While many believe that both Tulane and James Madison earned their spots in the CFP and deserve a shot to make a run, others believe that their inclusion only serves to water down the tournament.

FOX Sports analyst Joel Klatt is in the second group, and he recently sounded off on Group of 5 teams being included in the CFP by taking a shot at the NCAA men’s basketball tournament.

“The NCAA basketball tournament is a joke,” Klatt said on The Next Round podcast. “It’s the dumbest tournament, and the least fair tournament in all of sports… We’re not looking for a Cinderella. Nobody cares about that in football; we want the best team’s playing against each other at the end.”

Klatt is certainly going to ruffle a few feathers with his take on March Madness, but his larger point about the Group of 5 being included in the current CFP format is a very real debate in the current college football discourse.

Whether or not the decision makers at the top of the sport decide for or against the inclusion of teams like Tulane and James Madison moving forward remains to be seen, but both squads have an opportunity to prove both Klatt and a lot of other naysayers wrong starting this weekend.

The post Joel Klatt goes off on Group of 5 CFP teams: ‘We don’t want Cinderellas’ appeared first on Saturday Down South.

With this year’s participants included, 64 different squads have now found their way into the CFP since its inception back in 2015, and ESPN analyst Bill Connelly recently sat down and ranked them all from worst to best.

The top of Connelly’s list was, unsurprisingly, littered with some of the most dominant SEC sides to grace the gridiron over the past 10 years, but the team he has ranked No. 1 may come as a bit of a surprise to most.

Connelly has the Mac Jones-led 2020 Alabama Crimson Tide slotted in as his best team of the Playoff era, with the Joe Burrow-led 2019 LSU Tigers right behind them in the No. 2 spot, a squad that he believes is the best Nick Saban ever fielded at Alabama.

“The Crimson Tide had the Nos. 1, 3, and 5 finishers in the Heisman voting,” Connelly wrote. “They played one game decided by fewer than 14 points. They bested an SEC-only schedule by an average of 30.2 points per game. Their defense struggled early but allowed only 15 points per game after mid-October. This was the best Nick Saban team ever and quite possibly the best of the 21st century.”

Right behind the 2020 Tide and the 2019 Bayou Bengals, Connelly has the undefeated 2022 Georgia Bulldogs ranked as the third-best team of the CFP era, with 2023 Michigan at No. 4 and 2018 Clemson rounding out the top-5.

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It was very apparent to everyone watching that while the talent was certainly there, Manning was more than likely going to need more than one season under center at the college level if he wanted to realize his immense potential.

This appears to be the path that Arch and his camp are leaning towards taking, with Texas insider Chip Brown reporting on Monday night that the heir to the Manning legacy has decided to return for another season under center with the Longhorns in 2026.

Manning finished his first year as the full-time starter in Steve Sarkisian‘s offense with 2,924 passing yards, 24 passing touchdowns, and 7 interceptions, and he racked up a further 244 yards and 8 touchdowns on the ground.

The former 5-star recruit went through some early growing pains in the first half of the season, but he managed to find his footing around the midway point, throwing for almost 1,700 yards and a 13/2 TD/INT ratio across Texas’ final 6 games of the year.

Now, he’ll be looking to carry over that momentum into the offseason in hopes of realizing his Heisman and first overall draft pick potential in 2026.

The post Arch Manning reportedly decides on plans for 2026  appeared first on Saturday Down South.

The former head coach of the South Florida Bulls has already brought in several highly experienced and well-traveled assistants to join his new staff with the Tigers, and he appears to be on the verge of adding another name to that list.

According to a report from CBS Sports insider Matt Zenitz, Golesh is set to hire current Howard University head coach Larry Scott to become his new tight ends coach at Auburn.

Another seasoned coaching veteran, Scott will bring almost 2 decades of Division 1 experience with him to Auburn, with a resume that includes stops at several Power 4 programs.

He’s been the head coach at Howard for the past 6 seasons, leading the Bison to a 23-37 overall record during that span, and he was the tight ends coach at Florida, Miami, and Tennessee before that.

During his time with the Gators from 2018 to 2019, Scott coached All-American tight end and current Atlanta Falcons star Kyle Pitts, and he has also molded several other college tight ends into NFL Draft selections over the years.

Now he’ll be tasked with bringing similar success to the Auburn tight end room as a member of Golesh’s staff.

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The resurgent Denver Broncos have once again found themselves atop the AFC after locking up their postseason invitation by defeating the Green Bay Packers this past Sunday, and they will be getting a boost to their run game in the form of former Mizzou standout Cody Schrader.

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Denver announced they had officially claimed the SEC’s leading rusher from 2023 off of waivers from the Los Angeles Rams with a post on their official X account Monday evening.

Schrader, who played for Mizzou from 2022 to 2023, was an absolute star for the Tigers, racking up 2,700 total yards and 23 total touchdowns across his 2 seasons in Columbia.

His 1,627-yard 14-touchdown campaign in 2023 led to him being named a unanimous first-team All-American, and he signed with the Rams as an UDFA following the 2024 NFL Draft.

Schrader was unable to carve out a role for himself during his 2 seasons in LA, but he will now have the opportunity to make an impact on the NFL’s top teams heading into the Playoffs.

The post Former Mizzou RB Cody Schrader signs with new NFL team appeared first on Saturday Down South.

Brent Venables and the Sooners knocked off the Tide in Tuscaloosa a few weeks back thanks in large part to a stellar performance from their elite defense, and now they’ll be looking to do so again at home in a win-or-go-home scenario.

CBS Sports analyst Aaron Taylor recently broke down the crucial first-round rematch between SEC foes, and he sees round 2 playing out in a similar fashion to round 1.

“In 3 games, twice against Georgia, once against Oklahoma, only 14 total points in the second half between those 3 contests,” Taylor said. “The bottom line is that against elite defenses, Alabama is getting out-coached, they’re getting outplayed, and I believe that happens again when they play Oklahoma.”

It’s no secret that Alabama’s offense has been sputtering down the stretch, and the Sooners have already proven they are more than capable of shutting down Ty Simpson.

If Kalen DeBoer and Ryan Grubb can’t find a way to regain some of the momentum their offense had in the first half of the season, then Taylor’s prediction has a very good shot at becoming reality come Friday.

