The Vols beat Tennessee State 89-60 on their home floor. Five different UT players scored in double figures as the Volunteer offense knocked in 8 triples and 31 free throw attempts. Ja’Kobi Gillespie led the way with 17 points, 5 assists, and 4 rebounds. Nate Ament and Amaree Abram each added 15 points.

But the story of the game was the Tennessee defense.

Tennessee forced a season-high 22 turnovers — 12 of which came off steals — and turned those extra possessions into points. They had 13 fastbreak points and 24 points off turnovers. They controlled the boards and limited Tennessee State to 7 second-chance points.

The Tigers shot 32% from the field and just 19% from beyond the 3-point line. They made only 5 triples all game. Tennessee also made more free throws than TSU attempted (25).

Tennessee has held each of its first 5 opponents under 70 points.

With the win, Tennessee has now opened consecutive seasons with 5-0 starts for the first time since 2019 and 2020. The Vols head to Las Vegas on Monday to face Rutgers in the Players Era Men’s Championship.

The post Tennessee basketball throttles Tennessee State to move to 5-0 appeared first on Saturday Down South.

Pribula has not played since injuring his ankle on Oct. 25 in the loss to Vanderbilt, but he has been trending in the right direction in recent weeks. Pribula not being immediately ruled out suggests there’s at least a chance he can return to the field.

According to a report from ESPN’s Pete Thamel, Pribula has been medically cleared to play. A final decision on his status will be made on Friday.

In Pribula’s absence, Mizzou has started true freshman Matt Zollers in each of the last 2 games. He’d draw a third straight start if Pribula is ultimately ruled out.

Zollers threw for 138 yards and a touchdown in relief of Pribula against Vanderbilt. In his first start against Texas A&M on Nov. 8, he struggled, completing only 7 of his 22 passes for 77 yards.

He found a bit more rhythm in the 49-27 win over Mississippi State last weekend, though he had plenty of help from the Tigers’ ground game. Zollers threw for 112 yards and 2 touchdowns with an interception.

Pribula has 1,685 passing yards, 220 rushing yards, and 16 total touchdowns this season. He has a Total QBR of 72.1. Zollers has a 50.8 QBR on the season.

Kickoff on Saturday against the Sooners is set for noon ET on ABC.

The post Mizzou QB Beau Pribula could return vs. Oklahoma appeared first on Saturday Down South.

The 6-foot-3 safety prospect announced his decision on Thursday night, flipping his pledge from Kentucky to Florida State. Crutchfield had been part of the Wildcats’ 2026 class since June, but he took an official visit to Florida State last weekend and was convinced to join the Seminoles’ class.

Crutchfield is listed as a safety in the industry-generated 247 Composite, but he has some versatility to play several spots across the secondary. He also gets snaps as a receiver for his high school.

In the Composite, Crutchfield is a 3-star recruit. He’s the 58th-ranked prospect from the state of Florida and the 39th-ranked safety in the class. Overall, he sits at No. 461 in the national player rankings.

So far this season, Crutchfield has been credited with 27 tackles, 3 tackles for loss, and an interception for Vero Beach. He also has 2 touchdown receptions on offense.

Kentucky’s class is down to just 13 known commitments. With the Early Signing Period a month away, Mark Stoops and his staff have some serious work to do.

The Florida State class, which ranks 14th nationally, is up to 28 known pledges.

The post Kentucky defensive back recruit flips commitment to Florida State appeared first on Saturday Down South.

Interim LSU coach Frank Wilson announced the decision Thursday night when he met with reporters. Wilson said Nussmeier “wants to play” but is simply unable to do so. Nussmeier aggravated an abdominal injury recently. He did not play in last week’s 23-22 win over Arkansas.

With Nussmeier eligible for the 2026 NFL Draft, it’s possible he has played his final game at Tiger Stadium. The Tigers play at Oklahoma to close out the regular season on Nov. 29. It’s unclear if Nussmeier will be available for that game.

“I think there’s a want to for him,” Wilson said when asked if Nussmeier would try to play again this season. “But I also think there’s a consciousness of care and not to tear up scar tissues or make a matter worse than what it needs to be. There’s certainly a want. He wants to play. He’s just not able to at the moment.”

Michael Van Buren Jr. will make his second straight start at quarterback.

Last week, Van Buren completed 21 of his 31 passes for 221 yards and a touchdown. He also ran 10 times for 36 yards.

