No – Wesley Mills

Looking at the grand scheme of things, Kiffin has not done a bad job during his first six games as UT head coach. He's built a nice staff and garnered some highly touted recruits. However, he better be able to back what appears to be arrogant and swaggering talk.  Let's look at this year's defeats and see if Kiffin has earned his paycheck with a .500 record, or if the record itself could be improved.

After blowing out Western Kentucky at home, UCLA confidently came into Neyland Stadium and defeated favored Tennessee. The Vols were driving late into the fourth quarter for the go-ahead score when the ball was placed at the 7-yard line. They had four downs to make 7 yards. They ran off left guard four times, and made 6 and half yards--a half yard short of what was needed. It's easy to say now, but you wonder what could have been had they tried something different on third or fourth down. That's why these coaches are paid the big bucks.

Is that what UT has come to? Hanging in there with the big boys? Wesley Mills, reporter Against Florida, the game plan was flawless through the first half. Keep the ball out of Tim Tebow's hands, keep your defense on the sideline, and give the ball to your best offensive weapon - Montario Hardesty. But the game is four quarters long, and in the fourth quarter, down 23-13, UT showed no sense of urgency. The Vols looked as if they were trying harder not to get embarrassed (as the experts predicted) than they were trying to steal a victory from the jaws of defeat.

The last loss, coming against the Auburn Tigers, was telling. It was a game that Kiffin and company were simply out-coached. They weren't ready for the spread offense, they weren't ready for the multiple swing passes that went for 20+ yards and they weren't ready for the 459 yards of total offense that was put up against a "stingy" defense. Even though Auburn’s offense may have had their best game up to that point, Monte Kiffin's defense was exposed.

Overall, has the hype around Lane Kiffin been rightfully merited? He has talked the talk, beat Georgia, and hung in there with Florida. But is that what UT has come to? Hanging in there with the big boys? I don't think that's what UT fans expect or are paying for. It's time to put your money where your mouth is, Lane. Literally.

Yes – Ben Lemly

Thus far, Tennessee sits at an unimpressive 3-3 record and just 1-2 in SEC play--good for fourth in the SEC East standings. That being said, I think that Lane Kiffin has done a solid enough job to earn $1 million (half his salary for a half-season's worth of work). We’ll see how the rest goes.

What has Kiffin done to improve our team? Well, it has been a complete turnaround from last season, for starters.

Anyone remember where the Vols were last time this season? Tennessee sat at 2-4, with an 0-3 SEC record. These two wins included a win over UAB, and a less-than-satisfying 13-9 win over lowly Northern Illinois. The Vols would never break .500 and finish 5-6 in what may have been the most disappointing season for the Vols in recent memory-–ultimately costing Phillip Fulmer his job.

It was Kiffin himself that put together this "A-list" cast of coaches. Ben Lemly, reporter

This year, Kiffin has been able to revitalize a seemingly non-existent offense. The new running backs coach, Eddie Gran, has helped guide Montario Hardesty to his best year as a Vol. Last season, Hardesty ran only 71 times for just 271 yards and six touchdowns. This year, Hardesty has already rushed 125 times for 672 yards and six touchdowns – you do the math.

Other hiring's that have shown immediate help are the assistant coach and defensive coordinator positions, filled by former Ole Miss head coach Ed Orgeron and Kiffin's father, Monte Kiffin.

Everyone just try to forget the "Ole Miss" Ed Orgeron and think about this new "Tennessee" Ed Orgeron, who is also UT's recruiting coordinator. He did an excellent job there as an aid to Pete Carroll during his time at USC.  His recruiting record speaks for itself: Orgeron had a top five recruiting class in the 2002-2004 seasons, including a 2004 National Recruiter of the Year award to top it off.

Not to be outdone, the elder Kiffin has done a complete makeover through the first half of the season for this Tennessee defense. It's not that anyone didn't expect this, considering Monte Kiffin has one of the most impressive résumés in football. He was the Tampa Bay Buccaneers defensive coordinator during their era of menacing defense, which they used to win Super Bowl XXXVII in 2002. Monte has already shown an impact with the Vols defense, holding opponents this year to only 19.5 points per game. 

People will argue that Kiffin himself hasn't helped the program, but the coaching staff has. I don't understand this line of thinking because it was Kiffin himself that put together this "A-list" cast of coaches.

Let us also remember that this is Kiffin's first year as a head coach of an NCAA program. Sure, he's been a head coach in the NFL, but that was under Al Davis, who I am beginning to believe could hire Don Shula (the winningest coach in NFL history) and still end up going 4-12. 

So is Kiffin worth it? It’s too early to make accurate value judgments of his worth (I can't imagine going back to the dark days of losing homecoming games to Wyoming anytime soon)? So for now, I'll jump aboard the "Lane Train." Final stop: a BCS invite?