It’s never too early to start talking football so with spring practices across the country winding down, let’s examine a few storylines to keep an eye on as August rapidly approaches.

We’ll start at my alma mater in Gainesville, where junior wide receiver Percy Harvin has been shut down and put under the knife. I’m not about to call Harvin “soft,” but there’s no doubt that he’s had a slew of minor injuries during his first two seasons at UF.

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One of those maladies has been an Achilles’ heel injury that has bothered Harvin since his high school days. Therefore, he had surgery on Monday in Charlotte, N.C.

All indications are that Harvin will be 100 percent when fall drills start in early August, but the situation will be worth monitoring. Harvin rushed for 764 yards and six touchdowns and caught 59 passes for 858 yards and four scores last season.

The Gators have 6/1 odds to win the national championship at Sportsbook.com.

Another SEC storyline is the status of Tennessee head coach Phillip Fulmer, who is about to begin his 17th season at the helm. With each passing day, Fulmer’s situation at UT is starting to look eerily similar to the scenario Houston Nutt was confronted with at Arkansas going into the 2007 campaign.

The press in the state of Tennessee has been blistering Fulmer lately. In fact, John Adams of the Knoxville News-Sentinel, one of the region’s most respected scribes, called for the dismissal of the SEC’s longest-tenured coach in a scathing column on Feb. 18th.

Why, you ask? After all, UT did win the SEC East last year and nearly pulled an upset over eventual national champion LSU in the league championship game in Atlanta.

We’re also talking about the same coach that guided the Volunteers to the 1998 national championship, the same leader who has helped orchestrate four 10-win seasons in the last seven years.

Since taking over for Johnny Majors in 1992, Fulmer’s all-time record is 147-45 for a 77% winning percentage. What sort of league does that leave Fulmer in? Well, it gives him a better winning percentage than iconic figures like Bobby Bowden (76%), Joe Paterno (75%) and his long-time nemesis, Steve Spurrier (74%).

However, Fulmer’s detractors do have some ammunition to work with. In a six-week stretch shortly after the Vols beat Wisconsin in their bowl game, eight players were arrested or disciplined, and this sort of off-the-field nonsense has been prevalent in Knoxville for many years.

The haters (if you will) can also point to a pair of blowout losses last season. UT took a woodshed beating from Florida by 39 points. The Vols also got beat by 24 in Tuscaloosa and made John Parker Wilson look like Joe Montana in the process.

Furthermore, recruiting has waned in recent years. According to Rivals.com, UT was ranked just 35th in the country with its 2008 recruiting haul that didn’t claim any 5-star players.

This hot seat has been brewing since UT’s abysmal 5-6 record in 2005. At that time, it was inconceivable for Fulmer to get pink-slipped for one bad season. But as the off-the-field troubles persist and a rabid fan base grows more disenchanted, it appears crystal clear that the 2008 campaign is crucial in terms of Fulmer’s future at UT.

Perhaps, just perhaps, Fulmer might have to win the SEC title to quiet his detractors. If the Vols settle for anything less, don’t be surprised if UT is conducting its first football coaching search in two decades.

The Vols are 100/1 longshots to win their first national title since 1998.

Finally, let’s take a look at what’s going on in Ann Arbor. Obviously, the hiring of Rich Rodriguez caused an immense stir in West Virginia. That drama continues to unfold in court with $4 million – the alleged buyout amount for Rodriguez in a deal he signed with WVU after spurning Alabama’s overtures -- at stake for both parties.

That has been a huge ordeal for Rodriguez and his family and the fervent fans in Morgantown. The bitterness toward Rodriguez from the WVU faithful has certainly taken its toll on the coach, as evidenced by a recent interview on ESPN in which he was moved to tears.

But what about the Michigan faithful, not to mention the players? As you might imagine, that faction is “way over it” in terms of the seemingly never-ending soap opera.

With that backdrop, spring practice commenced a couple of weeks ago and the uneasiness hasn’t subsided. Forget about West Virginia, Rodriguez has a new set of problems to tackle.

For starters, he’s installing his spread-option offense that has little in common with Michigan’s traditional use of a pro-style attack. In addition, he’s doing so with personnel recruited to play in a different scheme.

The Wolverines lost a lot of talent from last season’s team, including stars such as WR Mario Manningham, RB Michael Hart, QB Chad Henne and OT Jake Long. And the coaching change has brought about more defections that have nothing to do with graduation.

Right out of the gate, QB Ryan Mallett transferred to Arkansas, leaving the roster with zero experience under center. Redshirt freshman Steven Threet and sophomore walk-on Nick Sheridan are currently competing for the job.

Three offensive linemen have joined Mallett in bolting the program. Alex Mitchell, Jeremy Ciulla and Justin Boren are gone. Boren’s exodus was most telling because he’s the son of a former Michigan player. He told the media that "family values have eroded in just a few months."

With those departures, the Wolverines will have only three returning starters on offense. Translation: The 2008 Michigan offense appears destined for growing-pains galore.

When Lloyd Carr’s team got off to an awful start last season with losses to Appalachian State and Oregon, senior leadership (Long, Henne, Hart etc.) kept things afloat and allowed the team to go on to a solid season.

But will this squad be able to handle a slow start in 2008? It’s a fair question and the slow start is a big-time reality. Look to fade Michigan this coming September.

Brian Edwards can be reached at briane@vegasinsider.com.