It is quite clear that head coaches must maintain a level of performance throughout their career. This may seem like common sense to the outside fan, but those who are really knowledgable can actually quantify it. I think that if a coach has the level of success in his first 4-6 years that Tuberville had, and that Fulmer had, there is a point at which no less is expected, or can be tolerated. In Tennessee's case, a 17 year career that has been disappointing in it's last 3-4 shows how much longer Fulmer has stayed there than perhaps he should have. For tuberville, it's fair to say that no more is expected now from him. By that, I mean that fans and alumni no longer believe he can achieve a higher level of performance. I dare say that getting rid of Tuberville will be a scary proposition, but shouldn't postpone the change as long as UT has.
We all know Tennessee will be back sooner or later, and that they've won much more than they've lost over the past 17 seasons. As for Auburn, well, maybe they will just go away.