I'm still not sure what to make of Randy Sanders resigning.

My best sources, and my past dealings with Sanders, suggest his resignation was in part to protect the interests of his family -- his two young daughters, wife and mother and father.

I do believe there's a chance Sanders could be back next season as a position coach. I just can't accept him walking away from UT football.

Part of me wonders if this is the beginning of the end for Fulmer, or merely a new beginning.

There's a chance it's neither. If Fulmer brings back David Cutcliffe, it will be a continuation of what we're seeing, as far as the Tennessee offensive system. The system works fine when the players carry out their assigned duties.

The problem is in the execution, which gets back to recruiting and/or teaching, which comes back on the coaches.

Play-calling, however, is not the problem.

For example, Tennessee ranks fourth in the SEC in third down conversion rate and has allowed fewer sacks than any other league school. Throw in the fact that the Vols have played four teams that have been ranked in the top 10 and those statistics are more impressive.

Problem is, UT's offense has made bad mistakes and choked in the clutch. Sounds like a character problem, huh?

The Vols lead the SEC with 17 turnovers, rank dead last in fourth-down conversion rate and are 10th in Red Zone offense. UT has also only converted on 7 of 12 field goal attempts, a percentage that ranks 10th in the league.

So you have an offense that moves between the 20-yard lines, but can't get the ball in the end zone (unless it fumbles through the back of it) and then hits just over 50-percent of its field goal attempts.

Every offensive unit shares the blame, particularly the receivers and running backs.

So what's next?

Could Fulmer call it quits? Maybe with all that money Fulmer has made, he decides to ride off into the sunset with his wife and enjoy his daughters and live in Wyoming. Perhaps he turns the reins over to John Chavis, who is decidedly all about staying with the Vols at this point. Or maybe Cutcliffe, with his head coaching experience, gets the appointment.

But Fulmer leaving is hard to imagine, as competitive as he is. One Fulmer's biggest motivators last year was the Alabama saga. The last thing he was going to do was let Thomas Gallion run him off or have the type of bad season to lead people to believe he was distracted by the whole mess. I remember Phillip scoffing each time I tabled the notion that the mess would be a distraction for his team. He'd get this look in his eye -- like he was looking right through me --when it was brought up.

So I don't see the big guy leaving with his tail tucked between his legs after a four or five loss season -- with that loss to Steve Spurrier. Not unless his health is an issue, and despite what conclusions some folks make because of his weight, I've seen Fulmer does monitor himself more closely than you'd imagine.

Still, something is definitely up in that football building. Something that will represent the biggest change since Cutcliffe left at the end of the 1998 season.

I don't think whatever it is has been decided, so right now there is no definitive answer. UT football is in an amoeba-like state.

The Notre Dame game could play a large role in the future. After all, this is the Vols last chance this season to gain back any kind of national -- and perhaps self respect.

Prediction: If the Vols should somehow put together a good effort and not make stupid mistakes, they can beat Notre Dame. My feeling is UT fans can be guardedly optimistic.

In my mind it's a pick 'em, but I sure wouldn't bet it that way or advise anyone to place money on this game.

Pushed for a score, I'd say Notre Dame 20, Tennessee 17.

Q: This is a ridiculous quote. Apparently you don't watch much Tennessee football. Sanders may have done some nice things behind the scenes, but he was an awful play caller. Sometimes it's ok to criticize the Tennessee program. If you ever want to move up to where the big boys write, you may need to get a little more controversial. Thanks.

Quote from Monday Griffith story:

"A year ago at this time, it would have been hard to imagine someone doing a better job than Sanders. He took two true freshmen quarterbacks, Brent Schaeffer and Erik Ainge, split the repetitions and got the Vols off to a 7-1 start."

zpugh@wthr.com

GRIFF: You think it's ridiculous to praise Randy Sanders for the job he did with the freshmen quarterbacks and Rick Clausen last year?

Hmmm.

And you want to ask if I want to move up with the "big boys?'' I'm not exactly sure what big boys you're referring to.

If you want to cover college football - which, as the Second Vice President of the Football Writers of America Association, I obviously do -- it doesn't get much bigger than covering Tennessee, Alabama and Auburn. I've been fortunate to cover all three.

Q: What impact will the possible move of Sanders down and possibly Cutcliffe to offensive coordinator be?

eaforsythe@aeneas.net

GRIFF: Not much impact unless the receivers start catching passes and the running backs stop fumbling.

Q: Hey Griff, I love your column. I look forward to them each week, because you always tell what is really going on with the team.

My question is after all the hype in the preseason about the receivers being one of the best groups ever at UT, what has happened to them? Are any of them really that good? I was at the South Carolina game this past weekend. During the ceremony for retiring Peyton's jersey, they showed highlights from his career. In almost every highlight, his passes were thrown to either Joey Kent or Marcus Nash.

