BLACKSBURG -- Through countless hours of film study and practice, Virginia Tech's players will learn a lot about Tennessee's football team before the two programs meet in the Dec. 31 Chick-fil-A Bowl.

For now, though, the only sure thing the Hokies seem to know about Tennessee is its head coach.

That, of course, is Lane Kiffin. Since being named to replace highly successful Phil Fulmer as Vols coach a year ago, Kiffin certainly has made himself known as he has tried to restore Tennessee on the college game's national map.

Cocky and controversial, Kiffin came out slugging in his first UT news conference when he promised to sing "Rocky Top" after his team beat Florida. Later, the word-slingin' Kiffin accused Gators coach Urban Meyer of cheating during recruiting. Not long afterward, Kiffin publicly criticized SEC officials.

"Yeah, [Kiffin] has been on ESPN a good bit," Tech linebacker Cody Grimm said with a grin Monday. "I mean he just got the job, so, yeah, I'd probably say that most people would know him first."

Of course, all Tech players who are into Lil Wayne know Kiffin well. The popular rapper mentioned Kiffin's name, albeit rather controversially, in a song named "Banned From TV" on his latest mix tape release in late October.

Seventy seconds into the song, Lil Wayne dropped the following line: "Smoke weed, talk [trash] like Lane Kiffin."

Soon afterward, Kiffin said he appreciated the attention.

"We're Lil Wayne fans," Kiffin told the media that covers the Vols. "We've played him a number of times out here before [during practice]. I guess we're getting a little street cred."

"I think it was really cool," Tennessee linebacker LaMarcus Thompson told reporters at the time. "It brings a lot of attention to our program, and it's really going to be good for recruiting, because kids will definitely be like, 'Hey, that's Lane Kiffin in a Lil Wayne song. I might want to check Tennessee out now.' "

Tech quarterback Tyrod Taylor is a Lil Wayne guy, too. Taylor was way too elusive to be caught in this trap, though.

"Actually, I heard the mix tape when it first came out," Taylor said. "I heard what he said ... it didn't catch my attention back then."

When asked if he thought Hokies coach Frank Beamer might ever make a Lil Wayne song, Taylor laughed.

"He probably wouldn't," a grinning Taylor responded. "Coach is a laid-back guy!"

Other than Kiffin, however, the Hokies know little now about the unranked and five-point underdog Vols. However, since word of the bowl pairing started to leak out, the Tech players have discovered the program's fan base cares a lot about the New Year's Eve game in Atlanta.

"I just kinda found out about how big that is between fans this past week," Taylor said. "I didn't know it was that big between Tech fans and Tennessee fans. It's kinda like a rival game even though they haven't played each other."

Said Grimm: "You always hear the rumors about us and Tennessee playing, all the hype that would be around it if that game were to ever actually happen. Just being around Blacksburg for five years now and meeting people from Southwest Virginia, you are either a Tennessee fan or a Tech fan. Now we actually get a chance to play them."