Last Tuesday, Phillip Fulmer faced his weekly media conference and ticked off five questions he was anxious to see answered in Tennessee's football season-opener.

How would freshman guard Ramon Foster react to his first start? Would freshman punter Britton Colquitt, faced with live fire, get alligator legs?

Who would emerge as the No. 2 tailback behind Gerald Riggs Jr.?

How would a revamped secondary fare? Would the kick-return teams show a pulse?

Think any of the above was at the top of his worry list by dinnertime Saturday night?

Not a chance.

There is no shortage of concerns arising from UT's unimpressive 17-10 win over Alabama-Birmingham on Saturday. But 12 days before the Vols play at Florida, there's no doubt as to the No. 1 talking point.

Who's the quarterback?

Who takes the first snap at Florida, Erik Ainge or Rick Clausen?

Ainge, the sophomore with the big arm, had the most erratic day of his young career Saturday.

Perhaps Clausen wasn't in Cotton Bowl MVP form, but he was clearly the more stable option against UAB

"Everybody's confidence seems like it goes up when he comes in the huddle,'' said fullback Cory Anderson.

And that's why starting Ainge at Florida would be a hard sell right now.

All through August, Ainge and Clausen battled for the starting job. Of course, there wouldn't have been any battle had Ainge not suffered a season-ending shoulder injury last November against Notre Dame.

Clausen stepped into the breach with surprising success and refuses to go away.

Most observers would say Clausen was a tad sharper in the preseason scrimmages. Still, Ainge got the nod on opening day.

It was a close call, but Ainge's potential for making the big play - this year and the two after - was a deciding factor.

Fair enough.

If only he had realized that potential against UAB. Then Fulmer and offensive coordinator Randy Sanders wouldn't be in a dilemma.

But Ainge didn't. Based on fresh, irrefutable real-game results, Clausen is the obvious choice to start at Florida on Sept. 17.

That doesn't mean the issue will be settled, though.

"I don't think the performances in one game are going to determine who plays the rest of the season,'' Sanders said.

Fulmer said Sunday night he would meet with Sanders this morning.

"Rick has done extremely well,'' Fulmer said. "I would suspect he'll be the guy.

"But we're fortunate to have two good quarterbacks.''

Fulmer is right about that. Maybe the Vols get upset Saturday if Clausen doesn't sub for Ainge and lead the touchdown drive at the end of the first half.

Even so, two can be a crowd at quarterback.

If Clausen doesn't come off the bench so quickly, maybe Ainge builds on his early momentum - he put 10 points on the board his first two possessions. Maybe UT wins 45-10 and today's column is on Demetrice Morley.

Everybody from Clausen's barber to Ainge's second-cousin to Fulmer's dog are weary of who's-the-quarterback questions but, after Saturday, they aren't going away.

Furthermore, the timing is bad.

These quarterback competitions occur only every few years. Not recently has one come along when the stakes were so high.

In 2000, when Casey Clausen finally emerged in October, the Vols opened the season ranked only 13th and didn't have championship aspirations.

In 1994, when Jerry Colquitt's opening-day knee injury threw the job up for grabs, UT was also ranked 13th and not a title contender.

The Vols opened unranked in 1989 when Sterling Henton and Andy Kelly battled through the first six games.

But in 2005, Tennessee opened No. 3 with its eye on the Rose Bowl.

Part of that hype was based on Ainge's perceived ability to lead the Vols down the perilous road to Florida and LSU.

Ainge will surely have more great moments at UT. One of them might even be Sept. 17 at Florida.

But Clausen should take the first snap.

Mike Strange may be reached at 865-342-6276 or strange2@knews.com.