I love fried Spam and eggs.    

This conversation gives me a headache. Have you ever noticed that we all say the same things every time it comes up?

And, yet, I read it anyway. 

And the Fulmeristas will never admit that Fulmer had gotten lazy and was not the same coach the last 5-6 years of his UT tenure that he was the first 10. 

I know, so does everyone else, what your stance is on Fulmer.  My point is UT couldn't have been fired soon enough for the anti-Fulmer crowd.  "Kick him to the curb, wee can do better than this!", we were told.  Well?  We're still hoping that 3 years from now we might actually be competitive.  I realize Dooley and Kiffin have nothing to do with Fulmer, and that the real problem is the hires that were made after Fulmer was gone.  But what if Fulmer was given another year, and then fired?  My bet is we wouldn't have ended up with Kiffin and Dooley then.  But those of us on the fence about Fulmer were wary of this.  I knew it wasn't like it was in the 90's anymore, but firing Fulmer did not guarantee things would be better.  Of course, no one could've predicted Kiffin and Dooley.. but in hindsight right now it looks to me like we could've avoided all these losing seasons potentially by handling the Fulmer situation differently.

And yes, I realize we're beating a dead horse here but you started it.   

Nope. Firing Fulmer at the time wasn't the wrong thing to do.  Hiring Kiffin and then Dooley were the wrong things to do. 

Fulmer put himself in the situation by being lazy in recruiting and failing to make coaching changes when they needed to be made because he let personal relationships get in the way and refused to do what needed to be done professionally.  Keeping him another year wasn't going to change the direction of the program.  There's just nothing to indicate he would have made necessary changes. 

Clawson was a scapegoat - plainly and simply. 

Cause the last 5 years have really been a breath of fresh air.  

So, what do Dooley and Kiffin's tenures have to do with Dave Clawson? He wasn't here.  

Is it just coincidental that Clawson was successful at Boling Green?  

Clawson couldn't move while he was at UT because Fulmer was sitting on top of him. 

Clawson was a scapegoat.

I'd better shut up now. 

Agree with that.  I am a Henry Co grad so I was glad they did that...but when they passed on 4 straight downs with 2 mins to go...I couldn't believe it.  They were gashing us in the rushing game.

Yep.  West had 1:45 and two times out when they got the turnover near midfield.  Their kicker has a very strong leg, and only needed to get to the 25 to have a great shot at making a game winner. 

Big fan of West coach Scott Cummings, but West terribly mismanaged that opportunity, just as my Powell Panthers did late in their game against Henry County two years ago. 

I finally got around to looking at the scores. Webb, Fulton, Alcoa, and Maryville won their titles by a combined score of 151-42. 

Interesting that in the 8 divisions, East TN won 4 titles, West TN won 2, and Middle TN won 2 . . . yet the growing crop of football talent in the state is coming mostly out of Middle TN.

Yep, and West went brain dead, or they would have beaten Henry County.  Should have been another Knoxville area team who won the gold ball. 

I have looked at the schedule, and it's pretty danged tough, just as this past year's was.

I see 6-6 IF we can hold serve over the teams we are supposed to beat, and if the stars align correctly.  Anything better and Jones would be worthy of coach of the year consideration. 

This is a very good class coming in, but they are true freshmen and many of them just aren't going to be ready to contribute yet.  It's going to take 3 classes of blue chip types before UT is ready to ascend towards the upper half of the SEC standings. 

The playoffs are over.  Link to Blue Cross Bowl results:

http://tssaa.org/2013Champions/StateFootball/bluecross.htm

Michigan State played awful against Notre Dame and had some of the "Notre Dame magic", aka bad calls by the officials that Notre Dame always seems to get in their favor, work against them at a couple of key points in the game. 

Read on TOS that the Tennessee Titans are a sponsor of the Mr. Football awards and they gave UT coaches the tickets.....Clemson was the ones not invited. Don't know if it's true or not but that's what I read.

I do know this....if Malone had committed today to Clemson a huge majority of UT fans would be raking Butch and company over the coals for letting Clemson out recruiting them....including Clemson showing up for the awards ceremony and UT coaches didn't.

But the reality is that the UT coaches knew the guidelines and were denied tix by the TSSAA, too.  Both circumvented the TSSAA and went in the side and back doors, and both are the reason the TSSAA is rewriting the "guideline" to make it a hard rule beginning next year - no college coaches at the event.  It's not a recruiting opportunity type event.  

It's the old Bill Clinton "depends on the definition of what is is".  It's the TSSAA's event.  They make the rules.  The ends don't always justify the means.  

Much ado about nothing.

You just made my point.  Take off the orange colored glasses, and then tell me that there is nothing wrong with going to an even that is an invitation/ticketed event when you've been told that you aren't invited. 

