MEMPHIS — The University of Kentucky knew it would need a big lift from its defense in order to win the AutoZone Liberty Bowl against East Carolina.

The Wildcat defenders played the first half like their minds were still on Beale Street. But when the game was on the line, they won the game not only once, but twice. (more)

Coach: Rich Brooks (120-150-4 in 23 college seasons, 31-41 in six seasons at UK)

How Kentucky got here: UK finished the regular season 6-6 overall,2-6 in the Southeastern Conference and in last place in the Eastern Division.

All-time bowl record: 7-5 (more)

With rumors swirling that Auburn was interested in their head football coach, Ole Miss acted quickly and signed Houston Nutt to a contract extension worth around $2.5 million per year.

That’s a $700,000 raise over his initial deal, following and 8-4 season and the rumors that he and Auburn might be eyeing one another. 

Not a bad “thank you” note at the end of the season, eh?

Athletic director Pete Boone had this to say, “During my time here, we’ve wanted to be what I’d like to call fair with our coaches.  We want our coaches to be paid what other SEC coaches are being paid who are performing at the same level.  So that’s what we achieved.”

“It’s business,” said Nutt.  “As good of friends as we are here, it’s business.  It’s business, it’s business.  Now you want to do the best job you can.  I’m very appreciative of the salary.”

“It’s business, it’s business.”  Those are words that Nutt should remember.  Those are words that Nick Saban should learn.

If/when Nutt is dismissed from Ole Miss for not living up to the $2.5 million per year expectations he just set for himself, the first words from the coaching fraternity will be: “but he was a good guy who did it the right way!”  Oh, and they’ll also say, “expectations are just too high.”

Well, “it’s business, it’s business.”  This salary will make Nutt and his family very wealthy (as if they weren’t wealthy enough to start).  Congrats on that.  Looking at his overall body of work, I think he should be paid that much compared to what other SEC coaches are making.

But he better live up to the cash.  He better keep Rebel fans plenty happy.

We’re never short of opinions here at MrSEC, however divergent they may be.  On Friday, John Pennington and Jimmy Hyams offered their takes on what they expect to unfold today in Atlanta at the SEC Championship Game.  Pennington, in this post directly below this one, believes the Tide can pull the upset - winning 27-24.  Hyams sees the Gators celebrating a close victory, with Florida edging Alabama 20-17.

One thing we know for sure - if EITHER of these guys is correct, taking underdog Alabama and getting the points would be the right move today.  But is it?  Weekend MrSEC loves to follow the line action and the sentiment of the gambling community.  And as stories this week made clear, with the line set so high and the number one-ranked team in the country being in the underdog role, we’re breaking new ground.

“We’re in uncharted waters,” Ken Waters told the Birmingham News on Thursday.  Waters has been setting lines in Vegas for 25 years.   “Florida is the better team, but I never expected it to be this high.”

“This high” was 9 1/2 points on Thursday.  But as I write this on Saturday morning, most offshore sites have Florida as a 10-point favorite.

Is that too many points?  Considering that Florida is 10-1 against the spread the season and have won eight in a row - all by 30+ point margins - I don’t think it is.

While taking nothing away from Alabama and the Tide’s accomplishments this season, their three major victories over ranked teams at the time look less impressive in hindsight.  The Crimson Tide opened the season with a win over then #9 Clemson (finished at 7-5),  beat Georgia in Athens (gave up 45 points in losing to Georgia Tech last week) and edged LSU in overtime (finished at 7-5 with back-to-back losses to Ole Miss and Arkansas).

College football guru Phil Steele outlines a path for Alabama to stay close but ultimately sides with the Gators.

“…if Bama gets a couple of key plays early or its offensive line takes control of the game vs a banged up Gator Dline then they do have a great shot at the upset. I will still call for the Gators here as they are the more talented team, have more team speed than any other in the country, the defenses are equal but they have a good sized offensive edge and an even larger edge on special teams and Tim Tebow vs JP Wilson is a mismatch in QB productivity.’

Steele’s forecast?  Florida 41, Alabama 17.  There you have it.  Three different prognostications - three very different outcomes:  Alabama wins a close game, Florida wins a close game and Florida in a blowout. That’s something for just about everyone, I suppose.  The only forecast not included here would the ultimate contrarian play - a double-digit victory for Alabama.

I tend to concur with Steele’s analysis - but am rooting for either John or Jimmy to be right.  I just want to see a close and entertaining game.  Kickoff is just hours away.

First of all, our own Jimmy Hyams has predicted a Florida victory in tomorrow’s SEC Championship Game (page down), so we’ve got all our bases covered. 

Please… no screams of bias.

If Florida were to play Alabama 10 times, I think the Gators have the talent to win nine of those match-ups.  But all it takes is one.

All season Nick Saban has coaxed more out of his team than should have been possible.  They’ve won tight games and they’ve won blowouts.  They’ve played mentally and physically tough.

And tomorrow, they’ll need to play the perfect game. 

Javier Arenas can’t drop a punt return as he’s done a couple of times this year. 

If Bama falls behind, they’ll have to do a better job of protecting John Parker Wilson and give him time to pass.

Defensively, Terrence Cody will need to dominate the middle of the line and force the Gators to the edges.  Sure, the Gator rocketmen are just as dangerous out there, but Bama will have to limit their options somewhere on the field.  And up the middle should take away some of Tim Tebow’s favorite runs.

