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Tag: Louisiana State Tigers football

  • Florida or LSU? Ole Miss coach Lane Kiffin’s coaching decision will be revealed after the Egg Bowl

    OXFORD, Miss. (AP) — Ole Miss coach Lane Kiffin will announce his next move — likely Florida or LSU — after the Egg Bowl against Mississippi State.

    Athletic director Keith Carter released a statement Friday saying a decision on Kiffin’s future is expected Nov. 29, the day after the fifth-ranked Rebels play their in-state rival.

    It could be an agonizing wait for the Tigers, the Gators and the Rebels, although most outsiders believe Kiffin staying in Oxford for a seventh season is a long shot.

    “Coach Kiffin and I have had many pointed and positive conversations regarding his future at Ole Miss, including meeting (Friday) with Chancellor (Glenn) Boyce,” Carter said. “While we discuss next steps, we know we cannot lose sight of what is most important — our … team is poised to finish the regular season in historic fashion.”

    Carter said Kiffin remains focused, and the announcement timeline ensures the Rebels’ players and coaches “can concentrate fully on next Friday’s game.”

    “This team is on the cusp of an unprecedented season, and it’s imperative they feel the support of the Ole Miss family in the week ahead,” he said.

    Behind Kiffin’s next landing spot, the second-biggest question is whether Kiffin would stick around — or be allowed to stay — to coach Ole Miss through a potential College Football Playoff berth.

    The Rebels’ current standing in the CFP rankings has them poised to host a first-round game if they beat the Bulldogs. The selection committee, however, would be working within its guidelines if it factored the disruption of a coaching change into a team’s final seeding.

    Ole Miss (10-1, 6-1 Southeastern Conference, No. 6 CFP) does not play this weekend. The bye allowed Kiffin to meet with Florida and LSU officials.

    The Gators fired Billy Napier in mid-October and set their sights on Kiffin. LSU fired Brian Kelly a week later, creating a tug-of-war over a 50-year-old coach who is considered one of the top offensive minds in the game.

    Kiffin’s family members took scouting trips to Gainesville and Baton Rouge, and he met with administrators and fundraisers on several occasions. He even reportedly sat down with Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry, who publicly slammed former LSU athletic director Scott Woodward for giving Kelly a 10-year contract worth about $100 million in 2022.

    Will he stay at the place he called “utopia” and turned into a perennial winner with his ex-wife and kids nearby? Will he move back to Florida, where his father became one of the most respected defensive coordinators in NFL history? Or will he land at LSU, where three of its last four coaches won national championships.

    Kiffin politely declined to talk about job openings this week. He sidestepped several questions about ongoing overtures from Florida, LSU and Ole Miss.

    “I’m going to stay on what I’ve done for six years, which isn’t talking about other jobs and that situation,” said Kiffin, who denied reports Tuesday that Ole Miss had given him an ultimatum. “I love it here, and it’s been amazing. And we’re in the season — the greatest run in the history of Ole Miss at this point (and) having never been at this point.

    “So I think it’s really exciting. … I’m just living in the moment — it’s amazing — and our players are, too. I see their joy about practice, season, where they’re at and have so much on the line. It’s just awesome to be a part of.”

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  • AP Top 25 poll preview: Alabama edges South Carolina, Longhorns escape in OT, LSU could fall

    Week 9 of college football has largely unfolded as expected, even with several close calls. No. 7 Georgia Tech rolled past Syracuse 41-16, No. 4 Alabama edged South Carolina 29-22, No. 10 Vanderbilt beat Missouri 17-10 and No. 2 Indiana cruised to a 56-6 rout of UCLA.

    All top 10 teams remained in the win column — a stark difference from Week 8, when four top 10 teams stumbled.

    The excitement this week existed outside the top 10, where Washington overthrew No. 23 Illinois, Memphis topped No. 18 South Florida, Houston knocked off Arizona and Texas and Virginia escaped overtime thrillers.

