By JOHN ADAMS, Scripps Howard News Service

As Tennessee's women's basketball team made its way through two far-flung road trips recently, the scenery at each venue was strikingly similar.

The bright orange "We Back Pat" T-shirts were on display at Madison Square Garden, Rutgers, UCLA and Stanford, as the Lady Vols made a 10-day road swing, going 3-1.

Tennessee's back-to-back road trips from New York to California have played out like a farewell tour.
At every venue, opposing fans have gathered with the impassioned anticipation that they're saying goodbye to the greatest coach in the history of women's basketball.

The response has been heartfelt but presumptuous.

The Heisman Trophy competition is so top-heavy with quarterbacks, you might wonder if there's room for anyone else.

Stanford's Andrew Luck has an unbeaten team behind him and his NFL draft-coronation ahead.

Robert Griffin of Baylor, Case Keenum of Houston, and Seth Doege of Texas Tech all are averaging more than 374 yards per game in total offense.

The Southeastern Conference is best known for defense. But you can't tell it by the National Football League.

That's not to suggest the SEC has slacked off in sending defenders into the NFL. It's just that they're being overshadowed by their SEC offensive counterparts.

Two games into the season, the impact has been stunning. And a rookie is leading the charge.

This might be the best college football season ever. You don't even have to wait until Saturday to see a Hail Mary pass.

Urban Meyer made a lasting impression on the Tennessee-Florida rivalry. I didn't realize how lasting until I read UT's 2011 media guide.

On Page 205, it lists the schedule for the SEC's Wednesday teleconference with league coaches. Florida coach Urban Meyer is scheduled for 11:20 a.m.

For better or worse, here's how the Southeastern Conference opening acts compared to my preseason perceptions:

-- Tennessee: Worse.

Most UT fans had the same complaint when they woke up Sunday morning -- or Sunday afternoon -- the day after their team's 42-16 victory over Montana.

Short version: "We can't run the ball."

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. - Hints that something was wrong popped up throughout Tennessee's 2010-11 women's basketball season.

You could see it in legendary Lady Vols coach Pat Summitt's gait and her complexion.

You could hear it in her answer to a postgame question.

More than one visiting sportswriter asked me about Summitt's health.

This has aptly been described as the Year of the Running Back in the Southeastern Conference. But it's also the year of the running question.

Tennessee can relate to both.

Preseason football is predictable. It's hot, grueling and sometimes sufficiently oppressive to make all-around athletes second-guess themselves for not focusing more on baseball or basketball.