The post CBS Sports analyst shares pick for Alabama-Oklahoma CFP showdown appeared first on Saturday Down South.

There have been lots of growing pains for Georgia over the course of its 2025 campaign, but everything looks to be coming together at the right time as the Dawgs are playing some of their best football heading into the CFP.

CBS Sports analyst Aaron Taylor recently touched on the Dawgs’ progression this season, saying that this may be Smart’s best coaching job yet.

“This may be his best coaching job yet,” Taylor said. “You take a team that’s not nearly as talented as we’ve seen in the past, and to have the front 7 be riddled with injuries and players that aren’t of the caliber it used to be… Kirby Smart created a team, in his own words, that is hard to kill. They were thrust into the SEC Championship game, where maybe it was better for them not to play in, and they continued to find a way to win.”

Hard to kill has been the mantra for the Dawgs all year long, and they’ll be looking to maintain that reputation as they chart their course towards another National Championship in January.

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Steelers’ star quarterback Aaron Rodgers will need all the help he can get against a Miami squad that has quietly been one of the hottest in the NFL over the past several weeks.

Luckily for both Rodgers and the Steelers, it looks like one of his biggest targets will be suiting up as ESPN insider Adam Schefter reported on Sunday afternoon that tight end Darnell Washington has officially cleared the concussion protocol.

A former third-round pick out of Georgia, Washington has been having a career year in 2025, hauling in 23 receptions for 223 yards and a touchdown across the 13 games Pittsburgh has played so far.

The gargantuan 6’7 260 260-pound tight end is a key piece of the Steelers’ offense, serving as both a red zone mismatch and a huge piece in the run game as an extra blocker on the outside.

Now that he’s officially cleared the concussion protocol, Pittsburgh is likely to utilize the big man in multiple ways as they attempt to knock off the Dolphins at home on Monday night.

The post Steelers shares positive update on TE Darnell Washington ahead of Monday game appeared first on Saturday Down South.

Pavia joined fellow quarterbacks Fernando Mendoza from Indiana and Julian Sayin from Ohio State, along with Notre Dame star running back Jeremiyah Love, at the big event.

The charismatic Commodores gunslinger finished second in the final vote, behind Mendoza, and took to social media after the ceremony to deliver a message to the Heisman voters.

Pavia posted a story on his personal Instagram with several of his Vanderbilt teammates and captioned it “F- all the voters but… family for life,” a post that made it very clear he wasn’t exactly enthusiastic about coming in second after putting together a dominant season.

The electric dual-threat signal caller passed for 3,192 yards and 27 touchdowns, and he racked up another 826 yards and 9 touchdowns on the ground while leading Vanderbilt to their first 10-win season in program history.

Pavia may have walked away from the Heisman ceremony disappointed, but he still has an opportunity to add to what’s been a special season in Nashville by beating the Iowa Hawkeyes in the ReliaQuest Bowl on New Year’s Eve.

The post Diego Pavia says ‘f- all the voters’ after losing Heisman Trophy to Fernando Mendoza appeared first on Saturday Down South.

The Dawgs’ men’s basketball program picked up its eighth win of the season on Saturday afternoon with a dominant 84-65 win against the Cincinnati Bearcats in State Farm Arena down in Atlanta, Georgia.

The Dawgs were led in scoring by junior point guard Blue Cain, who racked up 22 points, 5 assists, and 5 rebounds while shooting 5/12 from the field and sinking 12 of his 14 free throws.

As a unit, Georgia shot 50% from the field while holding the Bearcats to 35%, and also managed to out-rebound their Big 12 foes 41 to 37 on the day, with sophomore big man Somto Cyril leading the way with 7 boards.

This dominant showing follows up the 107-73 beatdown they handed the Florida State Seminoles last Tuesday down in Tallahassee in the ACC/SEC Showdown, one of their biggest wins against a Power 4 opponent in program history.

Georgia will have 3 more tune-up games against smaller programs to close out 2025 before it dives headfirst into SEC play in the New Year by facing off against No. 21 Auburn.

The post Georgia basketball moves to 9-1 with dominant showing against Cincinnati appeared first on Saturday Down South.

These 2 storied programs have been playing each other almost annually since 1890 in a game that pits some of America’s best and bravest against one another on the gridiron for a matchup that features unparalleled pageantry.

One of the highlights of this storied rivalry is the unique uniforms that each team wears during the game each year. It has become tradition for both schools to don a new alternate uniform against one another that pays homage to a specific unit or event in their respective histories. This year’s meeting is no different, as both Army and Navy took the field in Baltimore sporting uniforms that pay homage to the 250 years of service that both branches have contributed to the defense of the United States.

Army is sporting a marble colored look that pays tribute to the headstones of the fallen soldiers buried in Arlington National Cemetery, while Navy’s look pays tribute to the iconic Revolutionary War-era warship, the USS Constitution.

Fans across the country naturally loved the looks that both squads are wearing, and they took to X to debate which one is better:

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Golesh’s arrival has brought a renewed sense of optimism for the future of Auburn football, but there are several players who have elected to move on via the transfer portal following Freeze’s departure.

One such player is second-year wide receiver and Alexander City, Alabama native Malcolm Simmons, who entered his name into the portal earlier on Saturday, according to Auburn insider Justin Hokanson.

A 4-star recruit in the 2024 cycle, Simmons committed to play for Freeze and the Tigers over several other big-time programs, including Arkansas, West Virginia, and Coastal Carolina.

A speedster on the outside, Simmons played in all 12 games as both a true freshman in 2024 and as a sophomore in 2025, racking up 908 yards and 6 touchdowns for the Tigers across both of his seasons with the team.

He joins several other Auburn players who have already put their names in the portal, including quarterback Jackson Arnold, fellow wide receivers Horation Fields and Perry Thompson, and defensive back A’Mon Lane-Ganus.

The post Auburn wide receiver enters transfer portal after 2 seasons appeared first on Saturday Down South.

According to CBS Sports college football insider Matt Zenitz, Stein is expected to hire current UTSA wide receivers coach Joe Price to fill the same role on his new staff in Lexington.

Price, who has been with the Roadrunners since 2020, has also been serving as the associate head coach and passing game coordinator for the past 2 years in San Antonio.

In addition to Price, Zenitz is also reporting that Stein is expected to hire current Houston Cougars safeties coach Josh Christian-Young to be a part of his defensive staff at Kentucky as well.

