Scoop: Fulmer Under Fire, Speculation Rampant on Replacement

Tennessee is off to its worst start in 20 years. That’s not good news for Phillip Fulmer. Saturday’s game at Georgia was billed as a “must win” for Fulmer. His Vols fell to the Bulldogs 26-14, are now 2-4 and in danger of having their second losing season in three years.

The future for Fulmer does not look good. One more loss probably does the Fat One in. Barring an upset of Alabama and a running of the table, it’s very likely the Vols will have a new coach in 2009.

Early names include Duke Coach David Cutcliffe, Tampa Bay Bucs Coach Jon Gruden, North Carolina Coach Butch Davis, UCLA Coach Rick Neuheisel and Wake Forest Coach Jim Grobe.

South Carolina’s Steve Spurrier and Auburn’s Tommy Tuberville are two names that have been tossed around over the past month. Both seem to be extreme long shots at this point. Spurrier seems to have fallen out of favor due to his age, although he is still younger than Bobby Bowden when he won his first national title. Tuberville has his own problems at Auburn. The Vols are trying to escape mediocrity – not make it a permanent situation, which would seem to eliminate Tub.