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To say Phillip Fulmer hasn't gone outside the Tennessee family to hire assistant coaches isn't true.  It's happened many times.   But this week's hiring of Dave Clawson as the Vols' new offensive coordinator is a landmark.

For the first time in decades, the guy at the other end of the headsets on game day won't have an extensive Tennessee background.    David Cutcliffe did.   Randy Sanders did. 

In the words of Jimmy Buffett, "I've got too much to see waiting in front of me".  I really try to abide by that.  So with that in mind, I'll only offer a brief look back at the local sports landscape in 2007.   Here are what I consider the 10 biggest sports stories of the past year:

I won't rank them.  I will leave that for you.   Which story was the biggest?

The Vols are glad to be going to the Outback Bowl in Tampa again, but recent history shows this may not be good.   The Vols have gone back-to-back in bowl games three times since 1999.    Their repeat trips have been dismal.

1998:  Fiesta Bowl  (Win)
1999:  Fiesta Bowl (Loss)

2002:  Peach Bowl (Loss)
2003:  Peach Bowl (Loss)

2007:  Outback Bowl (Loss)
2008:  Outback Bowl (TBD)

It was simply one of the most thrilling games I've witnessed. And that covers a lot of years. Given all the circumstances, the Vols 52-50 win over Kentucky in four overtimes will go down as one of the biggest in UT football history.

Tennessee's defense had former Heisman candidate Andre Woodson dazed and confused in the first half. UT ended the game with six sacks, and their most important tackle coming on a 2-point play that would have sent the game to a fifth overtime.

Playoff Debate

For anyone who thinks a college football playoff system is the fair and balanced way to end the national championship debate-- please cast your eyes toward Jefferson City. After ending their season with a 10-1 record, the Carson-Newman Eagles were shut-out of the NCAA Division II playoffs.

Saturday's 59-7 win against Louisiana-Lafayette was the Vols feel good game of the year. But that euphoria won't last long, especially if you saw what Arkansas did to South Carolina later that night. The Razorbacks #2 running back rushed for 163 yards and three touchdowns. And Felix Jones wasn't even close to what Darrin McFadden did. The Razorback's #1 back rushed for 323 yards and-- just like last year against Tennessee-- THREW for a touchdown. Don't think THAT didn't catch the attention of UT coaches watching the game.

Some random mid-October thoughts:

Hip Phrases

When did "random" become a hip everyday phrase? As in, I bumped into George Bush at the supermarket on Sunday. Random, huh?

That TV Thing Again

The Vols are playing better football, but they're still not prime time material. CBS has opted out of televising this weekend's game against Alabama. The announcement comes a week after the Vols were left high-and-dry, and only available on pay-per-view, for the Mississippi State game.

Apparently the Vols 2-2 start has scared off television executives. In the world of college football telecasts, Tennessee used to be a prime time player. But now they can't even play their way into a mid-afternoon appearance on a regional network.

The UT Sports Information Department issued a release last night announcing the Vols will play Mississippi State on October 13th, at 1:30pm CT. Later in the release, it was mentioned that none of the SEC's broadcast partners have elected to air the game.

When I saw former Vol Todd Helton in San Francisco four weeks ago, the Rockies were 6 games out of first place, with only a slim chance to make the Major League playoffs.

The reason for our meeting was to produce a story on Todd's Tennessee football connection. The Vols were playing Cal in Berkeley-- just 15 miles away. Helton was playing a three game series against the San Francisco Giants that same week. It was a timely convergence.

I realize I'm late getting this posted. It's taken me two days to find the imposter who commandeered my blog and said the Vols were likely to beat Florida. Let's just say, we won't hear from that person again.
Saturday was brutal.

Selfishly, the only good thing I can say about the Vols 39-point loss is that I wasn't there. I've been in Gainesivlle for a few miserable games, and, in fairness to UT's coaching staff, I've been there for a few thrilling wins (December 1, 2001 was one of the most memorable).