I do believe Percy Harvin will play.  In talking with someone close to the Florida program, I’m pretty sure Harvin is no more banged up than usual.  Remember, this is a guy who was hurt almost all of last season and STILL put up phenomenal numbers.  That’s a huge advantage for UF.

If Florida gets a quick strike from Brandon James on special teams, a punt block or a defensive score… I don’t know that Bama can recover.

That’s how much of a razor’s edge the Tide will have to be playing on.  One mistake can be deadly.

But I’m a New England Patriots fan.  I know that all it takes is one well-played game and the super-flashy, high-octane team can be taken down.

I watched the Pats do it against “The Greatest Show on Turf” St. Louis Rams in February of 2002.  Then I watched the New York Giants turn the tables on them this past February.

Think Saban, a Bill Belichick disciple, caught those two games?

Alabama has the type of offense that can eat clock and keep the Gators offense off the field.  If they can do that, their chances go way up.

I think they’ll do that with Matt Patchan (and Brandon Antwine) out for Florida.

The key stat is rushing yards.  Time of possession isn’t a good measure because Florida can score so quickly.  Rushing yards are the key. 

Alabama has rushed for 201.5 yards per game in 2008.  If they hit 200 yards tomorrow, that means they’ll control the pace of the game. 

If they control the pace of the game AND avoid special teams/defensive scores, I believe they’ll win a classic showdown.

And if they do pull the upset, it will mean that Saban is without a doubt the best coach in the SEC.  His team shouldn’t even be in this game.  And his roster doesn’t stack up to Urban Meyer’s.

If Saban wins tomorrow, the SEC could be in for a long, long Alabama run at the top of the conference.

Alabama 27, Florida 24

The votes are in for our final MrSEC.com Power Poll - presented by FootballSpeakers.com.

The voters in the poll are:

David Bazzell, former Arkansas linebacker

Chris Doering, former Florida receiver

Will Overstreet, former Tennessee defensive end

Tyler Watts, former Alabama quarterback

Stan White, former Auburn quarterback

Jimmy Hyams and John Pennington from this website.


There was a lot of movement in this week’s poll, and I must admit that I don’t agree with all of it.  Somehow Arkansas got all kinds of credit for their victory over LSU… just one week removed from a loss to perennial bottom-feeder Mississippi State.  But that’s why it’s a poll.  Everyone has a say.


So here’s the final full poll (complete with the number of total votes in parenthesis… the lower the total, the better the tally):

1.  Alabama 12-0 (9)

2.  Florida 11-1 (12)

3.  Georgia 9-3 (24)

4.  Ole Miss 8-4 (25)

5.  South Carolina 7-5 (40) - Up from #6

6.  LSU 7-5 (46) - Down from #5

7.  Arkansas 5-7 (54) - Up from #11 (ridiculous if you ask me)

8.  Tennessee 5-7 (56) - Up from #10

9.  Vanderbilt 6-6 (57) - Down from #8

10.  Kentucky 6-6 (65) - Down from #7

11.  Auburn 5-7 (74) - Down from #9

12.  Mississippi State 4-8 (84) - Dead last on every ballot

Everybody and their brother is writing about the SEC Championship Game, so we thought we’d provide you all the links and headlines in one massive post… in no particular order.

Consider it a potpourri of football news.  Enjoy.

The Championship Game is making for a very, very tough ticket.

Joseph Goodman of The Miami Herald gives you 11 match-ups to watch tomorrow… and he takes the Gators big.

With Roy Upchurch suffering neck spasms, don’t be surprised to see more of Terry Grant at tailback.  He led the Tide in rushing last year.

As great as Tim Tebow has been, he has never been Florida’s starter in a championship game.

After a lackluster year of SEC football, it appears that CBS has hit the jackpot with tomorrow’s “national semifinal.”

If you haven’t read one of the 1,500 “Tebow almost went to Bama” stories that have been written this week, well, here’s another chance.

Lee Corso thinks Tebow will make a fine pro quarterback.  But he also thinks he should return to the college game next year.  “He epitomizes what college football is all about.”  (Vomit bags are available upon request for all non-Florida fans.)

Coaches and scouts weigh in on tomorrow’s match-up in this interesting, in-depth column.

Did you miss that “Tebow almost went to Bama” story about six lines up?  That’s okay, here’s another one.

Percy Harvin is still a question mark for the Gators.

John Parker Wilson wonders why he’s been fielding Tebow questions this week.

The build-up to this year’s championship game reminds one Alabama columnist of the build-up to the 1992 SEC title game.  In that one, the tougher Tide got past the high-flyin’ Gators.

Don’t count Tebow out of the Heisman hunt just yet.

Nick Saban has established his philosophy in Tuscaloosa and stuck to it for two years.  Now the Tide is on the verge of a national title.

UPDATED…

It’s taken a long time, but Alabama is finally living up to Bear Bryant’s legacy again.

Urban Meyer hopes that Harvin will practice today.

Speed + fast track = advantage: Gators.

Here’s another key match-up to watch: UF receivers versus Bama safety Rashad Johnson.

Finally… here’s a long, detailed preview of the game.  Print this out and keep it next to your beer and chips.  Nice work, Jeremy Folwer of The Orlando Sentinel.

