Jim Wogan's blog

My Heisman ballot was delivered Sunday night. Yes, AFTER the SEC and Big 12 Championship games. Yes, after Colt McCoy threw three interceptions and was sacked more times than Rome was by the Vandals. So here's how I voted:

Ok, a bit late on this, but standing in the tunnel before the Tennessee-Kentucky game, I snapped off this photo of players waiting to take the field for warm-ups.

The meltdown started sometime around midseason. It became a bit surreal the weekend of the South Carolina game. And a year ago today, as I write this, the deed was done.

I'm talking, of course, about the abrupt transition of power in the Tennessee football program.

I'll admit it. Inside I was cheering.

As a credential holding member of the often dreaded media, SEC rules and professional standards prevent me from actually standing up and cheering at games. And I really try to maintain objectivity while covering UT football.

On Tuesday, I did something I've never done before.

I texted a Tennessee Athletic Department staff member, and told this person I thought Lane Kiffin did an excellent job explaining the recent arrests of three football players on armed robbery charges.

It took Kiffin four days to do it, but his reasoning seemed sound-- he really did want to weigh all issues before making a decision to kick two of the players off the team. A third player remains a Vol-- although he's banned from all football activities until further notice. 

My first thought when I was told three UT football players had allegedly committed armed robbery outside a Pilot Convenience Center was-- are these guys nuts? Don't they know who paid for most of UT's football facilities?

The allegations are serious and the location is ironic. Pilot is owned by Jim Haslam, a former UT football player and a man who has supported the University of Tennessee and UT football with hefty multi-million dollar donations.

I grew up three miles from the main gate of a U.S. Air Force SAC base-- during the Cold War.

My backyard was almost directly under the flight path of B-52s and F-106 fighter jets. I was so used to them taking off and landing at all hours-- day and night-- I hardly noticed when it happend.

The jets and big planes would scramble in minutes-- often, I was told, to ward off approaching Soviet jets testing our readiness. I'm not sure if that was true, but as a 10-year old kid I belived it. I still do.

Thirty minutes to kickoff at Neyland, and the Vols have returned to their traditional orange and white uniforms. Tennessee fans hope another tradition returns this season-- a postseason bowl game.

The Vols used to be a regular guest at places like Orlando, Tampa, Dallas, and Tempe. But not lately. Tennessee has missed playing postseason football twice in the last four years. And there's no guarantee of a trip this year.

It didn't take long for the reviews to start coming in when the Vols showed up at Neyland Stadium in their black jerseys.

Just after the Vols kicked-off against South Carolina, my phone went-off with an email from a viewer:

 No, this is not real. But nothing fires up UT fans more than the Great Uniform Debate. 

With Halloween approaching, a UT fan sent me this fixed-up photo, wondering if the Vols should go with Orange and Black uniforms against South Carolina.

There's no indication UT officials are even remotely considering this.  But I'm wondering, should they?