Thinking back on it, I don't remember the offense rotating six or seven receivers in those days as they do now.

I realize we had other receivers that played and rotated in then, but this team seems to rotate the receivers in and out every single play. When Peyton needed a first down or touchdown, he looked to Nash or Kent. For that matter, Tee Martin had Peerless Price and Cedrick Wilson.

Who does this team have? Are these receivers all so good and close in ability that they need to rotate so often, or are they all so mediocre that none is better and can be considered a go-to guy?

mark@srirebar.com

GRIFF: Some great questions there. I'll start by saying that the most effective receiver this season, C.J. Fayton, was injured earlier this season. The guy everyone expected to step up, Robert Meachem, has had a bad ankle all year and is only 80-percent according to Fulmer. Jayson Swain has had nagging injuries, as has Bret Smith.

I think the corps is soft, mentally and physically, and not having much contact in practices sure hasn't helped.

Of course, it hasn't helped that they often don't get the ball until just before the defender arrives, because Rick Clausen's passes simply haven't had the velocity on some routes.

The receivers have also been dealing with three different quarterbacks over the past two seasons. I believe with all the option routes UT runs, that has affected their ability to build chemistry.

That said, not one in the group as effective as Nash, Kent, Price, Wilson, Donte Stallworth or Kelley Washington.

The talent and potential might be there, but the performance simply is not.

Q: As an alum who continues to attend multiple games per year, I'm as astonished and disappointed with the 2005 results as any Vol fan out there.

Before the season began, I too told anyone and everyone who listened how "loaded" this team was and that an SEC championship was in store. My, how the mighty have fallen! I attended the South Carolina game, and I must admit that I haven't been that deflated about the Vols in a very, very long time (read: 1988).

I'm not one to call for coaches' jobs, knowing their lives are considerably more transparent than the rest of ours. I'll leave it up to Coach Fulmer and Mike Hamilton to make those decisions. I will make one comment: Coach Fulmer makes $2 million per year to run this program; so far his lack of answers is a troubling trend. Fans spend a lot of money each game to continue hearing the coach say, "We're just going to go back to work."

Meanwhile, we see the same things every week. How much of this year's results have come from not catching any breaks? The 2004 Vols seem to catch breaks every week ... Game 2 against Florida, UT got 2 huge breaks late in the game (the personal foul against Dallas Baker and the clock issue); Game Six, Ole Miss practically handed the Vols that victory; Games 10 and 11, I still don't know how UT managed to pull out those victories, especially the Kentucky game. The 2004 Notre Dame game is the only game I can think of that UT didn't catch a major break.

Now compare this season with 2004. Two goal-line fumbles have cost us two games; Special team fiascoes cost us the Florida game and perhaps the Georgia game; Untimely penalties, dropped passes ... you get the point. If UT gets just a few breaks this year, we wouldn't be praying just to finish 6-5. Is it possible that our elevated 2005 expectations came from a 2004 team that just caught (almost) all the breaks? If so, we fooled ourselves.

Robert_D_Smith@irco.com

GRIFF: Not only possible, but probable. Remember, the note I wrote for my Tennessee football preview for Athlon Magazine this year was that the Vols became the first team in SEC history to win six league games in one season by six points or less.

Football is a game of breaks, often coming down to four or five plays. Those plays, as former Alabama coach Gene Stallings told me a few weeks ago, are often made or not made by a select few playmakers.

So far this season, Tennessee has had none. Really, who's the go-to guy? Prior to his injury, Gerald Riggs was the Vols top all-purpose yardage man. His longest run in over 100 attempts? Just 24 yards.

Another factor in making those big plays is effort, knowing the fundamentals, knowing the plays and executing.

I would suggest the Vols' have plenty of effort, but the fundamentals have been lacking and so is the understanding of the offense.

Tennessee needs to coach up the fundamentals (should have been done in spring) simplify the playbook and then get out of the way of the talent.

Q: That 2001 SEC title game against LSU, with a trip to play for the national championship on the line, when UT fumbled that game away in the fourth quarter- it's been downhill ever since.

Think Tennessee's Horizontal Passing game will become the new rage of college football? Never knew there were so many ways to throw sideways.

Robert_D_Smith@irco.com

GRIFF: I'd agree, that loss was pivotal. And who fumbled that game away -- DontA(C) Stallworth and Travis Stephens. A receiver and a running back.

UT did, however bounce back with a big win over Michigan and beat Miami in the Orange Bowl as a double-digit underdog and Georgia last year in Athens as a double-digit road dog.

Personally, I think the biggest loss was Alabama. It set the stage for a losing season and an emotional letdown against South Carolina last week.

As for the passing game, Tennessee takes what the defense gives. That's what Charlie Weis does at Notre Dame. Difference is, the Irish have playmakers that can do something after the catch, and Notre Dame doesn't drop passes or fumble into the end zone.