And you can click right here to read why Tony Barnhart of the AJC is taking Florida 21-17 over Alabama.

Things can certainly change, but Chip Cosby of The Lexington Herald-Leader is reporting that Kentucky will more than likely be headed to the Liberty Bowl… leaving Vanderbilt to head across town to play in the Music City Bowl.

If two bowls both bid on the same team (and both the Liberty and Music City will bid on UK), then the school gets to make the choice.  Rich Brooks said on his radio show Monday that his team would rather go to Memphis, after spending the last two holidays in Nashville.

The Liberty Bowl has never hosted Kentucky in the game’s 50-year history.

Vanderbilt will be making their first bowl “trip” since 1982… so congratulations on that big reward following your long wait, Vandy fans.

The Music City Bowl will be played December 31st at 3:30pm EST. 

The Liberty Bowl will be played January 2nd at 5pm EST.

It is absolutely impossible for the bowl system to suck anymore than it currently does.  Impossible.

Oh, and for the record, John Clay of The Lexington Herald-Leader makes a great case for why UK should prefer Nashville… even though they’ve been there, done that.

Just a quick note to let everyone know that Kentucky forward Ramon Harris is out of the hospital after banging heads with teammate Michael Porter during UK’s game with Lamar on Wednesday night.

Harris is listed by the school as being “day-to-day,” and as the old joke goes… aren’t we all.

All tests were “good” following the collision and a day spent under observation.

And here’s a much better clip of the hit than the one we posted yesterday.

The ACC wanted to become football super-power when they added Virginia Tech, Florida State and Miami to their league roster in the past few years. 

Well, they still haven’t reached super-power status, but as Ron Morris of The State writes, it’s hard to argue that the ACC wasn’t better than the SEC this year. 

Wake Forest beating two SEC bowl-bound teams is pretty good proof of that fact. 

What an awful, awful year for the Southeastern Conference.

What are the keys to the SEC Championship game?
           
I love this matchup of Alabama and Florida. I love the contrasting styles. This game reminds me a little bit of the 2002 national championship game between Miami and Ohio State. Florida is the sexy team, like Miami. Alabama is the blue-collar underdog team, like Ohio State.
           
Florida and Alabama are the two best rushing teams and run stopping teams in the SEC. But I like Alabama’s line of scrimmage more. The Crimson Tide has a better offensive line and defensive line. And the Tide has the two most dominant linemen in the game, 365-pound nose tackle Terence Cody and left tackle Andre Smith.
           
I think Alabama will run more consistently than Florida, which has lost two key defensive linemen. And if the Tide has success on the ground and on first down, Florida is in trouble.

Florida counters with a big-play offense. The Gators have outscored opponents by an average of 51-12 since losing to Ole Miss eight games ago. Much of Florida’s run game is predicated on long gallops by Percy Harvin, Jeff Demps and Chris Rainey. Their offense gets a defense misaligned and mismatched and then cashes in.

Alabama’s defense is so well coached, I don’t see many busted assignments. Thus, Florida will have to earn its rushing yards, not rip off 40 or 60 yard sprints.
           
Both teams have been magnificent in the first quarter. Florida holds a 160-10 edge and Alabama 123-20 in the first 15 minutes. Both teams have outstanding punt returners. Both teams have been great in the turnover margin - Florida leads the nation at plus-23, Alabama is second in the SEC at plus-9.
           
A close game should favor Alabama. The Tide has won three games decided by six or fewer points and two others decided by 14 or fewer. All 11 Florida wins have been by at least 23 points.   
           
I like Alabama to keep the game close because of its run game and defense. I like Florida to move the ball somewhat effectively because of Tim Tebow.
           
The keys: Getting off to a quick start, running the ball, winning the turnover battle and making a big play on special teams.
 


Is Alabama being underrated? Or is a 9.5 point line about right?
 
Alabama should get more credit. Yes, Florida might be playing better than any team in the country right now, but the Crimson Tide has been amazingly consistent - especially on defense. And I think the underdog role will provide extra motivation for the Tide. The line should be closer to a field goal.
 


What’s your prediction?
           
I’m going to take Florida because of … special teams. Florida has blocked eight kicks this season and 45 under Urban Meyer. The Gators can make big plays in the return game. They can seize momentum with special plays on special teams. Alabama leads the nation with eight non-offensive touchdowns but Florida is right behind with seven. One big play could determine the outcome.
           
Florida 20, Alabama 17.
 


What are the early returns on the Lane Kiffin hire at Tennessee?
 
Positive. Most Tennessee fans are eager to see what this young phenom can do. He’s only 33 but that is somewhat mitigated by having grown up in a football family. Endorsements from USC coach Pete Carroll and Archie Manning were most helpful. So were Kiffin’s comments about national recruiting and getting freshmen ready right away. That’s music to the ears of Vol fans.
           
Now, some UT fans are not crazy about Kiffin telling highly touted quarterback commitment Tajh Boyd he didn’t fit into Kiffin’s system, causing Boyd to de-commit and look elsewhere. You might applaud Kiffin’s honesty. You might also wonder what other quarterback he has up his sleeve. Surely Kiffin doesn’t think he can win with any of the returning trio of quarterbacks. Or does he?
           
In this world of crazed recruiting fans, if Kiffin is able to get some de-committed players to renew their pledge to Tennessee and if he can get some new kids on the blocks, the love affair with Kiffin will continue.
           