Wilson also said linebacker Whit Weeks is “probable” to play on Saturday. Weeks has missed each of the Tigers’ last 4 games while dealing with an ankle injury.

“He’s had a good week of practice ushering in and out and popping around,” Wilson said. “I thought he showed tremendous progress. He’s talking and feeling the right way. In what capacity and how much, I’m not sure, but right now, I would say he’s probable.”

Saturday’s game against Western Kentucky is slated to kick off at 7:45 p.m. ET on SEC Network. LSU is a 21.5-point favorite, per BetMGM.

The post LSU settles Week 13 status for QB Garrett Nussmeier appeared first on Saturday Down South.

The feeling seems to be mutual.

According to a report from CBS Sports’ Matt Zenitz, LSU is “open” to bringing Orgeron back as an assistant coach if the Tigers were to hire Lane Kiffin away from Ole Miss. Zenitz’s reporting uses the phrasing “if/when” as it relates to a potential Kiffin hire. Kiffin is said to be considering the Tigers, though he has said throughout the week he is focused on the Rebels’ regular-season finale.

Orgeron and Kiffin have a history of working together. They worked on the same staff at USC from 2001-04. When Kiffin was the head coach for a season at Tennessee, Orgeron was his associate head coach.

In 2015, Orgeron joined the Tigers as a defensive line coach. In 2016, he took over the program as its head coach. Orgeron went 51-20 in 6 years with the Tigers, winning the College Football Playoff National Championship in 2019.

He has been out of coaching since parting ways with LSU after the 2021 season.

“Yeah, I’d consider it,” Orgeron said last month when asked if he’d be open to a reunion. “I love LSU. I still got my home in Baton Rouge. I loved when I was coaching for Coach (Les) Miles, being the defensive line coach. I love the Tigers, and if I’m getting back into coaching, for sure I’d consider it. No doubt.”

The post LSU open to hiring Ed Orgeron as assistant, per report appeared first on Saturday Down South.

Creating an account early with the ESPN BET Missouri promo code will result in an automatic $20 bonus. Then, you’ll be able to score another $100 bonus by winning your first $10 bet on December 1^st.

PASPA was overturned by the Supreme Court back in 2018, giving states the ability to pass legislation regarding sports wagering. Sports fans in Missouri have been waiting as states around have legalized sportsbook apps. That changed in November of 2024 when Amendment 2 was passed. This is one of several apps that plan on launching in December. Disney and PENN Entertainment have mutually agreed to a sports betting agreement, so ESPN BET will be switching over to theScore Bet on December 1^st. This will be the case in all states, so not just Missouri. The brand has had some success in Canada, but it will be its first appearance in the US.

ESPN BET Missouri Promo Code SOUTH Transfers to the Score Bet

Disney and PENN Entertainment have mutually agreed to a sports betting agreement, so ESPN BET will be switching over to theScore Bet on December 1^st. This will be the case in all states, so not just Missouri. The brand has had some success in Canada, but it will be its first appearance in the US.

PENN was able to secure a license by having several casinos at the state. There will be in-person sportsbooks at Argosy Riverside Casino, Hollywood Casino St. Louis and River City Casino.

How to Sign Up with the ESPN BET Missouri Promo Code

Sign up today to redeem the best welcome bonus as we prepare for legal sportsbook apps to go live. New users can take these easy steps to use the ESPN BET Missouri promo code:

1. Follow the links on this page and apply code SOUTH.
2. Provide the essential information needed to confirm your identity and age. Bettors must be at least 21 years old.
3. Use PayPal, a debit card or another accepted banking method to make a deposit.
4. Place a $10 bet when the app is live on 12/1.

The initial $20 bonus is awarded for creating an account. You can gain the other $100 bonus by winning a $10 bet.

Use Bonus for the St. Louis Blues, Kansas City Chiefs

Your bonus can be used for a variety of sports, starting with the St. Louis Blues. They have a game against the Ducks on the opening day of sports betting on Missouri. It falls on a Monday, so there’s a single NFL matchup between the Giants and Patriots. Your first chance to bet on the Chiefs will be on the following Sunday as they take on the Texans.

New customers who pre-register here with the ESPN BET Missouri promo code SOUTH can score up to $120 in bonus bets.

Must be 21+ to wager and present in MO. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem and wants help, call 1-800-GAMBLER

The post ESPN BET Missouri Promo Code SOUTH: Sign Up Early to Score $120 Pre-Launch Bonus appeared first on Saturday Down South.