    Look for them to move up

    — No. 21 Cincinnati improved to 7-1 on Saturday with a convincing 41-20 win against Baylor. The Bearcats pulled ahead 24-0 midway through the second quarter and kept their foot on the pedal throughout the second half.

    — No. 17 Tennessee outscored Kentucky 56-34 in another impressive offensive performance led by quarterback Joey Aguilar. The Vols could benefit from No. 13 Oklahoma and No. 15 Missouri losing this week and move into the top 15 as a result.

    Look for them to drop

    — No. 18 South Florida gave up a 31-17 lead in the fourth quarter, allowing Memphis to charge downfield for a field goal, two touchdowns and a 2-point conversion to take a late 34-31 lead. The Bulls had a chance to send the teams to overtime in the final seconds, but the 52-yard field-goal attempt went wide, and South Florida suffered its first loss since Week 3.

    — No. 23 Illinois could be on its way out of the rankings after a 42-25 loss to Washington. It’s Illinois’ second straight loss and third overall.

    — No. 20 LSU could see its lowest ranking this season after a 49-25 loss to Texas A&M. The Tigers were outplayed on both sides of the ball. It was a tough outing for Garrett Nussmeier, who was sacked five times for 44 yards in losses. Nussmeier was pulled late in the fourth quarter for backup quarterback Michael Van Buren Jr., who was then sacked twice in one drive.

    Wild card

    — No. 16 Virginia narrowly beat UNC despite being outplayed in several areas. UNC had the edge in first downs (20-16) and total yards (353-259).

    — For the second straight outing, No. 22 Texas won after regulation. The Longhorns scored three touchdowns and a field goal in the fourth quarter to overcome a 31-14 deficit and force overtime, where a strong defensive stand carried Texas to a 45-38 victory.

    — No. 11 BYU made a strong case to crack the top 10 with a dominant 41-27 win against Iowa State, keeping its undefeated streak alive. But a strong week for the upper tier of the AP Top 25 could prevent the Cougars from top 10 status.

    Knocking on the door

    — The chances of Memphis breaking the AP Top 25 again appear promising after a 34-31 win against No. 18 South Florida. The Tigers improved to 7-1, potentially offsetting last week’s 31-24 loss to UAB.

    — Navy kept its undefeated streak alive with a 42-32 win against Florida Atlantic. Navy has been knocking on the door for weeks, receiving 28 votes in last week’s poll.

    — Houston could swap places with No. 24 Arizona State after a 24-16 win on Saturday night. Quarterback Conner Weigman had a standout performance, throwing for 201 yards and a touchdown and running the ball for a team-high 111 yards and two scores. The Cougars improved to 7-1.

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  • AP Top 25: Tide retakes No. 1 from UGA; Kansas snaps drought

    AP Top 25: Tide retakes No. 1 from UGA; Kansas snaps drought

    Alabama reclaimed No. 1 from Georgia in The Associated Press college football poll in one of the closest votes in the recent years, and six teams — including Kansas — made their season debut on Sunday.

    The Crimson Tide received 25 first-place votes and 1,523 points in the AP Top 25 presented by Regions Bank, two points more than the Bulldogs. Georgia received 28 first-place votes to become the first team since Alabama in November 2019 to have the most first-place votes but not be No. 1.

    The Tide was No. 2 behind LSU that year, with 21 first-place votes to the Tigers’ 17.

    The last time there was a two-point margin between Nos. 1 and 2 was Nov. 1, 2020, when Clemson was ahead of Alabama. There have been three other polls with a two-point margin at the top since 2007.

    Ohio State remained third, but the Buckeyes also gained some ground on the top two, getting 10 first-place votes.

    The Crimson Tide started the season at No. 1, but the defending national champion Bulldogs took the top spot away from their Southeastern Conference rivals after Week 2 when Alabama needed a late field goal to beat Texas.

