Homecoming weekend comes with certain trappings. Queens and alumni bands. Parades and irreverent fraternity floats (Heads up, Dean Wormer.).

And, of course, a nice big, fat win for the varsity.

In Tennessee's case Saturday, Louisiana-Lafayette appears straight out of central casting. Oh, the Ragin' Cajuns will have some fun running the ball on the Vols, but their 1-7 record suggests that fun won't cross any dangerous lines.

Speaking of lines, whatever happened to that "line in the sand" Phillip Fulmer said he drew for LaMarcus Coker in late August? Presumably, Coker's latest last-straw suspension includes banishment from the homecoming parade.

UT has scheduled wisely for homecoming during the Fulmer era. The glaring exception was 2002 when No. 1 Miami pounded the life out of the Vols 26-3.

Other homecoming flops: 1979, when the Vols were famously stunned by (what are?) Rutgers; 1983, when Randall Morris fumbled at the goal line against Ole Miss and the Vols got pelted by boos, cups of ice and even a stadium chair as they left the field after a 13-10 loss.

Sometimes risky scheduling pays off. That 45-3 rout of Florida in 1990 was on homecoming. So was the legendary upset of No. 1 LSU in 1959.

Saturday is homecoming in four SEC stadiums, including Florida's, where Vanderbilt is the guest. It's literally homecoming for the Gators. They haven't played in The Swamp since Sept. 29.

Scheduling SEC colleagues for homecoming is asking for trouble. South Carolina got away with inviting Mississippi State, but the Bulldogs brought hard times knockin' at the door at an old Kentucky homecoming last week.

Better to stick with the hyphens and directionals.

Bowl Hole: The SEC's eight bowl slots sound like plenty. Not this year. Eleven of the 12 schools have at least five wins. Six is the magic number.

If LSU plays its way into the national championship game, that's a ninth slot. Still, somebody's likely to be standing without a chair when the music stops.

Six SEC schools are good to go. Tennessee (5-3) becomes eligible Saturday, presuming a win, joined by either Florida (5-3) or Vanderbilt (5-3).

Mississippi State (5-4) and Arkansas (5-3) are on the verge.

The Commodores haven't been to a bowl since 1982, which has a certain appeal. On the other hand, Vandy has the smallest fan base in the conference.

"It (being left out) would be discouraging,'' said coach Bobby Johnson. "Part of being bowl eligible and going to a bowl is the experience of it.''

Mississippi State last bowled in 2000.

"It (a snub) doesn't diminish the fact that you won six games,'' said coach Sylvester Croom. "That's just another situation we've got no control over.''

Celebration Fallout: Georgia's Mark Richt-mandated celebration penalty last week against Florida has drawn mixed reviews.

Fulmer gave Richt kudos for creativity but was in the minority.

"It's pretty dangerous to tell you the truth,'' said Vanderbilt's Johnson. "If a fight had broken out ... I can see one boiling up there pretty easy.''

Exactly, said South Carolina's Steve Spurrier.

"I think what we'd do,'' said Spurrier, "if the other team does that, get one of your down-the-line guys that's not going to play to get out there and start wrestling with a guy.

"Now you've got a fight and they're all out the next week. That's the way to take advantage. ... Georgia would have been in deep trouble for the game this week.''

Richt said he never intended for the whole sideline to empty onto the field after Georgia's first touchdown.

"I envisioned 11 guys celebrating just long enough until the official said, 'I've had enough of this,' and tossed the flag.

"If it had gone the way I planned, we would have jumped up and down a bunch, maybe get a 15-yarder, and move on.''

Last Word: Florida coach Urban Meyer on banged-up quarterback Tim Tebow: "We're not calling as many direct runs as people think. He's just an athletic quarterback who feels good about running. When things break down he just runs.''

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

© 2007, Knoxville News Sentinel Co.