I vowed to never go back to Athens, Ga.

Two seasons ago, I won the University of Tennessee student ticket lottery and had third-row seats at the 30-yard line in Sanford Stadium.

Dressed in orange and white, I watched Georgia beat UT, 18-13. Before the game, I walked from my seat to get a Coke. A Bulldog fan followed me all the way to the concession stand and back to my seat.

His barking mouth was three inches from my face the entire time. I never looked at him, though. I just kept walking.

I don’t pay much attention to canine. I figure if you ignore them, they’ll go away. That wasn’t the case.

After UGA’s victory, my friend and I hurried out of the stadium as if we were fleeing from the path of Hurricane Ivan.

But a 4-year-old boy/dog stopped us. He got down on all fours and started barking. My buddy told the boy’s father to get his kid out of our face.

He did. But about 100 yards later, a typical Georgia frat boy came up and started talking nice to us.

He said the Vols played well and he wished us a good season. Then his buddies showed up, and his words changed faster than those of John Kerry. His position totally changed.

He started trash-talking, and of course, barking. We finally got out of Satan’s home-away-from-home. Then we got lost on some back roads in South Carolina.

I don’t remember what time we got back to Knoxville. I just remember telling myself I would never go back to Athens.

Well, now I’m the sports editor of UT’s Daily Beacon, and I have no choice but to make the dreaded four-hour trip again. I’m sick.

Is barking allowed in the press box? Does UT have any chance of not getting beat 50-0? I’m not sure about the first question, but the answer to the second is most definitely YES.

I’m from basketball country in North Carolina, and I have only been at Tennessee since 2002.

But I have noticed one important shift-in-attitude around campus. In the eyes of most UT fans, Georgia has become Florida. Mark Richt has become Steve Spurrier. When a program beats Tennessee four times in a row, it becomes the top rival.

When UT fans used to watch Spurrier’s post-game interviews, all they could hear were more smart-ass comments from Visor Boy.

Now, when I listen to Mark Richt, all I hear is “Ruff, Ruff, Ruff.” When I listen to All-Everythings David Pollack and David Greene, all I hear is “Bark, Bark, Bark.”

And when I think about how UT’s two freshmen quarterbacks are going to bounce back on their first road trip after last week’s dismal home loss to Auburn, I can envision hearing pleasant sounds from Bulldog fans as I leave Athens.

All I hear is … “Yelp, Yelp … Croak.”

– Matt Giles is the Sports editor of the University of Tennessee’s Daily Beacon.