ESPN College Football

Posted by ESPN.com's Chris Low

It always comes down to wins and losses in the realm of big-time college sports.

Phillip Fulmer: Career Notes * 150-51 (.746) in 17 seasons as head coach at Tennessee (four games in 1992, three as interim) * Was officially named UT head coach on Nov. 29, 1992 * Spent 35 seasons at Tennessee as player and coach (422 total games since '68) * Nine 10-win seasons, two SEC titles and '98 national title * Fulmer is not only the dean of SEC coaches, but one of the five longest-tenured FBS coaches at one school.

That's why Phillip Fulmer won't be the head coach at Tennessee next season. He didn't win enough games this decade, didn't win enough games that "count" and went too long without winning a championship.

As glistening as his entire body of work looks in his 17 seasons at Tennessee, it had become obvious that the program wasn't close to being what it once was on his watch. And to Fulmer's credit, he created those dizzying expectations with his 45-5 run from 1995-98, two SEC championships and national championship.

The statistic that probably best illustrates the gulf between the first part of his career and last part of his career is the fact that only once in his first seven seasons did he lose four games in a season. But in six of his last nine seasons, he's lost at least four games.

And, yet, Fulmer was perhaps a fourth-quarter interception returned for a touchdown away last season against LSU from winning the SEC championship.

Even with how disappointing this season has been, there's no way Tennessee athletic director Mike Hamilton would have forced Fulmer out had he been coming off an SEC title.

It's another reminder how razor thin that line is in this conference between winning championships and being out of a job.