It’s also important that his dad, Tampa Bay defensive coordinator Monte Kiffin, joins the staff in January. If that falls through, UT fans will be very disappointed.
 


What do you think about Mississippi State’s decision to force out Sly Croom … and where do the Bulldogs go from here?
 
I think Croom is a good coach and a good man who was building the State program the right way. I think his loyalty to his offensive assistants led to his ouster. Croom is tight with his offensive coordinator, Woody McCorvey. I think Croom was asked to make changes, balked at the suggestion and resigned under fire.
           
In truth, Croom needed to do something about his offense. It ranked among the nation’s 20 worst for five straight years. State never had a good quarterback and didn’t have many big-time sill players. That contributed to an anemic offense. If Croom didn’t have a plan to fix it, if he was going to stick with status quo, then I don’t blame State for making a change.
           
Face it, State was more than fortunate to win eight games last year. You can’t rely on kick returns and interception returns and fumble returns to win half of your games.
           
An Ole Miss coach (David Cutcliffe) was forced out some five years ago when he refused to make staff changes. Staff loyalty is an admirable quality. It can also get you fired.
           
I don’t know where State goes from here. One candidate (Derek Dooley) allegedly said he didn’t want to have to recruit junior college players to build the program and that in the only season the Bulldogs won the West, Jackie Sherrill cheated to do so. Ouch!
           
I don’t see a proven head coach taking on the Bulldog challenge.
           
I think State will have to find and up-and-coming coordinator to fill the void.
 


What do you think of Auburn ’s decision to force out Tommy Tuberville… and where do the Tigers go from here?
 
Horrible decision. Auburn won’t find a coach as good as Tuberville. When you make a change, you want an upgrade. Auburn won’t get an upgrade.
           
I felt Tuberville had built up enough equity to survive one bad season. He had beaten Alabama six straight years. He had won or shared the West Division title four times in five years. He went undefeated in 2004 and was denied a chance to play for a national title. He had a great record in big games, a great record against the elite coaches at elite programs in the SEC.
           
It appeared he would weather the storm after the disastrous hiring of Tony Franklin as offensive coordinator. But a 36-0 blowout loss to Alabama - not to mention the Tide is a mere 12-0 and #1 in the nation and out-recruiting the world - was too much for the Auburn brass to handle.
           
And the Auburn faithful weren’t happy with one SEC title in 10 years. (See: Tennessee, which has none in the past 10 years).
           
Who does Auburn hire? Watch for two head-coaches in waiting to wait no longer: Jimbo Fisher at FSU or Will Muschamp at Texas. Both coached at Auburn previously. Both are hot-shot coordinator prospects. Both have a nice upside.
           
But their resumes aren’t as good as Tuberville’s.
            

Here’s the news from Starkville this morning:

MSU’s interim president says that State’s vacant head coaching position is attracting “a lot of interest.”  Uh-huh.  Buy it, when I see it.  Roy Ruby also said that he’s already begun interviewing candidates.

You might want to take Skip Holtz’ name off of any MSU wish list.  His athletic director at East Carolina, Terry Holland, wrote a letter to fans assuring them that if Holtz comes to him to talk about other jobs, “I will wrap both hands around his throat and throttle him until he agrees to coach at East Carolina for the rest of his life.” 

The names of Todd Graham (Tulsa), Turner Gill (Buffalo) and Brady Hoke (Ball State) are all being mentioned in connection with the State job.  According to Aaron Seidlitz of The Starkville Daily News, it’s Graham that’s the subject of most of the talk.

This blog from The Jackson Clarion-Ledger’s David Brandt covers three main football topics:

1)  Michael Oher, once the focus of a book, is also the focus of a New York Times article.

2)  Houston Nutt said that “for now” all of this coaches are still Rebels.  No word on whether or not he’s eyeballing the Auburn job.

3)  The Rebels will begin practicing today for their bowl game… which will be finalized on Sunday.

So was it a resignation or was Tommy Tuberville fired?  Who will be the next guy on The Plains? 

If it is answers ye seek, answers ye shall find:

Yesterday, Auburn AD Jay Jacobs held a press conference to clear some things up.  Josh Moon of The Montgomery Advertiser isn’t buying what Jacobs was selling.

One of the notions Jacobs was selling was that he simply wanted a plan for the future from Tuberville, but the coach never provided that plan.  Then what did they discuss on Monday and Tuesday?  Did Tuberville just sit silently in the corner, refusing to talk?

Tommy Hicks doesn’t believe Jacobs’ story, either.  In his opinion, Tuberville “resigned” because he never, ever had the full support of the AU power-brokers.

Here are some of the highlights from the Jacobs’ presser.

Finally, Kevin Scarbinsky of The Birmingham News spent time with Tuberville yesterday… on his first day as the former Auburn coach.  Arriving at his house on Wednesday (following the announcement of his “resignation”), he found so many friends and tears that it was like “going to your own funeral.  It was like somebody died.  I guess something has died.  Something inside of you has died.” 

Scarbinsky, who I believe to the best writer in the South, doesn’t believe Jacobs any more than the rest of the free world believes him.  He concludes his column on Tuberville, Jacobs and the “resignation” as follows: “Auburn may find a better coach.  It won’t find a better man.”