A well-traveled college assistant, Christian-Young brings over a decade of coaching experience to Stein’s staff. He has spent the past 2 seasons as the safeties coach at Houston where he has contributed to one of the best passing defenses in the nation.

Both he and Price will now be taking their experience to the Bluegrass State to join Will Stein, where they will attempt to turn around the Wildcats football program.

The post Will Stein adds to coaching staff with 2 expected hires appeared first on Saturday Down South.

Dillingham has been a hot name all season long during the coaching carousel after turning around an ASU program that has spent much of the past 20 years in a state of near constant rebuild.

All of this speculation could soon be coming to an end, though, as reports have surfaced that Dillingham and the Sun Devils are nearing a deal that aims at keeping him in Tempe for the foreseeable future. According to Arizona State insider Chris Karpman, the 2 sides are “close” to reaching an agreement that would amend Dillingham’s current contract and increase his annual base salary.

Karpman also reported that these negotiations have been going on for 2 weeks, which indicates that Dillingham has a desire to stick around at Arizona State and continue building upon the success he’s already had with the Sun Devils.

The third-year head coach led the program to their best season in recent memory in 2024, finishing 11-3 with a Big 12 title and their first berth in the College Football Playoff. Once this reported new deal is finalized, Dillingham will be locked in with the Sun Devils for years to come.

The post Kenny Dillingham, Arizona State nearing deal on new contract terms, per report appeared first on Saturday Down South.

It also once again brought Alabama head coach Kalen DeBoer into focus for yet another Big Ten coaching search, with many analysts reporting that the Wolverines could end up targeting the current head man for the Tide to fill their now vacant head coaching slot.

Former Alabama quarterback AJ McCarron was asked about DeBoer being linked to the opening in Ann Arbor on CBS Sports HQ, and the 2-time National Title winner said he does not think DeBoer should consider making the move up north.

“I don’t buy into the Michigan deal,” McCarron said. “I don’t understand, and it’s not a knock on Michigan, but you’re the No. 1 seed in the SEC. You’re the biggest brand in the SEC. The SEC is the best conference in college football on a year-in and year-out basis. I don’t know if you could say the same thing for Michigan right now, being in the Big 10.”

DeBoer is obviously in the middle of preparing his team to play Oklahoma next week in the first round of the College Football Playoff, but the speculation about whether or not he will leave Tuscaloosa is unlikely to fade any time soon.

The post AJ McCarron explains why he’s not buying the Kalen DeBoer to Michigan hype appeared first on Saturday Down South.

The longtime Chargers signal caller hadn’t played a snap of football since the 2020 season, and he had also been officially retired since January of 2021.

Despite this long layoff, Rivers appears to be on the verge of making his return to the gridiron at 44 years old, with ESPN insider Pete Thamel reporting that Indianapolis is activating the veteran from the practice squad ahead of this Sunday’s matchup against the Seattle Seahawks.

A 2004 first-round draft pick out of North Carolina State, Rivers spent the first 16 years of his professional career with the Chargers, where he became one of the most consistent quarterbacks of the 2000s and 2010s, before spending his last season with the Colts in 2020.

Over his 17 seasons in the NFL, Rivers racked up over 63,000 passing yards, 421 passing touchdowns, and completed just under 65% of his passes. He was also named to 8 Pro Bowls during this stretch, and was the 2013 NFL Comeback Player of the Year. Now, he’ll be looking to add the title of “Super Bowl Champion” to his resume in 2025 with the Colts.

The post Philip Rivers, 44, set to make first NFL start in 5 years appeared first on Saturday Down South.

Golesh has already made several key hires to fill out his coaching staff, and this includes former Tigers staffer under Gus Malzahn, Larry Porter, who Golesh is bringing back to become his new running backs coach.

Golesh released a statement on the hire Saturday, saying that he believes that Porter is a “great fit” for his staff at Auburn and that he will help the Tigers’ running backs maximise “every ounce” of their potential.

“Larry Porter is a great fit for our staff,” Golesh said. “When you look at his resume, you see a top-level coach who’s developed elite talent everywhere he’s been and recruited at the highest level. He’s a true professional who understands what it takes to win in the SEC. Larry is going to help our running backs maximise every ounce of their potential. I couldn’t be more excited to have him and his family join us on The Plains.”

Porter served as the special teams coordinator and tight ends coach under Gus Malzahn from 2017 to 2020 at Auburn, and most recently spent the 2025 campaign as the running backs coach for the West Virginia Mountaineers. Now, he’ll be returning for another stint on The Plains under Golesh as they attempt to get Auburn football back on track.

The post Alex Golesh comments on adding Larry Porter to Auburn staff  appeared first on Saturday Down South.

Star quarterback LaNorris Sellers also had a very underwhelming campaign under center for the Gamecocks after entering the year with legit first-overall draft pick and Heisman trophy hype.

Many wondered what Sellers would elect to do following such a disappointing season, and the redshirt sophomore appears to have made a decision, with ESPN insider Pete Thamel reporting that the dual-threat gunslinger has informed the program he intends to return for another year under center in Columbia.

According to Thamel, Sellers told the staff at Carolina that he intends to return next season, and the 2 sides are working to hammer out an NIL deal that is expected to be finalized in the near future.

Sellers racked up over 2,700 all-purpose yards and 18 total touchdowns across his 12 starts for the Gamecocks in 2025, but also struggled at times with ball security, throwing  8 picks and fumbling 4 times.

With a new offensive staff in place for 2026 at Carolina, Sellers looks to be coming back for at least one more run with the Gamecocks, where he will be looking to regain that first-round NFL draft grade he had prior to 2025.

The post LaNorris Sellers reportedly decides on future at South Carolina appeared first on Saturday Down South.

The Sooners handed the Tide their second loss of the season when they last met, and now the 2 squads will meet once again in Norman for a second-round matchup with much higher stakes for both teams.

Former Alabama running back Damien Harris joined CBS Sports HQ on Friday to discuss the matchup, and he said head coach Kalen DeBoer‘s job could be on the line.

“In my opinion, I think his job is on the line in this game,” Harris said. “We’ve seen how hard it is to beat a team twice in college football, and if we look at this Alabama team, and we say ‘You showed no improvement from the first time you played Oklahoma to the second time, and you weren’t able to make adjustments to flip the script of that game,’ that’s going to be a problem.”

