HOOVER, Ala. -- A year ago, the Tennessee Volunteers were all the rage at SEC media days. They were the overwhelming media favorites to win the SEC East, earning 225 first-place votes -- 168 more votes than eventual East champ Florida -- and coach Butch Jones seemed ready -- and equipped -- to bring the Vols out of seclusion and onto the national stage.
A year and four SEC losses later, and it was as if the Vols were barely even around.
Save for three first-place votes from the media (two fewer than a South Carolina team that won six games last year), there was little buzz surrounding Tennessee at this year's SEC media days.