As for the next guy, reports Wednesday said that Auburn reps had already contacted the people of Mike Leach, Bobby Petrino and Houston Nutt.  Jacobs denied that, but as we noted yesterday, search firms and agents make it easy for folks to say “no one HERE has talked to THE COACH.”

New reports say Florida State offensive coordinator Jimbo Fisher, Louisiana Tech’s Derek Dooley (son of Georgia coach and Auburn grad Vince Dooley) and Texas coach-in-waiting Will Muschamp are also on AU’s list.

A lot more candidates are listed here… and Jacobs says, “Financially we will not have any constraints.”

We repeat: Jacobs can spend whatever he wants to find “the right fit” for Auburn.

Auburn isn’t going to be in a hurry to finish their search. 

David Climer of The Tennessean look across the league and discovers that the SEC’s “fire ‘em” attitude might be even more incredible than you think.

Since 1998, the twelve SEC schools have had 34 coaches (counting the yet-to-be-named guys at Auburn and Mississippi State). 

Climer rightly points out that that equals a coaching change every 2.83 years, but techically, that “average” is skewed by the fact that coaches who took over before ‘98 got no credit for their years of service prior to that year.  And the three new hires are counting as zero tenure.  That hurts the ol’ average, I’d say.

But you get the point.  The SEC is a graveyard for coaches.  Tommy Tuberville said it best before the season: “We beat tech other up, but we’re making a lot of money doing it.”

WAUD radio in Auburn received calls to their “SportsCall” show from the wives of two AU assistants shortly after the news broke that their husbands were out of work.

It’s a listen that might have you re-thinking all the times you call for a coach’s head.  There’s a lot of pain involved for assistants, wives, children, etc.

Firing a coach is never a fun thing and it’s not something to take glee in.

That said, this doesn’t mean that all coaches must be kept in place regardless of record.  Coaches know the incredible ups and downs of their business and they choose to coach at the collegiate level anyway… where they might have to uproot their families at a moment’s notice.

Auburn athletic director Jay Jacobs says that he and AU president Jay Gogue tried to talk Tommy Tuberville out of resigning and that they had never considered firing him.

A source tells ESPN’s Joe Schad that Tuberville could have returned for another season, but knew he didn’t have the full support of the board of trustees (or major boosters).

Jacobs also said that no university representative has been in contact with a potential candidate.

Alright, let’s take a look at this, and admittedly, it’s early…

1)  We’ve known for a while that Auburn and Tuberville have not seen eye to eye and that this could be heading toward an Arkansas-Houston Nutt type divorce. 

2)  There are plenty of ways to make it clear that a person isn’t wanted… even without threatening a firing.

3)  Supposing Gogue and Jacobs did want Tuberville back, it’s hard to imagine him walking back in with just ONE more year guaranteed.  As I’ve pointed out, what kind of offensive coordinator would want to step into a potential one-and-done situation?

4)  As for the “our reps haven’t talked to a candidate” line… that’s pretty standard stuff.  By bending the English language, that statement could be true while a coaching search firm HAS spoken to the AGENTS for various coaches.

More to come.

Tony Barnhart of the AJC spins a cautionary tale for Auburn fans, writing that getting the program “to another level” might wind up meaning a level that is “down, not up.”

True enough.  But I do find it interesting that all three of the SEC’s dismissals this year are being painted with the same brush, when that’s not actually the case.



Auburn

Tommy Tuberville has won about 80% of his games in the four years prior to this season.  He went undefeated in 2004, and if not for the stupidity of the bowl system, he might have a national championship ring on top of that.  He had owned his biggest rival until this year.  His record against other top SEC coaches is as good as it gets.  And he’s run a clean program with very few off-field incidents.  Yes, he’s cold-shouldered a bunch of boosters who tried to stab him in the back (who wouldn’t?), but this has all come about due to ONE bad year.

So… bad move.



Tennessee

Phillip Fulmer has won almost 75% of his games, but that worked out to about 85% in the 90s, just about 65% in the 2000s.  Key rivals crushed the Vols easily this year and last.  Fulmer’s record at home, against ranked opponents and against the SEC’s top coaches have all been in steep decline since 2002.  He’s had two losing seasons in the last four.  Everyone also admits that the new coach will have to rebuild.  Oh, and fans stopped attending games.

So… necessary move.



Mississippi State

Sylvester Croom inherited the toughest job in the West Division and it was compounded by probation.  He cleaned up the program, established more discipline and represented MSU with class.  He also was the SEC’s Coach of the Year last year when he led State to a Liberty Bowl victory.  But his offenses, even last year, have been HORRIBLE.  When given the chance to save himself by showing some of his offensive assistants to the door, he did the honorable thing and refused.  But his first allegiance should have been to the school that was writing his checks.  Changes had to be made on the offensive side of the ball or else State would be looking at another 4-win season next year. 

So… necessary move.



Look, I agree with Barnhart and everyone else who’s is writing that Auburn just tossed a darn good coach.  But that situation is not the same as the other two SEC dismissals made this Fall.  Not according to the track records.

The season’s almost over and that means it’s time for SEC columnists to list their players of the year, coaches of the year, games of the year, etc.

It’s pretty easy to do (so don’t be surprised if we throw our own awards out, too).

Here are the honorees according to Pat Dooley of The Gainesville Sun.

And here are the awards handed out by Joe Biddle of The Tennessean.

