I was actually planning on doing a piece on Monday on who the next college football head coach to get that masking agent known as a buyout, but before I could get it hammered out, across the wire comes the news that Philip Fulmer is done at Tennessee.

There was also the announcement that Toledo’s Tom Amstutz, who, like Fulmer, was an alum of his soon-to-be former employer, is also in his final few games. However, the spotlight is obviously on Fulmer’s exit.

Fulmer should be commended for lasting in Knoxville for 17 years and having the kind of success that he did. If there’s a way to quietly win 150 games, he’s done it. He’s done his alma mater proud, and in a time when job security is something few have, he was one of those guys that looked untouchable for quite a while. And to get the dreaded buyout from the school that he has served for more than 30 years total is like getting dumped by the girl you thought you were going to stay with forever.

However, all sentimentality and unfairness aside, it was time.

The Vols could win their last three games and finish 6-6 (3-5 SEC), which could be good enough to get them into a lower-tier bowl. But even that probably wouldn’t have been enough to pacify the masses, or AD Mike Hamilton (whose mailbox is going to be full of hate mail this week and beyond, I’m sure).

Tennessee did win the SEC East last year, but you can’t look at that, the other division and SEC titles, the top-10 finishes, or the national championship in 1998, and try to say that Fulmer had the program at the heights that it could and should be.

Since Tennessee made their last BCS bowl appearance in the 2000 Fiesta Bowl, a year after they won the national title in the very same game, the program has, to put it nicely, left a little something to be desired.

No BCS bowls and one top-5 finish since 1999? Following up their last two division titles with poor seasons? Things could be a lot worse, but they could be a lot better. Had Tennessee been able to at least somewhat sustain the success from the first half of Fulmer’s tenure, he’d be pushing statue status, not getting a buyout.

Recruiting hasn’t been as consistently strong as it should be, either. The 2005 class was rated the best in the country by Scout.com, and the 2007 haul was 4th, but the even years have seen a big dropoff (24th in 2006, 35th in 2008).

Winning isn’t all about talent, and there’s certainly no shortage of it. But, when your biggest competitors have an undoubted edge in that category, and they’ve got top-notch coaching as well, it doesn’t take long to go from head of the class to also-ran. And when you’re an also-ran, it doesn’t help your recruiting efforts.

Since 1999, Nick Saban, Mark Richt, Les Miles, and Urban Meyer have all come along, won big, recruited well, and have firmly established themselves as some of the best coaches in college football.

As it happens, through all of this year’s losses, Tennessee pulled in a couple of five-star commitments in the last few weeks from QB Tajh Boyd and RB David Oku. The next coach is going to have to ensure that there are as few defections as possible from what was shaping up to be a pretty good one. If the new coach can keep Boyd and Oku on board, he’ll have two big pieces on offense.

Who will that next coach be?

Saban, Meyer, and Miles were all hot stuff when they were brought into the SEC, and Hamilton could go that route. Hot names right now? Just run through the top 25 (including the receiving votes section), and you’ve got a laundry list of potential candidates.

Dennis Dodd likes Cincinnati’s Brian Kelly. Mike Leach? Todd Graham? Gary Pinkel? Any of those could help spark offensive excitement, though as I noted in a post about the new Washington vacancy, Graham’s background is defense.

David Cutcliffe has already ruled himself out of the running, which might have some wishing he‘d stayed in Knoxville another season instead of going to Duke. Even so, his name will probably be linked to the job for at least a little while. However, I don’t think he will leave his rebuilding project at Duke when he’s just getting started.

Look on the bright side though – thank goodness Arkansas is struggling this season, otherwise the job might be bait for Bobby Petrino.

It may not be the quickest of fixes, so have patience, Vols fans. Depending on who decides to defect to the NFL in 2009, the SEC could once again be a beast at the top. But, if Hamilton picks the right guy, then Neyland could soon be rockin’ like it’s ‘98 again.

If you’d like to see what Tennessee fans have to say about Fulmer’s departure and his legacy, check out Gate 21, Rocky Top Talk, 3rd Saturday in Blogtober, and Fulmer’s Belly (which may now have to find a new name).