    The Bulldogs remain unbeaten but needed a fourth-quarter rally to beat four-touchdown underdog Missouri on Saturday night. Earlier in the day, the Tide managed to pull away from Arkansas in the second half without Heisman Trophy winner Bryce Young.

    Young sprained his throwing shoulder in the first half and missed most of the game in Fayetteville, Arkansas.

    No. 4 Michigan, No. 5 Clemson and No. 6 Southern California all won and held their places this week, though the Wolverines and Tigers are now separated by just three points.

    No. 7 Oklahoma State, followed by Tennessee, Mississippi and Penn State, round out the top 10.

    The rest of the AP Top 25 got a major overhaul after 10 ranked teams lost, five to unranked opponents. That cleared the way for seven teams to move into the rankings this week, most notably No. 19 Kansas.

    The Jayhawks are ranked for the first time since Oct. 18, 2009, which was the longest drought for a team currently in a Power Five conference.

    POLL POINTS

    The closest margin between Nos. 1 and 2 in AP poll history is zero. Oklahoma and Miami tied for No. 1 in the 2002 preseason poll, and Miami and Washington shared the top spot in mid-October 1992.

    The last time there was a one-point margin between the top two teams was 1992, when the Hurricanes and Huskies were separated by a point in the weeks before and after they were tied.

    With Kansas back in the rankings, the longest poll appearance drought belongs to Illinois, which was last ranked in 2011. And the Illini have positioned themselves to make the leap with a 4-1 start heading into their home game against Iowa next week.

    Next up on the list is Rutgers (2012), Oregon State (preseason 2013) and Vanderbilt (final 2013).

    IN

    The voters generally decided to start from scratch at the back half of the rankings, flipping seven teams.

    — No. 17 TCU is in the rankings for the first time since a brief stay in 2019 at 25th.

    — No. 18 UCLA is off to its first 5-0 start since 2013.

    — No. 19 Kansas stayed unbeaten by knocking off Iowa State. The Jayhawks last started 5-0 in that 2009 season, then proceeded to drop their next six games and fall to the bottom of major college football for more than a decade.

    Both Kansas schools are ranked for the first time since Oct. 14, 2007.

    — No. 22 Syracuse improved to 5-0 with an easy victory against Wagner and finally cracked the rankings. The Orange are ranked for the first time since early in the 2019 season.

    — No. 23 Mississippi State has been ranked for only one week (after the first regular-season game of 2020) since the end of 2018 season.

    Both Mississippi SEC schools are ranked for the first time since Nov. 11, 2015.

    — No. 24 Cincinnati. The Bearcats are the one team to enter the rankings this week that already had been in this season. Cincinnati fell out after a Week 1 loss at Arkansas and has won four straight since.

    — No. 25 LSU has its first ranking under coach Brian Kelly. The Tigers have won four straight, including two SEC games, since losing a heartbreaker to Florida State on Labor Day weekend.

    OUT

    Among the seven teams to drop out of the AP Top 25, five of them will be unranked for the first time this season: Oklahoma, Baylor, Arkansas, Texas A&M and Pittsburgh.

    Florida State and Minnesota had brief stays in the AP Top 25. The Seminoles and Gophers were teams on the rise for a week and then both lost at home.

    CONFERENCE CALL

    SEC — 7 (Nos. 1, 2, 8, 9, 13, 23, 25).

    Pac-12 — 5 (Nos. 6, 11, 12, 18, 21).

    ACC — 4 (Nos. 5, 15, 16, 22).

    Big 12 — 4 (Nos. 7, 17, 19, 20).

    Big Ten — 3 (Nos. 3, 4, 10).

    American — 1 (No. 24).

    Independent — 1 (No. 16).

    RANKED vs. RANKED

    No. 25 LSU at No. 8 Tennessee.

    No. 17 TCU at No. 19 Kansas.

    No. 11 Utah at No. 18 UCLA.

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    Follow Ralph D. Russo at https://twitter.com/ralphDrussoAP and listen at http://www.appodcasts.com

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