Tennessee's Phillip Fulmer has facetiously said the media's definition of a "big game'' is any game that his team loses.

Which brings us to the question of the week as the Vols prepare to face No. 3 Georgia on Saturday: Are there big-game coaches who consistently have a knack for coming up big against top-10 or top-25 opponents?

"The only person I can think of who would fit that mold, in my opinion, is (Oklahoma's) Bob Stoops,'' Georgia coach Mark Richt said Sunday.

"The better team you've got, the better coach you are, I guess."

In the eyes of many fans, media, and even athletic directors, two or three "big games" every season define the careers of the Richts and Fulmers of college football.

Fulmer is 1-1 in biggies this season, beating Florida and losing to Auburn. He is 4-8 in his past 12 games against ranked opponents since the 2001 SEC championship game.

Richt is 8-4 in his past 12 games against ranked opponents, 1-0 this season after beating LSU.

It has been 35 months since a Richt-coached team lost a home game to a ranked opponent (Auburn in November 2001).

"This game is just gigantic for us,'' Richt said Sunday when asked about facing UT.

"Even before we played LSU, we knew the Tennessee game was bigger. You could lose to LSU and beat Tennessee and be in a whole lot better shape than beating LSU and losing to Tennessee."

Obviously it's huge for Tennessee because the game is against the SEC Eastern Division frontrunner.

Beyond that, this will be only the third time since the 2000 season the Vols have faced a team ranked 1, 2 or 3. Miami was No. 1 in the coaches' poll two years ago when it dominated the Vols 26-3. Florida was No. 2 in 2001, when UT went on the road and upset the Gators, 36-34.

Fulmer doesn't dismiss the theory that there are some coaches who are better than others in big games. Yet he falls back on the cliche that every game is a big one.

"Yeah, I think people rise to the occasion when you have those big-game opportunities,'' he said during his Sunday teleconference.

"I wasn't trying to be facetious, but they are all big games. Everybody talks about having a playoff and you are really in a playoff every week in football. So they are all big games if you are after the big prize, which we are here at Tennessee. When two teams are pretty evenly matched, it ends up being a big game."

Some are bigger than others.

When UT athletic director Mike Hamilton gave Fulmer a raise prior to the Peach Bowl last season, he didn't mention SEC wins over Vanderbilt, Mississippi State and Kentucky. Hamilton specifically pointed to road wins at No. 6 Miami and No. 17 Florida as high points of the season.

Let it be said five days before kickoff that Saturday's game at Georgia is easily the biggest of the big games on Tennessee's schedule.

The yardstick to judge Tennessee's football program always should be the record against top-25 opponents - even the top-10, nothing less.

Gary Lundy may be reached at 865-342-6274.