Nov. 17, 1999

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

The seventh-ranked Volunteers (7-2, 4-2) fell four spots in the poll and areno longer in decent position to defend their national title after lastSaturday’s 28-24 defeat at Arkansas.

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

Despite an early season loss to Florida, Tennessee was No. 2 in the BowlChampionship Series. Victories over Arkansas, Kentucky and Vanderbilt figuredto put the Vols in the national championship game, before Razorbacksquarterback Clint Stoerner found Anthony Lucas for a 23-yard touchdown passwith 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 anautomatic for the BCS.

The Vols could be one of the two at-large teams in the BCS because KansasState and Penn State were among the weekend losers. Keep in mind, that the fourbowls in the BCS guarantee huge payouts and that means they need a sellout. TheOrange 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 inits regular season finale would guarantee Kentucky (6-4, 4-3) a bowl berth forthe second season in a row.

With the Southeastern Conference bowl picture in a state of flux, theWildcats aren’t yet guaranteed a place to play in the postseason, unless theycan 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 outand play well and try and get another victory this week. We’re not going toreally dwell on it much more than that.”