Tennessee Coach Phillip Fulmer can't continue to play quarterback Jonathan Crompton or else Crompton will take them both down. Fulmer said Nick Stephens would get to compete with Crompton for the Northern Illinois game. Where have you gone, Burney Veazey?
Crompton looked clueless against Auburn. He missed receivers by wide margins. He botched a handoff to Arian Foster that led to an Auburn touchdown and the difference in winning and losing. Crompton has no feel for the position. The fourth-year junior, should have caught on by now.
He's not alone. Auburn's Chris Todd and Crompton gave the game the SEC's two worst quarterbacks — not exactly a showcase for national TV. Auburn needs to play Kodi Burns. Burns might not always be successful, but he makes things happen for his team and gives it a spark it doesn't have with Todd.
And if Auburn is going to run the read option under offensive coordinator Tony Franklin, Burns seems much better equipped to fit that scheme.
Nobody asked me, but …
Nick Saban is the man. You knew it was coming, but never quite this soon. Against No. 3 Georgia, Alabama looked like the best team in college football. But we have seen how some teams can look like world-beaters one game (check USC-Ohio State) and fall asleep the next (check USC-Oregon State).
Alabama had too much of everything for Georgia. The Bulldogs could have worn black and red polka dot jerseys and the Red Elephants were going to eat their lunch.
Give the devil his due. Saban is a tyrannical coach who lives in a vacuum, with tunnel vision on one thing — winning football games.
Any SEC fans believe Alabama paid Saban too much now? Get ready, Tennessee. It's only going to get worse in the future. Saban is recruiting head and shoulders over the Vols. Freshman Dont'a Hightower, who picked up a key fumble against Georgia, played at our state's Marshall County High.
Nobody asked me, but …
This is Vanderbilt's time to shine. One would hope the fans show up early and stay late when ESPN's College Game Day sets up shop on West End Avenue for the Auburn game.
The fan-driven show usually visits college football hotbeds. If ESPN's looking for tradition, it better head for the Grand Ole Opry. Vandy has been to just three bowl games in its history, the latest in 1982.
Coach Bobby Johnson deserves accolades for taking the program this far. Only he knows how difficult a job it is.
If Lee Corso picks Vanderbilt and puts on a Commodores hat, he'll look like Napoleon. If Vanderbilt beats Auburn to go 5-0, the West End gang will go nuts.
Nobody asked me, but …
No one would have bet that USC, Georgia, Florida and Ohio State all would have one loss this early in the season.
And no one would have bet that Northwestern and Vanderbilt would be undefeated, and Duke would beat Virginia 31-3 and only have one loss. In recent years, it has taken the Blue Devils years to get one win.
That was Duke B.C. — before Cutcliffe. OK, so ESPN elf Lou Holtz couldn't remember David Cutcliffe's name last weekend, referring to him as "the Duke coach,"
but he is sorely missed on the UT staff.
