There's a lot of noise in the air right now that current University of Tennessee at Chattanooga athletic director David Blackburn is about to land his dream job as the AD of big brother UT.
So let's say that happens, and Blackburn suddenly becomes the boss of Big Orange football coach Butch Jones. Should Blackburn immediately put Jones on a double-secret hot seat?
Or given this year's unintended setbacks - more injuries than two seasons should produce, the unexpected distraction that Jalen Hurd became - should he put Coach Cliche on a two-year evaluation period?
Beyond that, should much be made in any way of how the Volunteers perform against Nebraska in the Music City Bowl?
To listen to Jones during his Monday news conference was to hear a man walking a fine line between admitting changes needed to be made and rather stubbornly clinging to the notion that there is still far more good than bad in the program he took over four years ago.
He readily admitted, "I know there's been a lot of questions in terms of the program. I'll tell you this. I will thoroughly examine everything in our football program in moving forward. Every amount of time I'm not recruiting, not in a home, not in a high school, I am examining that and will continue to do that."
He also said of the team's two lose-from-ahead defeats in its last five games, "It's unacceptable. I take responsibility as the leader of this program."
But he also said, "Perception of Tennessee football (on the recruiting trail) has been extremely positive."
And "Our starting 22 could play with anybody in the country. I think we saw that starting out 5-0."
And "When we came here we had a hard time finding a player who wanted to host (a recruit). Now we've got guys coming by our offices wanted to host."
So whether it's ultimately Blackburn or someone else who becomes the new boss of Jones, there's a lot to digest - some of it good, some bad and some uncertain.
And right or wrong, it all figures to start at the Music City Bowl, where the size and enthusiasm of the crowd - or lack thereof - will provide an instant barometer regarding the depth of current fan unhappiness with Jones. It may not yet have reached Derek Dooley disgruntlement but certainly needs little additional disappointment to head swiftly in that direction.
Merely consider the gist of a single tweet from a supposed Volniac regarding the $100,000 bonus Jones receives for reaching the Music City Bowl. According to the fan, Jones should get three bonuses since South Carolina and Vanderbilt also are bowling this holiday season only because they beat the Vols. (Drum roll, please!)
But jabs aside, there are real concerns, and they go far beyond sending Team 120's seniors - especially remarkable student-athlete and quarterback Josh Dobbs - out on a high note.
For instance, can this team finally start a game on fire? When you've fallen behind in the first quarter of nine of your 12 games, something's wrong beyond injuries. When you lost control in the final quarter of exceedingly winnable games at South Carolina and Vanderbilt, something's wrong beyond injuries and an inspired opponent.
When the departure of one player (Hurd) can seemingly change the attitude of an entire locker room, one must ask why it took so long to rid the team of that single distraction.
So is this Tennessee football program better off than when Jones took over on Pearl Harbor Day of 2012?
That answer is easy. Absolutely. Academics are far stronger. Recruiting, too. So, too, the character of the student-athletes within the program. I've written this before and I'll write it again: Over the 33 years I've worked at this paper, I've never seen more quality individuals - young men you'd want in your home or dating your daughters - than inside the football program right now.
Does that mean Jones is the coach to lead this program past the 2017 season? Not necessarily. Fair or not, when you have nine-figure athletic department budgets to balance that require sizable yearly donations and an on-field product capable of filling a 102,000-seat stadium every home game, the behavior and academic success of your football team can become secondary, or fourth in line, to victories.
For the truly cynical, Jones earned more than $1 million for each of his four SEC wins this season. By contrast, Alabama coach Nick Saban earned about $766,000 for each of his nine SEC victories (including the league title game) by that same formula.
For a salary of more than $4 million a year, Tennessee fans probably have a right to expect more from their football coach than a bowl trip to Nashville. And to help that along, he might want to reach out to just-fired Oregon coach Mark Helfrich and make him a co-offensive coordinator with Mike DeBord in an attempt to throw a little more early energy into the offense.
"Every bowl trip is critical," Jones said Monday, "because it's all about momentum."
And however tepid, beating Nebraska would provide the Vols and their fan base some emotional momentum heading into next season's opener against Georgia Tech in the new Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta.
But it's something else Jones said in that news conference that most bears tweeting and repeating.
"I'm critical with all (coaching) evaluations, starting with myself," he said.
That's wise, because starting with the Music City Bowl, his new boss - be it Blackburn or someone else - figures to make Jones the most critically evaluated employee in the UT athletic department.
Contact Mark Wiedmer at mwiedmer@timesfreepress.com.