I hope everyone had a Merry Christmas. I know that I did. Before Christmas break, one of my personal favorite posters on the Volnation commented on what a special board we have, and in the spirit of the holidays, if you would indulge me, I would like to take a little time to agree with Orange+White=Heaven.

We are now less than a week away from the 2007 Outback Bowl where Tennessee will face off against Wisconsin on New Years Day. Board member MarineBadger posted an analysis of the Badgers in our Vols Forum and I thought it was worth sharing here.

This edition of the VN Interview features Florida Atlantic Coach Rex Walters. The former Kansas star is in his second season as the head man for the Owls. Thanks to Justin Johnson of the FAU media relations for his invaluable help in coordinating this interview. Hope you enjoy

Road Trap ‘07-’08 hits an NBAesque portion of its schedule this weekend. Memphis/Philadelphia/New Orleans in a six day period. Thus, the Christmas holiday is the calm before the travel storm. At this time of year, we love feel good stories. “It’s A Wonderful Life.” “Miracle On 34th Street.” “Bad Santa.” These uplifting stories renew our faith in humanity. Thus, in the spirit of the season, here are 6 teams whose stories should warm the hearts of hoop fans

Finally, what I consider to be good news on the Tennessee coaching front. Steve Caldwell, the Vols defensive end coach, has told Arkansas coach Bobby Petrino that he is not interested in coming to Fayetteville to be the Hogs defensive coordinator.

I think by now most everyone has heard that six Volunteers will miss the Outback Bowl due to grade issues. Three of the players were starters: Lucas Taylor, Rico McCoy and Demonte Bolden. The list also includes Chris Donald, Ricardo Kemp, and Kenny O’Neal.

ESPN 2:00pm EST

With all the talk of coaching changes on the Tennessee football staff, it’s no surprise that former Vol Dale Jones has been a hot topic of conversation this week after he was in town for the Vols basketball game against UNC Asheville on Wednesday night.

The winds of change, they are a blowin’ at Tennessee. And, it’s not the change that many fans were hoping for following a blowout loss at Alabama that left Tennessee with four wins in seven games and in a player’s only meeting. No matter where you come down on the future direction of the program, these coaches and players deserve respect for coming together and finishing the season strong and for ending up in Atlanta.

Last Saturday David Cutcliffe closed what appears to be his final chapter on his Tennessee football career. For all of the complaints about his play calling, even the skeptics understood the sense of organizational purpose coach Cut brought to this staff.