Football looks for bowl berth with win over Tennessee.

LEXINGTON, Kty. – Defending national championship Tennessee will try to pick up the pieces and hope for the best as the Volunteers head to Kentucky for Saturday’s SEC matchup.

The seventh-ranked Volunteers (7-2, 4-2) fell four spots in the poll and are no longer in decent position to defend their national title after last Saturday’s 28-24 defeat at Arkansas.

“We were outcoached and outplayed,” said coach Phillip Fulmer, who lost to the Razorbacks for the first time in seven games. “We prepared well but I think they emotionally and physically whipped us.”

Despite an early season loss to Florida, Tennessee was No. 2 in the Bowl Championship Series. Victories over Arkansas, Kentucky and Vanderbilt figured to put the Vols in the national championship game, before Razorbacks quarterback Clint Stoerner found Anthony Lucas for a 23-yard touchdown pass with 3:44 left to seal the upset.

Now Tennessee is in fifth place in the BCS and it appears that Florida (9-1) and Alabama (8-2) will play for the SEC championship. The winner is an automatic for the BCS.

The Vols could be one of the two at-large teams in the BCS because Kansas State and Penn State were among the weekend losers. Keep in mind, that the four bowls in the BCS guarantee huge payouts and that means they need a sellout. The Orange Bowl could turn to Tennessee just as it did last year with Florida.

After last Saturday’s 19-17 win at Vanderbilt, a victory over the Vols in its regular season finale would guarantee Kentucky (6-4, 4-3) a bowl berth for the second season in a row.

With the Southeastern Conference bowl picture in a state of flux, the Wildcats aren’t yet guaranteed a place to play in the postseason, unless they can somehow beat Tennessee for the first time in 15 years.

“We’re very happy where we’re at. We’re guaranteed a winning season,” coach Hal Mumme said. “We’re just hoping for a bowl bid, and we need to go out and play well and try and get another victory this week. We’re not going to really dwell on it much more than that.”