Harris also went on to talk about the standards at Alabama and how a first-round playoff exit won’t be enough to meet those lofty expectations, even in year 2.

“This isn’t the history, and this isn’t the tradition that Alabama fans are used to,” Harris continued. “This isn’t the standard of excellence that is used to being had in Tuscaloosa and the University of Alabama.”

Harris’s comments come as DeBoer is linked to the Michigan job.

The post Damien Harris says Kalen DeBoer’s job is on the line heading into Alabama-Oklahoma CFP game appeared first on Saturday Down South.

This will be the second time this season the 2 heavyweights have faced off, and there will also naturally be a ton of College Football Playoff implications riding on the outcome of this meeting for both squads.

In what’s become a fan-favorite tradition over the course of the season, SEC Network analyst Laura Rutledge’s children, Reese and Jack, gave their predictions for who they think will come out on top between the Dawgs and the Tide.

“A lot of times, you know, guys, this is an instant classic,” Rutledge’s daughter, Reese, said before making her pick. “You know I love these 2 coaches, and I love these 2 quarterbacks.”

Reese’s little brother, Jack, made his pick first, donning a Georgia helmet and saying “Go Dawgs!” while Reese picked up an Alabama helmet and yelled “Bama!” for her pick.

It looks like there will be a bit of a sibling rivalry going on in the Rutledge house when the SEC Championship is on, with both Jack and Reese pulling for opposite sides.

The post Laura Rutledge’s children Reese and Jack pick winner of SEC Championship Game appeared first on Saturday Down South.

Kiffin brought a number of offensive assistants over with him from Ole Miss, but much of his defensive staff elected to stay under former defensive coordinator and newly minted Rebels’ head coach Pete Golding.

This means that Kiffin is on the hunt for a new group of defensive assistants to help him at LSU, and CBS Sports’ Matt Zenitz is reporting that he is targeting former Texas A&M staffer and current Syracuse defensive coordinator Elijah Robinson as the next defensive line coach for the Tigers.

A former standout defensive tackle for Penn State, Robinson has over 15 years of coaching experience under his belt, including 6 years as an assistant coach for Texas A&M from 2018-2023 under former head coach Jimbo Fisher.

Robinson has been serving as the defensive coordinator on Syracuse head coach Fran Brown’s staff for the past 2 seasons, but was demoted from his play-calling duties following the Orange’s abysmal 2025 campaign. Now, it looks like a return to the SEC ranks could be in the cards for Robinson on Kiffin’s new staff at LSU.

The post Lane Kiffin targeting ACC coordinator, former Texas A&M assistant for LSU DL coach, per report  appeared first on Saturday Down South.

It will be the fifth time in the past 13 years that these SEC heavyweights have met up in Atlanta with SEC supremacy on the line, and there will also be massive College Football Playoff implications hanging in the balance once more.

College GameDay made the trek down to Mercedes-Benz Stadium for the big-time throwdown, and Pat McAfee delivered yet another iconic final pick in front of a packed crowd to end the show.

“It always feels good, especially with you, to say ‘Roll Tide, Roll’,” McAfee said to his co-host and former Alabama head coach Nick Saban. “That’s what you would think I would say in this particular match-up, but yeah, right dude.”

McAfee then proceeded to start the famous “What’s that coming down the track?” chant with special guest picker and Georgia alum Earnie Johnson and every other Dawgs fan in attendance, before making his pick official with Georgia.

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This comes after the Bulldogs ranked at or near the bottom of the SEC in most major defensive categories as a unit, giving up nearly 400 yards and 30 points per game in 2025.

According to CBS Sports’ John Talty, Lebby is expected to bring back a familiar face to fill the now vacant defensive coordinator role on his staff in former head coach Zach Arnett.

Arnett was Lebby’s predecessor at Mississippi State, serving as the head coach for the Bulldogs during the 2023 season following the sudden passing of Mike Leach, leading the Bulldogs to a 4-6 record in his only campaign at the helm.

Before that, he served as Leach’s defensive coordinator from 2020-2022, putting together 3 solid defensive units for the Bulldogs and helping to bring in several highly touted high schoolers on the recruiting trail.

After 2 seasons away from Starkville, Arnett now appears to be on the verge of making his return to the program in 2026 as a member of Lebby’s staff.

The post Former Mississippi State HC Zach Arnett expected to return to MSU, join Jeff Lebby’s staff appeared first on Saturday Down South.

The Memphis Tigers are still looking for a new head coach after former head coach Ryan Silverfield was controversially hired as the next coach of the Arkansas Razorbacks.

The Tigers appear to be closing in on their guy, though, as ESPN insider Pete Thamel reported on Saturday morning that the program is closing in on a deal with current Southern Miss head coach and former Alabama assistant Charles Huff.

Huff is wrapping up his first season with the Golden Eagles after leading them to a 7-5 finish, and he also spent the 2021-2024 seasons as the head coach for the Marshall Thundering Herd, where he racked up a 32-20 overall record.

Before that, Huff spent 2 seasons under Nick Saban at Alabama as the Crimson Tide’s running backs coach and assistant head coach from 2019-2020, where he helped guide the program to a CFP National Championship in the COVID-shortened 2020 campaign.

Now, he appears to be taking another step up on his coaching journey by taking over a Memphis program that has been on the rise over the past several seasons.

The post Memphis reportedly finalizing hiring of Sun Belt HC, former Alabama assistant appeared first on Saturday Down South.

The hire came after a lengthy and oftentimes hectic month-long coaching search, but now that Sumrall is the guy, he’s wasting little time putting together his staff down in the Swamp.

He has already tabbed former Jacksonville Jaguars GM David Caldwell to take the same role with the Gators, and Florida insider Kevin Brockway is reporting that former Alabama OC and Giants head coach Brian Daboll could be a name to watch as Sumrall looks to fill his coordinator positions.

Daboll and Caldwell share a connection that goes back to their high school days, and Daboll has had great success as a play caller at both the collegiate and NFL levels.

He was the OC for Nick Saban at Alabama in 2017, where he helped them to a National Championship, and he also had the same role in Buffalo from 2018-2022, where he molded Josh Allen into one of the NFL’s top quarterbacks.

