Tennessee
- Lane Kiffin on How to Make Enemies and Irritate People. Woo!
- Recruiting update. The Coaching Chimera was in Louisiana Monday making its final pitch to five-star DB Janzen Jackson. Preliminary result? Still committed to LSU, but he hasn't "canceled" Tennessee out yet. Basically the same story with Marsalis Teague, except he's committed to Florida and entertaining overtures from the Chimera. Marlon Brown visited Florida last weekend, who "definitely moved up" in Brown's mind. Still, he "cannot wait" for his visit to Rocky Top this weekend. Florida WR James Green? Still committed to Tennessee.
- Bruce Pearl is calling this week's games against LSU and Florida a "crucial, crucial week." College GameDay will be here for the Florida game, so bring your own your woos. Home has not been quite as sweet recently for the Vols, though, with Tennessee losing more games in Thompson-Boling in three weeks (Gonzaga, Kentucky, Memphis) than they lost in the past three years.
- Pearl, on the latest manipulations of the big orange balloon: "I've never played this slow, but I've never had a team that was as big and couldn't get out and extend defensively. While we've found a remedy defensively, it's hurt our offense.'' Chest bump to Inside Tennessee, who says that's like Mike Leach switching to the wishbone.
- Partial transcript of a Sports Animal interview with Mike Hamilton. I think this guy knows what he's doing.
SEC
- Alabama basketball coach Mark Gottfried has gotten himself fried. Georgia basketball coach Dennis Felton is still feeling the effects of last year's improbable run in the SEC Tournament and has thus far avoided the frying.
Nation
- The Mountain West Conference (you, Utah, TCU, BYU et al?) is pushing for an automatic berth into the BCS.
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Duke replaces Wake Forest as the No. 1 team in college basketball.