I am glad Butch was able to sneak in.  Screw the TSSAA. 

Yeah, to hell with protocol and that thing about being told by the organizing hosts that it isn't an event for college coaches.  Whatever it takes.   

I don't see that it's a huge deal. But that may be just me and my bias...because personally I think it's TSSAA that is out of control (not on this issue; just in general).

As I posted on another forum, I am not a fan of much of what the TSSAA does, but they got this one right.  Two things:

1.  The TSSAA turned down Kliempsein's request for tickets and told them is was not an event for college coaches and recruiting.  They went around the back door and came anyway.  UT knew about the policy as well, and went in a side door. 

2.  This event is to honor ALL of the Mr. Football finalist and winners, and not just the ones who happen to be BCS level recruits.  Having those coaches there takes away attention that ALL of the honorees deserve, and not just a few, or in this case one who is a recruiting target of the ONLY two schools who went around protocol to send not just one, but multiple coaches there dressed in their school attire. 

I didn't go to the luncheon yesterday because I wasn't on assignment to cover it, but I have covered about a dozen of these luncheons at both the Opryland Hotel, where it used to be held, and now at the Ebassy Suites in Murfreesboro.  Not once have I ever seen a college coach there in a recruiting capacity, much less multiple coaches there for the purpose of being seen.  I've talked to a couple of media buddies who were there and both have said that it was a disgusting display by both sets of coaches. 

And let me say again, I am not a fan of the TSSAA in general, but this is their event, so it's their rules. 

Kliempsein was told no, but still showed up at the Mr. Football Luncheon and Presentations.  But there's more, UT showed up, too. 

The college football recruiting process is completely out of control. 

http://www.dnj.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2013312020039

Per ESPN and a couple of other sources.

Looks like Franklin is staying at Vandy. 

Enough sense and class to decline?  LOL!  Crazy talk.

In our state of affairs you take any and all extra practice time and game experience you can get.

Well, Vinnie, you know enough about me to know that I am indeed crazy.

That said, a bowl game invitation has traditionally been issued to reward teams for good seasons.  There is no way 2013 can be spun as a good season for UT.  

And, yes, it would be the class thing to do to decline in that situation, the way I see it.  

That depends whether it's the 3-year average or the most recent APR. We'd make the cut if it's the most recent.

And I agree with most of you fellers . . . if the opportunity falls in UT's lap, we'd be foolish not to do it.

While I disagree with several of you, that's ok.  Just discussion.  My thoughts have always been that a bowl game is a reward for a good season.  5-7 anyway you try to spin it is not a good season.  

That said, CO, you are on campus every day and understand the budget issues that many don't.  That leads to my question - if UT were to somehow be invited to a lowest tier bowl game the payout most likely wouldn't even pay expenses.  Is that something that the powers that be are going to be open to, given the budgetary issues at UT right now?  I realize that the money would come from UTAD funds and not University funds, but even the UTAD is struggling to say in the black as well.  How would losing money to go to a lowest tier bowl game go over on The Hill right now?  

Just a question for discussion.  

UT play in a bowl game after this season?  I hope the powers that be at UT would have enough sense and class to decline.  UT doesn't deserve nor need to be in a bowl game this year. 

Tarhell fans are right there behind Kliempsein fans in my book. Arrogant and oblivious to the real world. 

but he's no ...well you know.

......... Freddie Kitchens.   

Y'all know that I am a Dy'shawn Mobley supporter from the get go.  I watched him grow from a street kid in to one of the hardest working and most dedicated athletes anywhere.  He overcame a ton of obstacles that many wouldn't have been able to overcome to get the opportunity in life that he has in front of him. 

Y'all also know that I am a UT fan by birthright and have been a donor and season ticket holder for over 30 years now, although I don't get to go to as many games as I used to because of my work responsibilities. 

That said, I have found it humorous to read some of the other boards trashing Mobley today still claiming he wasn't "good enough" to play at UT.  It seems odd to me that a guy who just averaged over 8 yards per carry less than 24 hours ago against the same team they claim he couldn't play for wasn't/isn't good enough to help UT.   

One of those things that just makes me go hmmmmmm.  Where do they come up with this stuff? 

A kid (well, he's 28 years old, but still a kid to me since he grew up with my son) who played high school football with my son and then on Saban's first national championship team at Bama co-hosts a morning call in show on the sports radio station in Tuscaloosa.  I feel sorry for him having to take calls from the death wishing Bama fans and the gloating Auburn fans tomorrow.   Hope he takes some Tylenol before the show.  He'll need it. 

Boy, I hate that all my Alabama neighbors are upset this morning.   

Yep.  I've got some upset Alabama relatives this morning, but I also have a couple of very happy Auburn relatives. 

Rat Bastards lose.  I hate that.