And now let's go straight to the postgame press conference.

"Obviously, I'm embarrassed by that performance out there. I'll take full responsibility for our team playing like that.''

Phillip Fulmer, right?

Nope. Charlie Weis.

His embarrassment was a 38-0 shellacking by Michigan. Notre Dame hasn't scored an offensive touchdown in 14 quarters.

"We're not going to panic. We knew the situation we were in when we started the season. It's not going to be overnight to get it all going in the right direction.''

Fulmer, surely.

Try Tommy Tuberville.

Auburn has dropped back-to-back home games to South Florida and Mississippi State. Nobody saw that coming.

"All of us feel bad, we're going to feel bad for a while. But we've been here before and how we handle this is going to be a helluva lot more important than what happened (Saturday).''

Got to be Fulmer.

Wrong. Kirk Ferentz.

Iowa, a 17-point favorite, lost 15-13 to arch-rival Iowa State, a team coming off dreary losses to Northern Iowa and Kent State. The well-paid Ferentz is 3-6 against the Cyclones.

So what's the point?

That while Fulmer is (A) embarrassed by Florida hammering Tennessee 59-20 on Saturday, (B) knows getting the Vols in the right direction isn't going to happen overnight and (C) is going to feel bad for a while, there are other highly regarded coaches and fans at high-profile programs out there who are also singing the blues.

Fulmer said Saturday night that nobody feels sorry for Tennessee and Tennessee won't feel sorry for itself.

By late Sunday afternoon, he expressed faith that the wheels will get back on the track.

"I do believe in this football team and this staff,'' he said. "We'll get it fixed.''

Big Orange fans are less confident. Judging from my e-mail, the knee-jerk reaction to the incompetent showing at Florida is to fire the whole staff and, for good measure, boycott Saturday's game against Arkansas State.

In some cases, the concern isn't strictly knee-jerk. The possibility of a 1-2 start was addressed all summer on talk radio and elsewhere. Now that that possibility has become a grim reality, the pain is raw and fresh.

The relevant question is what happens from here? The honest answer is that neither Fulmer's harshest critics nor his staunchest allies know for sure.

Here's a scenario. Call it the worst-is-over scenario.

In Cal and Florida, Tennessee has already faced the two electrifying offenses on the schedule.

No more DeSean Jackson, Justin Forsett, Tim Tebow or Percy Harvin. No more gurus like Jeff Tedford and Urban Meyer.

In this scenario, Tennessee's defense digs in and is capable of managing any remaining offensive threats. All the while, young playmakers develop on offense. The Vols finish 10-2 or 9-3.

Here's an alternate scenario. Call it the beginning-of-the-end scenario.

What you've seen is what you'll get. Tennessee can't run the ball consistently. Alabama and Arkansas will overpower UT's run defense. Steve Spurrier and/or Mark Richt will find holes to pick apart. And Kentucky has the weapons to win a shootout.

In this scenario, Fulmer's days would likely be numbered.

Speaking of numbers, everybody has their own collection to quantify UT's gradual downhill slide. There's no denying that the latest numbers - 59-20 - are compelling.

That said, the only thing to do is play it out.

I remember the wailing after the 62-37 loss at Florida in 1995. Fulmer rallied that team to finish 11-1.

A 47-30 loss at Alabama set off alarms in 1989. Johnny Majors rallied that team to finish 11-1.

Only two seasons removed from 5-6, Fulmer's back is to the wall. It remains to be seen if he can rally his program in the reality that is 2007.

"That's the world we live in'' is a phrase he commonly uses. That world has evolved since UT's championship era in the late '90s.

"I believe in what we're doing,'' Fulmer said Sunday. "I believe we've got to get a lot better at what we're doing.

"We've been in this position before as coaches. We're a veteran staff and we've got to believe in each other. And I do. I believe in our football team, and the leadership of this football team.''

They're probably saying the same thing at Notre Dame, or Auburn or Iowa.

Normally, that would be good company for Tennessee to be keeping. Not this week.

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

© 2007, Knoxville News Sentinel Co.