Just a quick note to let you all know that we’re looking into our YouTube clip issue.

For some reason, the clips do not appear on some readers’ computers.  We’re trying to figure this out and hope to have it fixed shortly.

(Anyone who’s run into this before is more than welcome to email me at john@mrsec.com.)

Until it’s fixed, refreshing your browser a number of times has worked for some folks.

Sorry for the inconvenience.

Thanks for reading,
John

We’ll get more into basketball coverage next week, with the conclusion of football season, but we do try to keep you abreast of big news. 

Last night, in Knetucky’s 103-61 win over Lamar, Ramon Harris was chasing down a loose ball when his head smacked into the head of teammate Michael Porter.

The sound of the collision was loud.  Harris collapsed on the court.

Here’s the only clip of the collision from YouTube.  Bad clip, but keep your eyes on the upper part of the screen.



“Scary,” is how Patrick Patterson described it.  “Ramon’s hands were curled up and his feet were twitching.  It takes your breath away.”

Harris was wheeled out of the arena on a stretcher, but the early news seems to be good… he can move his arms and legs.

He remains hospitalized this morning.

Here are a blue million headlines from Alabama’s camp today:

A long-time Vegas oddsmaker has never seen a #1, undefeated team listed as a 9.5 point underdog.  Never.

Nick Saban and Urban Meyer are the SEC’s top coaches on the field and in recruits’ living rooms.

Bama’s plan against the Gators is pretty simple: “run straight at them.”

Saban isn’t very popular with the media and opposing fans, but he’s earning everyone’s respect.

Alabama practiced outside on Tuesday, but were back outside yesterday.

There’s no definitive word on whether Percy Harvin will play for the Gators on Saturday (he will), but Meyer says he’s spending about 10 hours a day in the training room.

Quarterback John Parker Wilson (left) has been the perfect blue-collar guy for Alabama’s blue-collar offense.

This year’s SEC Championship Game is exactly what the league had in mind way back in 1992.

This Tuscaloosa columnist believes it’s time for UA students to use ALL of their student tickets… or lose them.

Bama better be prepared for Florida’s quick strike offense.

Mark Richt knows what Florida’s up against in trying to move Tide nose tackle Terrence Cody.  “No one’s blocked him.  No one man has blocked him, and I haven’t seen many double-teams block him, either.  He’s a beast.”

Things can change and I’m never one to believe a coach when he says mid-season that he’s not going somewhere, but right now, with the season just concluded, it really doesn’t look like anybody IS interested in the Mississippi State job.

That’s probably because State, as I wrote yesterday, is the West Division’s equivalent of Vanderbilt.  A coach at MSU will have to jump every other school in the division to reach Atlanta.

The top two names on what I would have made my “how to replace Sylvester Croom” list have both said they’re not interested in the Starkville job.

Louisiana Tech’s Derek Dooley put out a release yesterday saying he’s planning to stay in Ruston, but a phone call and a boat load of cash might still change his mind.

TCU’s Gary Patterson was even more to the point via a school spokesman, “Coach Patterson has no interest in the Mississippi State job.”  Ouch.

So what about Tommy Tuberville?  Would he be interested in MSU?  Would Greg Byrne be interested in him?

In his press release, Tuberville said that he plans to “remain in Auburn and help the Auburn family however I can.”  So is he finished coaching?  Or is that simply what you say in a press release because you can’t say, “Screw you, guys, I’m going home!”

Ron Higgins of The Memphis Commercial-Appeal believes the Bulldogs should call him.  He also believes that Tuberville will be a hotter commodity than Phillip Fulmer because he’s had more recent success.

Finally, receiver Brandon McRae is out of the hospital after surgery on the compound fracture in his leg.

Every time you turn on talk radio you hear some irate caller screaming, “when is it going to stop?!” regarding coaching salaries.

And yes, the salaries and buyouts keep going up and up and up and up. 

But, folks, the coaching salary bubble is already bursting.  For coaches.

So Nick Saban is upset that Phillip Fulmer, Tommy Tuberville and Sylvester Croom have all been forced out following bad seasons?

“There eventually gets to be an expectation that no one’s ever satisfied.  No one’s ever satisfied.  It happens all the time, and it’s too bad.”

Hmmm.  “No one’s ever satisfied.”  What are you paid there, Nick?  ‘Bout $4 million?

And doesn’t that mean higher costs on parking passes, tickets, stadium concessions, etc, for the Bama faithful?

“No one’s ever satisfied?”  Damn right.  The coaches and their agents aren’t satisfied.

In Knoxville, Fulmer has been compared to Joe Paterno and Bobby Bowden (despite the fact that they were at their schools twice as long, had won twice as many games and had won twice as many championships).  But there’s another area where Fulmer doesn’t compare to Paterno and Bowden: salary.

After the 2007 season, Fulmer and his agent, Jimmy Sexton (who also reps Tuberville and half the other coaches in the US), angled for a big raise, an extension that stretched Fulmer to seven more years, a $6 million buyout AND a rollover clause for an 8-win season.

Talk about no one’s ever satisfied.  And those dollar figures (and the fan backlash they caused) led directly to Fulmer’s ouster.

Vol fans stopped going to games.  They weren’t going to pay more, more, more to watch a product that had slipped, slipped, slipped while their coach got rich, rich, rich.

