Countdown Edition -- Live from the belly of the beast.

Yes, friends, we're still in Tennessee -- to quote one coach in these parts, "the border's still open." And while the more rotund constituency of the SEC's coaching ranks might claim otherwise, trespass across that border continues without incident.

Here's a dirty little secret: most members of my clan step on a rainbow between the ages of 45 and 55. The one exception to this rule was my aunt Mat, who held a chokehold on life until her 98th via a steady diet of hot toddies. Mat was a USO girl. She danced with GIs stateside before they crawled across Europe ducking shells. Sometimes, the old girl allowed more than a foxtrot for a young feller about to cross the ocean. Her favorite story was of one soldier who was permitted beyond foxtrot-zone a few weeks in a row, each time claiming that he was sure his orders were coming in that week. Her punchline: "I wouldn't have believed him either, except he was so handsome!"

Point being that what we want to see is sometimes more real than what is there. Coach had a spring this year and no one on the roster's been arrested. This counts for success? Lord, how the times change.

But with a (mostly) soft schedule, a (relatively) strong recruiting class, and a (thoroughly) consistent coaching staff in place, it's possible to dream of bowling this year.

I shudder to think what dear Auntie Mat would have done to the Brodie in her prime.

Roll Tide.