.  Vandy will return to irrlelevance and that has to be a good thing.   

Yeah, I'm not advocating for Franklin to get the Texas job, and in fact I'm not sure he would be a good fit there.  Texas is one of those jobs where it has to be the right personality.  Mack Brown just never was the right personality.

One more thing to add on Franklin at Vandy - he's only in his 3rd year there.  It's not like he's had the 4-5 recruiting classes to make the program all "his own".  He's been able to take lower rated recruiting classes that came before him, done a good job in raising the bar in recruiting (with some help from more academic exceptions from the Vandy admissions folks), and he has coached up his players.  I honestly don't see how one could look at where the Vandy program was before him and then looked at it objectively now and not come to the conclusion that he is an outstanding football coach.  

I dislike Franklin and Vandy as much as any other UT fan.  He's an arrogant asshat. 

That said, he's an arrogant asshat who is a hell of a football coach.  I don't care how down the SEC East may be, to take a Vanderbilt football program that has won nothing in the modern day of SEC football to a 9 win season last year and another possible 9 win season this year is an incredible coaching job.  For Vandy to win 9 games, coming from where they have been and even if they were all against the Little Sisters of the Poor, is a story that most who follow college football would have never believed possible. For years they lost to the LSofP, and everybody else they played, too.

As I said, he's an asshat.  The rape scandal is inexcusable, but what Franklin has done from a recruiting standpoint and as an X's and O's coach is impressive and not hard to see if one takes off his/her orange colored glasses. 

 

[and]

I'd trade the "whatever" bowl that candy is playing and the Liberty bowl for the Alamo bowl for sure.

I'd be quite happy even qualifying to play in the Salad Bowl right now.  Our program just needs to be playing past the Kentucky game.  The fans need to have that bone thrown to them. 

87-52 Final. What a surprise. We couldn't score at all against pretty much anybody last year.

Quote corrected. 

We've had trouble scoring against air in practice at times under Double Live Cuonzo. 

Things went way too well for us in the first half. 

Hope that doesn't even out with an epic meltdown in the second half.   

But then I can't believe we lost to LSU in the SECCG. 

The beginning of the end for Phillip Fulmer and the begin of the slide that continues today. 

If memory serves it was Buck Fitzgerald who made the defensive play on the 2 point conversion attempt.  Buck didn't make many plays for UT but that was definitely the biggest of his career.