Odds are, Tennessee football coach Phillip Fulmer is having a much better time coaching the Volunteers this year than he did in 2005.
A year after Tennessee finished an unusual 5-6 and Fulmer found himself on the coaching hot seat, Tennessee has bounced back to post a 9-3 record en route to earning a bid to face Penn State in the Outback Bowl on New Year's Day.
"It's night and day," Fulmer said when comparing the two years. "It's great to win."
But this season's success hasn't come easily for Fulmer -- or for Penn State's Joe Paterno for that matter.
Both Penn State and Tennessee have played tough schedules this year. Jeff Sagarin, who has provided rankings to USA Today since 1985, currently ranks Tennessee's schedule as the 11th-toughest in the NCAA while placing Penn State's at No. 27.
To put that in perspective, Ohio State (40), LSU (28), Louisville (36), Oklahoma (33) Wake Forest (60) and Boise State -- all BCS teams -- rank lower than Penn State and Tennessee in the Sagarin strength of schedule ratings.
After such a challenging road, Paterno and Fullmer can relate to each other.
Both coaches led their teams to winning seasons this year, but each saw their teams lose to squads currently ranked in the top 12 of the country.
Tennessee's only losses came against SEC champion Florida (No. 2), set to play for the national title against Ohio State, another BCS team in No. 4 LSU and to No. 12 Arkansas, the SEC West Division champion.
Penn State lost to No. 11 Notre Dame, No. 6 Wisconsin, No. 3 Michigan and undefeated No. 1 Ohio State.
But while Penn State has not beaten a ranked opponent yet this year, the Volunteers have had their fair share of victories against teams in the top 25. Tennessee defeated then-No. 9 California Sept. 2 and then-No. 9 Georgia Oct. 7.
When asked to compare Tennessee to any Big Ten teams he's seen this year, Paterno didn't hold back his praise.
"They are not very far away from Michigan and Ohio State," Paterno said. "Their offense is more like Ohio State's in the sense that their quarterback [Erik Ainge] does so many things well.
"Defensively, they remind me of both of those teams in the sense of the way they run to the football, the variety of the things they do on defense and the change of paces they give you."
That's a high compliment to pay, especially considering Ohio State quarterback Troy Smith just captured the Heisman Trophy handily Saturday night, and the fact that Michigan finished sixth and Ohio State 13th in the country in total defense.
Ainge has thrown for 19 touchdown passes thus far, 11 to All-America wide receiver Robert Meachem, but he has also tossed eight interceptions, and defensively, the Volunteers rank No. 50 nationally in total defense, a far cry from Michigan or Ohio State.
Penn State and Tennessee have squared off four times in history, playing to a 2-2 series tie.
However, Penn State has won the past two meetings, beating the Volunteers in the 1992 Fiesta Bowl and again in the 1994 Citrus Bowl. The 1992 Fiesta Bowl season was Fulmer's first year as Tennessee's head coach.
Though the teams haven't met in 12 years, Fulmer still remembers that last loss.
Asked about the 1994 loss to Penn State, Fulmer said he hoped to see a rebound from his team.
"They spanked us pretty good there in that half," he said. "So, hopefully we'll play better."