Now back on the job market following his unceremonious departure from the New York Giants, Daboll could find himself back in the college ranks once more with the Gators.

The post Former NFL HC, SEC OC mentioned for Jon Sumrall’s Florida staff appeared first on Saturday Down South.

After weeks of speculation, reports surfaced on Sunday morning that the sixth-year head coach of the Rebels was expected to depart from the program he just led to an 11-1 record and College Football Playoff berth to become the new head coach at LSU.

Adding to the intrigue of this insane series of events is a report from On3’s Pete Nakos that Ole Miss players were required to turn in their personal cell phones before a scheduled team meeting with Kiffin.

By all available accounts, Kiffin and the brass in Oxford had a very unpleasant split, and there appears to be some very bad blood between all parties involved due to how things were handled.

Given everything that has already taken place, it’s pretty apparent that neither party wants to take any chances that anything said during Kiffin’s last team meeting ever in Oxford ends up leaking onto social media.

This is probably the safest course of action in light of the circus that has already been created around his departure for Baton Rouge.

The post Ole Miss players had to turn in their phones before team meeting, per report appeared first on Saturday Down South.

Shephard, who has served as the associate head coach and co-offensive coordinator for the Crimson Tide under Kalen DeBoer for the past 2 seasons in Tuscaloosa, was officially named as the next head coach of the Beavers on Friday.

It also looks like Shephard is wasting little time in getting his staff together, as CBS Sports national insider Matt Zenitz is reporting fellow Crimson Tide staffer Eron Hodges is expected to join Shephard at Oregon State as the program’s new general manager.

Hodges currently serves as Alabama’s associate director of player personnel and has over a decade of experience serving in similar roles around the country. Like Shephard, he has been with the Crimson Tide since DeBoer took over following the retirement of Nick Saban.

Now, the pair will be tasked with turning around an Oregon State program that has struggled in recent years as they welcome several new members to what will become the new Pac-12 conference in 2026.

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As noted by ESPN NFL insider Adam Schefter, former Georgia Bulldogs standout and current LA Rams signal caller Matthew Stafford tossed his 28th consecutive touchdown without throwing an interception on Sunday afternoon against the Carolina Panthers, which is an NFL record.

Now in his 17th NFL season, Stafford has continued to put up eye-popping stats, entering Sunday’s matchup against the Panthers with a league-leading 30 touchdown passes and only 2 interceptions.

This stellar performance has helped guide the Rams to a 9-2 record and first-place position in the NFC West, and it has also put Stafford in the driver’s seat to take home his first-ever NFL MVP award.

The former first overall pick out of Georgia also made some more history earlier in the season, becoming just the ninth quarterback in NFL history to cross the 400 career passing TD threshold.

Stafford may be 37, but he’s playing some of the best football of his entire career, and it’s translating to success for his team as they chase down another Super Bowl win.

The post Matthew Stafford makes NFL history with TD pass against Carolina appeared first on Saturday Down South.

The latest school to make such a move appears to be the Coastal Carolina Chanticleers, who have reportedly fired head coach Tim Beck following their second straight 6-win season, according to On3 insider Pete Nakos

A longtime assistant, Beck served in various roles around the country across the first 25 years of his coaching career, a journey that included stints as the OC at Texas, Ohio State, and NC State, to name a few.

He took over at Coastal Carolina in 2023 following the departure of Jamey Chadwell, and actually led the program to an 8-5 mark and a win in the Hawaii Bowl during his first season at the helm. This would be the high-water mark for his tenure at Coastal, though, as he followed that promising first campaign up with a 6-7 finish in 2024, and a 6-6 mark in 2025.

Now the Chanticleers will be looking for their third head coach in 3 years, further adding to what’s become one of the wildest coaching carousels in college football history.

The post Sun Belt program firing head coach after 3 seasons, per report appeared first on Saturday Down South.

The next man tasked with bringing gridiron success back to the Plains is USF Bulls head coach Alex Golesh, who was announced as the new head man for the Tigers early on Sunday morning.

Following the announcement that he would officially be taking the job in Auburn, many former players and colleagues took to social media to congratulate Golesh on his new appointment, including USF AD Rob Higgins.

“Let me be the first to say we are truly excited for Alex, Alexis & their kids,” Higgins said. “We love Coach Golesh and are beyond grateful for what he has done for our program. Rest assured, we did everything within reason over the last few months to try and keep them here. We will be cheering them on always!”

Golesh took over at USF in 2023, leading the program to winning seasons in all 3 years he was there, including the 9-3 mark they currently sit at in 2025. Before that, he was a longtime assistant, serving most notably as Tennessee head coach Josh Heupel’s OC for 2 seasons before taking the job at USF.

Now, he’ll be tasked with using the wealth of experience he’s gained through the years to finally turn things around in Auburn and bring the storied program back to national prominence.

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According to ESPN college football insider Pete Thamel, Tulane Green Wave head coach Jon Sumrall has emerged as the “clear favorite” for Florida AD Scott Stricklin and company.

This comes just one day after it was reported that the Gators had moved on from their pursuit of current Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin, the guy many believed was their top choice following the firing of Billy Napier.

Sumrall has been a very popular name on the coaching carousel this season. He’s been linked to other SEC openings in recent weeks, including both Auburn and LSU. Prediction markets such as Kalshi previously tabbed Sumrall as the favorite to land the Florida job on Friday.

A former standout linebacker at Kentucky, Sumrall has been coaching for 20 years. His first head coaching gig was with Troy, where he led the Trojans to back-to-back 11-win seasons and Sun Belt titles in 2022-2023 before taking the head job at Tulane in 2024.

He guided the Green Wave to a 9-5 record in his first season at the helm, and currently has the team sitting at 9-2 with a chance to make the AAC Championship game with a win against Charlotte in their final game of the season.

Thamel is also reporting that Sumrall won’t make a final decision on his future until after his team’s regular-season finale.

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This marks the second-straight losing campaign for the Wildcats, a stretch that followed up 2 straight years where the Cats finished barely above .500.

The pressure appears to be rising for Stoop due to these recent shortcomings, but the head ball coach shot down any suggestion that he may step down from his current post following the loss to Louisville.

