During a recent conversation with NFL Draft analyst Mike Detillier, I learned more about this year’s crop of University of Tennessee draft eligible players. It’s no secret that this class will not be Tennessee’s most prolific. In fact, there will likely be no first round players in this group, and there may not be a second rounder either.

Tennessee football Coach Phillip Fulmer is up to his eyelids in responsibility. What off-season? While USC Coach Pete Carroll sips umbrella drinks on the island beaches of Hawaii trying to figure out which potential NFL job to use to get more money out of Southern Cal, CPF will change the face of his offensive staff, figure out a way to drastically change the direction of a recruiting year and organize a mental game-plan to play within a division of a conference that may feature two of the top three pre-season teams in America.

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.

If you’re reading this column you probably agree with me and most educated college football fans that the S.E.C. is the best conference in college football. With four coaches who have National Championships and one who shamefully did not get a shot though his 2004 Auburn team was unbeaten, this league is turning into a dog eat dog atmosphere.

The 2007 Heisman Trophy will be awarded to an SEC superstar Saturday at the Downtown Athletic Club in New York. Will it be Arkansas running back Darren McFadden or Florida superman quarterback and cult hero Tim Tebow? Do you go with the best pro prospect or the player with the most productive season in SEC history?

As we wrap up the ‘07 season it’s a time to be thankful that we are blessed to live in the region of the country where college football is important. And as the last regular season game approaches for the Vols, the importance of winning is enormous.

Shock is the description I am still left with in the wake of Tennessee’s defensive performance against perhaps the most talented player in college football. The Vols came with a defensive presence and intensity reminiscent of another unlikely stand by a group of eleven angry men.

As I began the drive from Nashville to Knoxville last Saturday with my four-year-old son Connor I thought back to the days I rode to Neyland Stadium with my grandparents. I soaked in the traditions and the passion that is Tennessee football and want the same for my boy.

Happy Halloween Vol Nation! What’s scarier; that the Vols can still blaze their own path towards Atanta with a 5-3 overall record? Or, that Vanderbilt is just a game out in the East?

The opposite of love is not hate it’s indifference. And there are many things in which I would classify myself disinterested. Septic tank maintenance, proper monument cleaning techniques and the NHL are just a few.