You don't always have to wait until the week of a big game to start preparing for a opponent.

Tennessee might have an opportunity to use the last quarter or so of Saturday's game against Vanderbilt as a "scrimmage" to prepare for No. 3 Auburn in the SEC championship game in Atlanta.

That sort of thing happened just three years ago when the Vols were blowing away the Commodores 38-0. UT turned its attention to Florida in the middle of the Vandy game, and rightly so.

Jumping the gun by assuming another cakewalk for No. 15 Tennessee? Not really. Just being realistic.

Vanderbilt (2-8, 1-6 SEC) has never defeated Tennessee (7-2, 5-1) when the Vols were ranked in the Associated Press poll.

Never. We're talking about a streak that dates to the mid-1930s when the polls started.

Look at what happened in 2001. Tennessee was steamrolling Vanderbilt in the third quarter when UT offensive coordinator Randy Sanders decided it was time to have a chat with starting quarterback Casey Clausen.

The Vols were completing passes at will. Clausen wanted to keep pouring it on the Commodores, Sanders later revealed.

However, coach Phillip Fulmer and the UT staff decided some of the plays the Vols called late in the contest would be aimed at getting the team ready to face Florida the following week, Sanders said.

UT's coaching staff could face a similar decision with Clausen's younger brother, Rick, when he makes his first start for the Vols on Saturday. UT would clinch a berth in the SEC title game with a win against either Vandy or Kentucky.

Vanderbilt has lost more than 40 consecutive games to ranked opponents. The exact number is uncertain because the Commodores' media guide omits the national ranking of several opponents in past seasons, including Florida and UT in 2003.

If Vandy isn't competitive, at what point should the Vols start working on plays or personnel groupings for the SEC championship game?

Or should Fulmer call off the dogs early, and put the offense on cruise control with reserves?

As one might expect, any scenario involving a blowout in Nashville is not something that UT's coaches will discuss on the record. However, rest assured UT's staff has already been making contingency plans for Auburn behind the scenes.

In 2001, Clausen threw a pass on first down on the opening play of every offensive series in the third quarter. The objective wasn't to rub it in the Commodores' faces. UT's goal was to go for the jugular and quickly turn its attention to the Gators.

That kind of coaching philosophy isn't unprecedented at Tennessee. In fact, it is as much a part of UT football tradition as Gen. Neyland's game maxims.

Neyland scheduled a game against notoriously weak Chattanooga every year for one reason -- because the Mocs ran Alabama's schemes, and that helped the Vols prepare for the Tide.

Vanderbilt faithful would tell you the Commodores aren't that bad this year, that coach Bobby Johnson's team has lost four games by a combined total of only 10 points.

It's worth nothing that Tennessee, too, once had a coach who lost four games in a season by a touchdown or less. His name was Bill Battle. The year was 1976. He was forced to resign.

Lose a lot of close games at Vanderbilt, and it's viewed as a positive sign the program is close to turning the corner. Lose a lot of close games at Tennessee and it's also viewed as a sign the program is turning the corner.

The wrong corner.

Gary Lundy may be reached at lundy@knews.com and 865-342-6274.