“You think I’m going to walk away. You kidding me?,” Stoops said at his postgame press conference. “Zero percent chance I walk away. I’m gonna be here as far as I’m concerned… Zero means zero. Zero percent chance I walk.”

Stoops and Kentucky entered the 2025 season hoping to bounce back from an abysmal 2024, but things never got going for them as they only managed to pick up a pair of SEC wins.

Calls for Stoops’ job grew louder as the season rolled along, prompting the longtime AD at Kentucky, Mitch Barnhart, to come out and publicly reiterate his support for Stoops on multiple occasions.

Stoops may not have any interest in stepping down at this juncture, but whether he stays or goes may not be in his hands anymore following the awful ending to what’s been a dreadful 2025.

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Ragnow, who spent 7 seasons as the anchor of the Lions’ offensive line, retired suddenly last offseason to the surprise of many, as he appeared to be firmly in the middle of his prime coming off 3 straight Pro Bowl selections.

It looked like Ragnow was ready to make his return to the pro ranks this week, but that unfortunately doesn’t appear to be in the cards for either him or the Lions, as the team put out a statement on X that he had failed his physical due to a grade 3 hamstring strain, ruling out any potential return this season.

Ragnow was a member of the Razorbacks from 2014-2017, earning first-team All-SEC and All-American honors during his junior and senior seasons with the Hogs. He was then drafted by Detroit with the 20th pick of the 2018 NFL Draft, becoming an immediate impact player for the Lions as a rookie.

He evolved into one of the best offensive linemen in the league at the turn of the 2020s, earning multiple second-team All-Pro and Pro Bowl selections before his abrupt retirement.

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This includes a man who knows Kiffin better than just about anybody else, his former boss Nick Saban, who Kiffin served under at Alabama as offensive coordinator from 2014 to 2016.

Saban was asked about Kiffin’s looming decision on College GameDay, and the legendary former head coach said that he believes that Kiffin will go wherever he can recruit the best players to come and play for him.

“I think that Lane’s decision is going to come down to one thing,” Saban said. “That thing is just what Marty (Smith) said, ‘Where is the place that I can recruit the best players?’ I think that one of Lane’s apprehensions is that he’s having to use the portal to build his team at Ole Miss each year, but at LSU, he can probably recruit better talent, and then use the portal to supplement his team where he needs to.”

Kiffin has utilized the transfer portal more than any other program in the SEC since arriving in Oxford, bringing in transfer classes that consistently rank near the top of the nation over that span.

If Saban is correct in his assessment of his former assistant, though, then the lure of LSU’s natural recruiting advantages may end up being too much for Ole Miss to overcome in the end.

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Vanderbilt still has an outside shot at making the College Football Playoff, but it will have to get past the Vols first to have any shot at sneaking in, while Tennessee will be playing to crush its in-state rivals’ postseason hopes.

Celebrity comedian and Commodores’ mega-fan Nate Bargatze joined the SEC Nation crew as their special guest, and he poked a bit of fun at Paul Finebaum and the fans who call into his daily show on SEC Network.

“You listen to Paul’s show, and he just lets these guys call in, and it’s like jack rabbits on the phone,” Bargatze said. “Paul, just let’s them go with no comment.”

This isn’t the first time Bargatze has brought his comedic talents to a major college football kickoff show this season, as he was also the special guest picker on College GameDay back in Week 9 when Mizzou visited Nashville for a matchup against Vanderbilt.

He made headlines then with his hilarious recruiting pitch to 5-star quarterback and current Georgia commit Jared Curtis, saying that they could become “best friends” if he decided to flip his commitment to the Commodores. There wasn’t a recruiting pitch this time around, but his impression of Finebaum’s callers still drew plenty of laughs.

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The controversy centered around what looked like a phenomenal touchdown reception on fourth down early in the second quarter from star OSU receiver Jeremiah Smith, with Smith hauling in a deep pass from quarterback Julian Sayin to give the Buckeyes their first lead of the game.

Everything looked fine in real time, but replay quickly buzzed down for a review, and it was revealed that Smith actually appeared to be bobbling the ball as he crossed the goal line. Smith appeared to step out out of bounds in the end zone before he re-gained possession, which would have resulted in a touchback for Michigan instead of a touchdown for Ohio State.

This was a massive call early on in a pivotal game for both sides, so the officials took their time in the review booth in order to make sure they made the correct call.

When the head ref came back to deliver the final verdict, though, every Michigan fan in the Big House was shocked when the original call of a touchdown was upheld, giving Ohio State the early lead.

Boos rained down following the official call, and fans across the country took to X to react to the controversial decision as well. Here’s the best of that reaction:

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The SEC Championship is also still in play for the Rebels, but everybody’s attention in Oxford is fixed on whether or not head coach Lane Kiffin decides to remain with the Rebels or depart for LSU.

Speculation has been swirling around whether or not Ole Miss would allow Kiffin to coach the Rebels through the Playoff if he leaves, and ESPN analyst Kirk Herbstreit touched on the subject during College GameDay, lobbying hard for Kiffin to be allowed to coach regardless of his lingering LSU decision.

“This team is a team that you don’t want to see in the CFP right now,” Herbstreit said. “So I think that if you’re in charge at Ole Miss, and if Lane decides to go elsewhere, I think you need to set your emotions to the side. You need to look at 2025 and this team with their coach, and give them a chance to finish this run.”

Kiffin has shepherded Ole Miss to heights it hasn’t seen in over 60 years, but if he decides to leave, it may be too much for the administration to overlook, even if his being on the sidelines gives the Rebels the best chance to win.

It’s just one of the many wrinkles that have made this one of the wildest coaching searches in recent memory.

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Among the options still available on the coaching market, Tulane’s Jon Sumrall and USF’s Alex Golesh have been receiving a ton of buzz as potential fits around college football’s best conference, and ESPN insider Pete Thamel joined College GameDay to discuss the latest on both coaches.

“Jon Sumrall has had significant interest from Auburn, significant interest from Florida, and he could end up in Ole Miss/LSU mix depending on what Lane does,” Thamel said. “Sources told me last night and reiterated this morning that Sumrall is the clear favorite to become the next head coach at Florida, but Sumrall is not going to make a decision until tomorrow.”

Thamel also reported that both Auburn and Arkansas could end up intersecting on Golesh, with Ole Miss also potentially entering the mix should Kiffin decide to leave for LSU.