The idea that a man making $4 million per year would complain about “high expectations” is laughable.  Absolutely laughable.

Coaches, if you want more time, more stability… then take less cash on the front end.  You buy yourself an extra year or two when you’re NOT worth more than the gross national product of Senegal.

The coaching salary bubble is already bursting.  Not in terms of cash, but in terms of security.  And at some point, there’s going to be a coach who says, “you know what, a million a year is fine for me.” 

Until then, fans don’t need to be lectured by multi-millionaire coaches who believe expectations are too high.  Coaches can’t have it both ways.

With great cash comes great expectations… or something like that.

Just one man’s take, but after examining the resume of Texas Tech’s Mike Leach, he seems to be the best choice possible for Auburn right now.

First of all, the dismissal of Tommy Tuberville had a whole heckuva lot to do with the emergence of Nick Saban and Alabama across the state.  It was a reaction, pure and simple.

Leach and his high-flying offense would help to steal some of the spotlight back from the Tide.  And face it, that’s the number one goal of Auburn folks.

Would his offense work in the SEC?  Not as well as it’s worked at Tech, but yes, it would work.  Kentucky’s problems with Leach and Hal Mumme were not on the offensive side of the ball back in the 90s.

Also, while Leach is not known as a super recruiter, his offense would attract skillplayers to Auburn… something they lacked this year.

But here’s the key to Leach: he doesn’t have to have stellar recruiting classes to win.  At Texas Tech, Leach has 9 four- or five-star recruits on his roster.  Nine.  That’s it.

In the last two years he is 2-2 with Texas and Oklahoma.  Texas has 51 four- or five-star guys, Oklahoma has 55.

Think about it.  This guy is going toe-to-toe with traditional powers who out rank him in star-power five to one.

Knowing that Auburn will never be able to out recruit Alabama and Saban (sorry, it’s a fact), why not go for a guy who can: compete with less talent, play an exciting style of offense, and steal some spotlight from Alabama.

Of course, Leach is known as a wild card.  As Barney Fife might say, “he’s a nut.”  Some reports say that he failed to show up for a scheduled meeting with Tennessee’s Mike Hamilton during the UT search.

Would he be able to get along with Bobby Lowder and the Auburn heirarchy any better than Tuberville?  That might be the sticking point.

Here’s some more on the Tommy Tuberville ouster on The Plains:

Kevin Scarbinsky of The Birmingham News writes that the divorce was more amicable than the marriage for Tubs and the Auburn power-brokers.  Also, a number of coaches are saying that it won’t take much to turn Auburn around.  (That’s ’cause this was ONE bad year, not an overall decline in the program.)

Nick Saban, the man who raised the bar and thus played a role in the coaching changes at Auburn and Tennessee, said, “So I guess we’re 5-7 away from the same thing.”  Saban went to say that he questioned “The judgment” of firing Sylvester Croom, Phillip Fulmer and Tuberville.  He believes expectations for coaches are way too high.  Well, hold on a second there, Mr. Saban.  Are expectations to high?  Probably… but so are coaches’ salaries.  Am I the only one that’s noticed that as salaries and buyouts get bigger, expectations increase?

Pat Dye doesn’t seem to be mourning Tuberville too much, saying he “had his good years and he had some that weren’t quite as good.  One thing he could do, he won a lot of games that he wasn’t supposed to win.”  (Question is: did Tuberville ever lose a pair of pants and not know how?)

The Birmingham News lists five reasons why current Browns coach Romeo Crennel would be a good fit for Auburn: NFL experience, Bill Belichick disciple (like Saban), minority hire, available, affordable.  And those last three will make the Auburn fanbase very happy.  I’m guessing Tiger fans will want the best coach in America… and if he happens to be available, affordable and a minority hire, fine, but those aren’t going to be at the top of AU’s criteria.

Here’s a recap of the whole Tuberville situation.

This columnist believes Tuberville deserves a big round of applause for all he accomplished on The Plains.

Jay Jacobs: “He has established a strong foundation to build upon, and we thank him for the standard he set.”

Mark McCarter of The Huntsville Times believes it could be tough to find a coach who’ll want to compete in the devilishly difficult SEC.  I think enough money can get folks interested.  Now, it could be tough to find a coach who’ll want to work for/with the Auburn administration and boosters.  They haven’t looked very good these last five years.

Tony Barnhart of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution believes the next coach will have to “look Nick Saban in the eye and compete with him, and there ain’t many guys like that out there.”  Stan White, Dameyune Craig and Tony Franklin all give their reactions in this story as well.

Some Auburn recruits are naturally re-thinking their views/commitments to the Tigers.  That’s to be expected.  You can keep up with all the recruiting news for Auburn and all the other SEC schools on our Recruiting page.

Mike Leach appears to rest atop AU’s wish list, but reports say Auburn has reached out to both Bobby Petrino and Houston Nutt (no knock on Nutt, but how is that a trade up?).  Tons of “next coach” speculation in this story from The Mobile Press-Register.  Ball State’s Brady Hoke, anyone?

Before we get into everyone else’s take, let me throw out two things first:  Nick Saban has now caused two major SEC programs to look at their coach and ask, “Are we keeping up with him?” 

Also, if you’re Mississippi State, you pick up the phone and make a couple of phone calls to The Plains today.  Might never happen, but it’d sure be worth a 5-minute phone call to find out.

