If you're thinking Tennessee might stay in state for a bowl game this season, you're wrong.

I found out about this clause from SEC associate commissioner Charles Bloom this week while in Birmingham for the SEC Basketball Media Days.

The Independence Bowl, in Shreveport, La., and the Music City Bowl in Nashville flip-flop in terms of which bowl has priority should the SEC not produce enough bowl eligible teams to fill its allotment.

As of now, it appears Georgia, Alabama, LSU, Auburn and Florida would be selected higher in the bowl pecking order.

Even if Tennessee wins out, it's not a slam dunk that at 8-3 the Vols would be picked by (yikes) the Peach Bowl.

Best case scenario for the Vols is for two SEC teams to make the BCS (perhaps in the unlikely event Georgia and Alabama meet as unbeatens in the SEC Championship Game), and then Auburn, LSU and Florida fill out the Capital One, Cotton and Outback Bowls. That would leave Tennessee going to the Peach Bowl.

Perhaps a complete collapse by Florida (losses to Georgia, Florida State and South Carolina or Vandy) would give an 8-3 Vols team an outside shot at the Outback Bowl.

But then, if the Gators lose to the Gamecocks, and South Carolina is able to finish with six wins, there's a good chance a 6-5 Gamecocks' bunch would be more attractive to bowl scouts than 8-3 UT because of their fans penchant for traveling well to bowls.

However, the chances are that one SEC team will make the BCS, not two, and Florida likely won't lose to either South Carolina or Vandy. That dumps the Vols down to the Independence Bowl.

As Saturday's game with the Gamecocks, it would be good to see Tennessee continue to run the football. True, the Vols have only one scholarship tailback with experience, Arian Foster, but word from one UT linebacker is that David Yancey is even better. The player that impressed me in scrimmages was LaMarcus Coker. The kid has got some juice, and so what if he adds a little ego and swagger? Jamal Lewis wasn't, and isn't, the most humble guy on the planet, and neither was Shaun Alexander at Alabama nor Stephen Davis while at Auburn.

The Vols found their identity, if not a win, in Tuscaloosa: Run the football, win the field position game with special teams and play tough defense.

If UT reduces its mental mistakes (turnovers and penalties), the Vols shouldn't lose another game this season.

Remember, without the three fumbles vs. Alabama, Tennessee likely wins 17-3 over the No. 5-ranked team in the country on their home turf. The Vols have already beaten No. 7 (LSU) on the road.

Prediction: Tennessee 30, South Carolina 13.

Q: I have had a full day to take in your latest Ask Griff column. I looked forward to the article, because it gives me a better understanding what is going on with the football team.

I have become somewhat addicted to reading the posts on the Go Vols' Web site. As you probably know, the posts are generally full of passion especially for Randy Sanders. I now believe the Ask Griff column should help alumni and fans to vent their frustration with our season and your responsibility is to give insight into what is going on behind the scenes.

You have written three Ask Griff columns with fans' questions. The last one had two questions concerning the Florida Gators. You answered a question about the BCS. These questions are answered on the national sports Web sites (CNNSI, ESPN, etc.). I pay $40 a year to read about the Vols. Not your take on Chris Leak or the BCS. I want to know why we do not throw the ball to the tight end. Is it the personnel, play calling, or the weak armed loser we have at quarterback?

I want to know why Southern Miss scores the same amount of points versus UAB as the Vols did, but it only took Southern Miss one freaking quarter. And your comment about a rebuilding year infuriated me. Just because we are losing does not make it a rebuilding year. We had experience at every position!

What needs to be rebuilt is the offensive staff. You are getting really close to taking over John Adams as having the most pointless article on this Webs site (his weekend prediction articles are worthless and self-indulgent). And since you are good friends with the Clausens, please tell Jimmy to never put on a Vols jersey. Guaranteed he will never live up to the hype.

bajohnson75@yahoo.com

GRIFF: Tennessee doesn't throw to the tight ends because this year, they are primarily blockers. H-back Chris Brown is getting more involved as he gains experience and the coaches scheme for him. Now that the Vols are committed to running, I expect to see Brown on the field more often.

I agree this season did not start as a rebuilding project, but with a 3-3 record and no shot at the SEC East and a likely trip to Shreveport straight ahead, there's no reason not to keep an eye on the future.

Jimmy Clausen won't live up to the hype, eh? Based on what? I'd say Casey Clausen proved to be more than advertised, finishing as a four-year starter and UT's second all-time leading passer. Rick Clausen started one year of varsity ball in high school and walked-on with the Vols after being released from LSU, and all he did was become the Cotton Bowl MVP (Amazing how much better of a quarterback he is when the receivers get open and break tackles).

Q: Thanks for putting in a grade for "coaching" as many of us suggested in previous years. Enjoy your work, and check GoVols.com everyday for my "Vol Fix."

DickThompson1@aol.com

GRIFF: No problem Dick, I now believe the Ask Griff column should help alumni and fans to vent their frustration with the season and my responsibility is to give insight into what is going on behind the scenes.

Q: First of all I am a hardcore Vol fan to say the least. I have racked my brain trying to come up with something that would be good for our offense moving the ball. Here is my solution let me know what you think of it, Sir. My formation would be three WR and one tight end. I would move back to the calls being made from the sidelines. I would run the no huddle, I would get to the line of scrimmage quickly. And I would use very little of the play clock. I truly Believe Mr. Griff this would spark the Offense. Defenses would not have the time to read what we were doing. And our Offense could get in a good rhythm. Well this is my theory and who knows, it just might work.

rany928@webtv.net

GRIFF: Tennessee started the season thinking it would be good in its two-minute offense, which you just described. Unfortunately, the Vols have proven very ineffective with that scheme. The problem is that the two-minute offense isn't very friendly to the defense, which every now and then needs more of a breather than an offensive three-and-out series affords.

I think Tennessee is moving in the opposite direction, looking to run clock, play field position football and allow its defense to make plays and flip the field position.

Q: When observing Tennessee practice in spring and this fall, did any of the local media foresee trouble with the Tennessee offense? Looking back it seems the situation at QB really messed up the offense. How was the offense doing against the defense? What we heard from Fulmer and Sanders really gave fans a lot of optimism. It still never ceases to amaze me that this late in the season, this offense is as inept as it is, and that no one saw it coming.

CurtisHope@ohdnld.com

GRIFF: Perhaps if practices were open, the media could have foreseen problems and asked the coaches about it and reported it! We saw scrimmages, which were largely scripted with the defense limited in what it was allowed to do (fronts, blitzes, contact, etc.).

It's understandable that the offensive coaches don't want to expose their players to too much contact, so as to protect them from injury. However, I believe that not allowing more hitting might have given coaches a false sense of security.

Indeed, how can UT ask their receivers to break tackles after the catch if they never practice it?

It's a thought worth considering.