“The Auburn job and the Arkansas job could end up intersecting at Alex Golesh,” Thamel said. “…He has the offer from Arkansas, and there is interest from Auburn. Ole Miss is also expected to be interested if Lane Kiffin leaves.”

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This was the second straight season the Horns handed the Aggies a devastating loss, and Texas A&M head coach Mike Elko wasn’t very pleased during his postgame presser when a reporter left the door open, and he could hear Texas fans celebrating in the concourse.

Elko ended up snapping at the reporter who left the door open, and we now know who that reporter was, as The Athletic’s Stewart Mandel fessed up to being the one that Elko snapped at on X.

“It’s a tiny interview room tucked into the concourse of the stadium where fans were still exiting,” Mandel said.”A reporter opened the door not realizing the press conference had already started. (And that reporter was me.)”

Mandel certainly got the brunt of Elko’s ire in this moment, but it’s very likely that the head coach for the Aggies’ frustrations had far more to do with being knocked out of the SEC Championship Game by the Longhorns for the second straight season than anything else.

Texas A&M’s season isn’t over yet, though, as the Aggies had already locked up their spot in the College Football Playoff regardless of the outcome on Friday night in Austin. Still, missing out on their first trip to Atlanta and a perfect 12-0 regular season stings, and Mandel learned that the hard way.

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All signs point towards Kiffin either staying put in Oxford and signing a long-term extension or departing for Baton Rouge to become the next head coach for the LSU Tigers.

FOX Sports insider Bruce Feldman joined the crew of Big Noon Kickoff to discuss the latest developments in the Kiffin saga, and he reported that the folks in Baton Rouge are “very confident” they will end up landing Kiffin.

“LSU has offered Lane a 7-year deal in the neighborhood of $100 million,” Feldman said. “… I talked to LSU sources this morning, and they are very confident that Lane Kiffin is going to come to Baton Rouge and accept the Tigers’ job. Ole Miss has done everything it can to keep him, and obviously, there’s an emotional piece to this that he would get to coach his team in the playoff, but the lure of LSU may be too tempting to pass up.”

After Friday’s Egg Bowl victory, the Rebels are more than likely a lock for the College Football Playoff, but whether or not they have Kiffin or somebody else leading them into battle is yet to be decided.

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Lea’s success with the Commodores over the past couple of seasons made him an enticing target for bigger programs currently in the hunt for a new coach of their own, but Lea reaffirmed his commitment to Vanderbilt by inking his name on a reported 6-year extension.

The former Commodores’ fullback has become beloved by both the fans in Nashville as well as the players he’s recruited to play for him in gold and black, and Lea shared a heartwarming moment with those players on Friday morning when he announced he was there to stay.

Since taking over in 2021, Lea has completely transformed a Vanderbilt program that had spent much of the previous 20 or so years in the basement of college football. After an up-and-down first few years at the helm, Lea and the Commodores burst onto the scene in 2024 with an upset win over then No. 1 Alabama.

Vanderbilt has continued building upon that moment in 2025, rising to as high as No. 9 in the country at one point, and currently sitting 1 win away from their first 10-win season in program history.

If they can manage to defeat No. 19 Tennessee on Saturday, then they could also find themselves in the College Football Playoff for the first time as well.

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Head coach Lane Kiffin is a massive part of the success that the Rebels have had in 2025, but rumors have continued to swirl regarding his future and whether or not he will end up leaving for another job.

Kiffin is expected to make his decision known following the Egg Bowl, but the Rebels have likely already secured their Playoff slot regardless of whether he stays or leaves. The only thing that might be affected by a potential departure from Kiffin would be whether or not they are selected to host a home playoff game. ESPN color commentator Dusty Dvoracek said during Friday’s game the Rebs have earned that right, no matter who is leading them on the sidelines.

“I think it would be a travesty if this team is punished because their head coach takes another job,” Dvoracek said in the waning moments of Ole Miss’s win over Mississippi State. “I do not think this team should be punished if Lane Kiffin is not coaching the…

“This team has earned the right to host a Playoff game in Oxford, Mississippi.”

Whether or not Kiffin decides to remain in Oxford is still very much up in the air, but if he does decide to leave, then it will mean yet another unprecedented decision that the CFP selection committee has to make come Selection Sunday.

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Georgia will be attempting to stretch their current winning streak out to a record-breaking 8 straight over Tech, and the Dawgs will be getting a massive boost on defense that should help in that regard.

ESPN’s Katie George reported on Friday before the game that junior linebacker CJ Allen is expected to play.

This comes as a massive surprise, as Allen was expected to be out for at least another couple of weeks after suffering a knee injury against Texas. George reported that Allen was “adamant” about playing in the rivalry tilt.

“He had a procedure on his meniscus 11 days ago,” George reported during halftime of the Egg Bowl. “They went in, cut the meniscus, and removed a piece of it. … He was adamant that he wanted to play in this rivalry game. Now, how many snaps he plays, what his role is gonna be is still up for debate.”

It’s not yet clear what Allen’s role will end up being, but simply having him on the field against the Yellow Jackets is sure to be a massive boost for Kirby Smart.

The Butkus Award finalist is the Dawgs’ season leader in tackles (78), tackles for a loss (7.0), and ranks second in sacks (3.5). He has become the undisputed leader for the Dawgs on defense.

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The past few weeks have seen Kiffin courted by LSU, Florida, and the team he is currently leading to a presumptive spot in the College Football Playoff, Ole Miss.

Rumors and speculation have run rampant throughout this insane timeline, but little in the way of concrete reporting has revealed what Kiffin intends to do.

With a decision nearing, though, it looks like the powers that be in Florida sensed the wind blowing against their favor in the Kiffin sweepstakes. On Friday, reports emerged that the school had moved on from its pursuit of the Rebels’ head coach.

Much like LSU, Kiffin became the Gators’ primary target the moment they fired former head coach Billy Napier, pulling out all the stops in hopes of luring the offensive mastermind away from his current post in Oxford.

Whether Florida whiffed on Kiffin or did, in fact, choose to go in a different direction, AD Scott Stricklin has reportedly turned his attention to Tulane’s Jon Sumrall.

The idea that Florida could miss on its top target and turn to a coach at the Group of 5 level — after trying and failing with a Group of 5 coach — naturally led to many Gator fans being less than pleased. They took to social media Friday afternoon to express their frustrations, with Stricklin firmly in their crosshairs.