Now, here’s a ton of headlines tied to the Tommy Tuberville “resignation” at Auburn:

ESPN’s Chris Low believes this was a “just get me outta here” moment for Tuberville (not unlike Houston Nutt’s divorce from Arkansas last year).  Oh, and he’ll also get the pro-rated amount of his buyout… which is $5.1 million payable over 366 days.

ESPN’s Ivan Maisel says this of Auburn and their decision: “You’re kidding right?  Is there something about Tommy Tuberville that causes you to make agonizingly stupid decisions?  Forget I ever brought it up.  Good luck finding a coach better than the one you just forced out.”

Andy Staples of SI.com writes that Tuberville hurt himself by hiring Tony Franklin, by hanging on to “the Barbecue Boys” and by not playing nice with AU’s big boosters.  True on all counts, though I’d have a hard time playing nice after Jetgate, too.

As is always the case in coach firings, Tuberville’s former players aren’t happy with the move.  Heath Evans of the New England Patriots had this to say: “This guy has won 10 games in half of the years he’s been there.  You need stability — and it’s going to kill recruiting.”

Auburn contacted Mike Leach through the search firm of Bill Carr even before blowing Tuberville up.  Lame.  Weak.  Sackless.  If you’re hiring search firms, you go ahead and blow up the coach rather than make him dangle.  Other potential candidates: Paul Johnson, Turner Gill, Brian Kelly, Tim Brewster, Butch Davis, Chris Peterson, Jimbo Fisher and Will Muschamp.  (With the exception of Johnson and Fisher, that’s basically the list Tennessee used, too.)

Here’s how athletic director Jay Jacobs saw things: “Through these discussions, Tommy felt it would be in his and the program’s best interest to step aside as Auburn’s head football coach.”  Yep.  You tend to get that feeling when you’re unwanted.  Funny how that works.

More to come shortly…

Okay, so I lied.  THIS is the last post of the day and then we’ll cover the rest of the story tomorrow.

First, there’s no news yet on what Tuberville’s parting cash will be.  Is this an “I’ll meet you in the middle” divorce since both parties had big buyouts?  Or will Tubs get the full $6 million his buyout in 366 days as spelled out in legalese?

Secondly, if there is an official press conference it will come tomorrow.  We think.

Sidenote — expect defensive coordinator Paul Rhoads to pay more attention to that Utah State head coaching job at this point.

Here’s a solid, front-to-back article on how Tuberville’s tenure came to a close on The Plains.

See you in the morning!

(And if you don’t get the photo at left, you’re not trying.)

According to The Opelika-Auburn News, Tommy Tuberville resigned his position with Auburn.

In much the same way that Phillip Fulmer and Sylvester Croom “resigned” their positions.

In much the same way that Anne Boleyn resigned from the Earth.

Assistant coaches and players fought back tears as word made its way through the Auburn football complex late Tuesday afternoon.

Tuberville is meeting with his team right now (6pm-ish EST) and has called his assistants back from their recruiting visits.

We’ll have much more tomorrow morning on the whole Tuberville-Auburn divorce.

After 10 years as Auburn’s head coach, Tommy Tuberville is finished on The Plains. 

It’s not clear yet whether or not Tuberville was fired or resigned.  Either way, you can expect him to get a really big severance package.  Really big.

Tubs was 85-40 in 10 years at Auburn.  His team went 13-0 in 2004.  His record against the other Big Six schools in the SEC (Alabama, Florida, Georgia, LSU, Tennessee) was better than any other coach in the conference.

Saturday’s 36-0 loss to Alabama and Nick Saban ended a six-year winning streak against the Tide, the longest win streak in Auburn history.

An unofficial Auburn rep has reached out to people close to Arkansas’ Bobby Petrino (Jetgate II, anyone?) and Texas Tech’s Mike Leach.

Leach is reportedly in the midst of negotiations with Tech after visiting with Washington officials on Monday.  Petrino just finished his first year in Fayetteville, but anyone who thinks he’s not in play hasn’t seen the guy’s resume.

It’s also been reported that those talks with the other coaches’ reps came BEFORE today’s talks with Tuberville. 

So as Kevin Scarbinsky guessed earlier today (see our Auburn Football News post), AU was apparently stringing Tubs along while they checked to see if they could upgrade.

Pathetic.  And though it’ll surely tick off our Auburn folks, the shoddy way AU has repeatedly treated Tuberville is the reason Auburn is still called a “Cow College” by many.

Chris Low of ESPN has a few more Tuberville stats that would lead one to think he would have been retained.  But, noooooooooo.

Tommy Tuberville is out at Auburn.

After 10 years… one of them “bad”… he’s done.

More to come.

As if you haven’t gotten your daily fill of SEC Championship Game news, here’s Tony Barnhart’s latest musings for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution… and it involves five things you need to know about Saturday’s game:

1)  If Tim Tebow has a big game he should win the Heisman Trophy.  (I agree.)

2)  Alabama has speed, too.

3)  These teams don’t know what it’s like to be behind.

4)  It will not be a high-scoring game because both defenses are good.

5)  The game will come down to turnovers.

To read his thoughts on each of these points, and to learn a couple more “x factors,” just click this red link right here.

Here’s the coverage from Florida this morning:

The SEC Championship Game could come down to which team’s run game is better.