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This rivalry boasts a long history of wacky moments, and Mississippi State continued this tradition in the first quarter against Ole Miss, as Bulldogs’ safety Isaac Smith actually trucked his own teammate.

The insane play occurred as Smith’s teammate, DeAgo Brumfield, was attempting to corral Ole Miss wide receiver Harrison Wallace III. Smith came flying in to help clean up the play, but instead of tackling Wallace, he laid out Brumfield instead.

Smith has a reputation as one of the biggest hitters in the entire Mississippi State secondary, and he has also been one of head coach Jeff Lebby’s leaders on defense all season.

The electric safety was a second-team All-SEC selection in 2024 after he led the entire conference in tackles, and he has followed that up by putting together another stellar campaign.

He missed the Bulldogs’ game last weekend against Arkansas with a lower-body injury, but he has been full-go for the Bulldogs against the Rebels, and it’s clear from this play that he is looking to make a big hit on every play he can, even if his own teammates end up getting caught in the crosshairs.

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The Rebels are fighting to secure their first-ever 11-win regular season and to also keep their SEC Championship Game hopes alive, while the Bulldogs are looking to secure bowl game eligibility with a win over their hated in-state rivals.

In order to help secure what would be a massive upset, Mississippi State made a switch at quarterback. Talented true freshman Kamario Taylor received the nod over veteran gunslinger Blake Shapen.

Taylor, who was the highest-rated quarterback recruit in MSU history, had previously been utilized by head coach Jeff Lebby throughout the year in various packages, and now he’ll be tasked with leading State against one of the best teams in the country in his first career start.

Lebby told the ESPN broadcast crew covering the game that “it was hard” to bench the veteran Shapen, but he felt that Taylor “gave them the best chance to win” against the Rebels.

The early results certainly support Lebby’s assessment, as Taylor and the Bulldogs’ offense marched right down the field on their opening drive, and the talented true freshman capped things off with a 22-yard rushing touchdown to tie the ballgame.

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The Georgia Bulldogs are no exception, and the SEC powerhouse just secured another massive commitment from a highly rated recruit in 4-star linebacker Elijah Littlejohn out of North Carolina.

The Charlotte native announced his pledge to the Dawgs on X Sunday afternoon. He originally committed to the Penn State Nittany Lions back in June, but reopened his recruitment following the firing of former Penn State head coach James Franklin.

A rangy and dynamic linebacker, Littlejohn is a 4-star recruit according to 247Sports, ranks as the 20th best linebacker and the 408th player overall in the 2026 recruiting cycle.

With Littlejohn now on board, the Bulldogs currently have 31 players committed in the 2026 cycle, a class that currently ranks as the third-best in the entire country per 247Sports.

Georgia has been known for their elite recruiting at the linebacker position since Kirby Smart arrived back in 2016, securing commitments from some of the nation’s top high schoolers year in and year out. With the addition of Littlejohn, the Dawgs now have 3 total linebackers in the fold for the current cycle.

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The Aggies already have their College Football Playoff spot locked up, but they will still be looking to secure their first 12-0 regular season since 1992 and officially punch their ticket to Atlanta. The Longhorns, on the other hand, will be looking to keep their slim CFP hopes alive heading into championship weekend.

SEC Network analyst Benjamin Watson broke down the massive rivalry week clash between these 2 hated rivals on the SEC Football Final, and said that the game is going to come down to physicality.

“It’s going to be about physicality,” Watson said. “They’re (Texas A&M) going to come into Austin and attempt to bully and push around Texas because when Arch Manning gets pressured, they struggle. If Texas A&M can get in there, and their defensive line can go against Texas’ offensive line… That’s been the recipe for impacting Texas. When you play a physical brand of football.”

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If A&M can manage to pull out the win over the Horns, then they will have secured their first trip to the SEC Championship since joining the conference back in 2012. If Texas can stand up to the Aggies’ physicality and pull the upset, though, then they will have given the selection committee something to think about.

Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m. ET on Saturday night.

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The Tigers will be looking to play spoiler against their hated in-state rivals at home in Jordan-Hare Stadium, and the quarterback position is likely to be the deciding factor for both sides.

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SEC Network analyst Chris Doering broke down the high-stakes matchup on SEC Football Final Saturday night, and he was most intrigued by who Auburn will end up rolling with under center between freshman phenom Deuce Knight and senior transfer Ashton Daniels.

“I’m curious to see what happens at the quarterback position,” Doering said. “Ashton Daniels sits out so he can play next week and still have the ability to redshirt if he wants to. I mean, is this a case where he Wally Pipped himself? You got Deuce Knight going out there and running all over, and one thing we know about Alabama’s defense is that they have struggled the past couple of years against mobile quarterbacks.”

Knight made his first start this past Saturday against Mercer and was essentially perfect both on the ground and through the air, racking up 401 total yards and 6 total TDs. If he can bring that same edge against the Tide, then interim head coach DJ Durkin may have no choice but to roll with the electric true freshman in the Iron Bowl.

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It’s hard to overstate how important this game is for the Rebels, but that has all been overshadowed by the speculation surrounding head coach Lane Kiffin and whether he will stay with Ole Miss or leave for Florida or LSU.

ESPN analyst Heather Dinich joined Paul Finebaum on Sunday morning to discuss the Kiffin situation on SportsCenter and expanded on how she believes the committee would consider a potential departure from Kiffin come Selection Sunday.

“This would be compared to Jordan Travis and Florida State,” Dinich said. “Just like if your starting quarterback is not going to play in the College Football Playoff. Ole Miss without Lane Kiffin is not going to fall out of the College Football Playoff. Might they drop a spot or 2 because they don’t have their head coach? Yes, that’s possible, but the best comparison is to go back to Florida State… There’s a 12-team playoff now, though, so Ole Miss is not going to fall out.”

Nobody knows what Kiffin’s ultimate fate will be when it comes to staying or leaving, but it should be cleared up next Saturday following the Egg Bowl, as that’s when Ole Miss AD Keith Carter said they will publicly address Kiffin’s future in Oxford.

Should he decide to leave, then Dinich’s analysis could become reality as the Rebels would be heading into the playoff without the man who got them there.

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