This offer won’t be around forever, and it unlocks more value when you take advantage of the pre-registration bonus. Get started by entering code SDS365 today:

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Of course, users in Missouri can’t bet on sports quite yet — but those who do get started and pre-register today can claim a top-notch welcome bonus for when the action does start up on December 1. Pre-register today for $365 in bonuses on the go-live date.

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Bet365 Missouri Bonus Code Unlocks $365 Bonus

Bet365 is rolling out an appropriate pre-registration offer for new users in Missouri ahead of sports betting’s official launch on December 1. Here’s a look at more specifics for this Bet365 Missouri bonus code offer:

To kickstart this offer, all you have to do is deposit $10 by 11:59 p.m. on November 30. From there, bet that $10 on the line of your choice come launch day. The best part about this offer? Whether that initial bet wins or loses, you’ll walk away with $365 in bonus credit for use on the NFL, NBA, NHL and any other betting market offered by bet365. Again, users must deposit $10 before the go-live date to take advantage of this offer.

For this bet, there are a few things to consider. For one, at least one selection must include odds greater than -500, and all bonus bets will expire 7 days after issuance. Bonus bets do not have to be used as one lump sum, either — just select ‘use bonus bet’ to take from your pool of bonuses once you go to place a wager following this promotion.

What is there to Bet on with Bet365 Missouri? (December 1)

Obviously, there aren’t any lines available for December 1, which means we can’t show you any of the odds available for the first day of Missouri sports betting. However, there are a few great games to look forward to for all types of bettors, whether you love football, basketball or hockey.

Here’s a look at some of the best games on TV that Monday:

• Monday Night Football: New York Giants at New England Patriots
• NBA: Mavs at Nuggets, Suns at Lakers, Bulls at Magic, Hawks at Pistons
• NHL: Mammoth at Sharks, Jackets at Devils, Penguins at Flyers

How to Pre-Register for this Bet365 Missouri Bonus Code

Looking to take advantage of this offer from Bet365? Just follow the steps below to get set up with $365 in bonus bets on launch day in the Show-Me State:

• Click any of the links on this page to collect this pre-registration offer, such as here.
• Enter relevant information to set up an account. This includes number, address, email, and name. You’ll also need to provide ID to prove you’re legal age to bet on sports (21+)
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• Bet $10 on the game of your choosing on December 1 or beyond. Whether that bet wins or loses, you’ll collect $365 in bonus bets.

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The post Bet365 Missouri Bonus Code SDS365: Claim $365 Pre-Registration Bonus This Weekend appeared first on Saturday Down South.

However, one of their biggest offseason additions — Pitt transfer Jaland Lowe — has been sidelined for most of the year by a shoulder injury suffered in practice.

At a media availability on Thursday, Pope gave an update on Lowe’s status, but stopped short of offering a timetable for his return.

“We’re still in consultation. Still seeing how rehab goes. So, right now, it’s just a matter of can he get to a place where he feels some stability and some strength,” Pope said. “So, I wish I had better answers for you right now, but it really is kind of a day-to-day process to see where he ends up.

“He’s got really good mobility right now, and so it’s just a matter of stability and strength and kind of see what we get and take another swing at it, if we can.”

Lowe made his season debut for Kentucky against Valparaiso on Nov. 7. He played 18 minutes and scored 6 points to go with 5 assists. Lowe played 30 minutes against Louisville, scoring 9 points to go with 5 assists, 1 block, 1 steal, and 1 rebound.

While he was at Pitt, Lowe averaged 16.8 points, 5.5 assists, and 1.8 steals a game. He quickly became one of the better guards in the ACC, making him a massive transfer portal pickup for Kentucky.

The Wildcats are coming off an 83-66 loss to Michigan State. They host Loyola (MD) on Friday.

The post Mark Pope gives injury update on Kentucky guard Jaland Lowe appeared first on Saturday Down South.

However, he has since been activated, and his practice window has been opened.

This week, the Bengals are playing the Patriots, and after Burrow was a limited practice participant last week before the Steelers game, he has been a full participant in two straight practices.

It is worth noting that head coach Zac Taylor and the Bengals have not confirmed whether Burrow will play this weekend. Still, based on the injury report and the fact that he has been listed as a full participant, it should help Bengals fans get excited to see him come back for the homestretch of the NFL season.

The former LSU all-time great quarterback would be an instant boost for the Bengals and could help them cling to their small postseason hopes.

Burrow is a difference-maker and has been throughout his football career. He helped LSU reach heights the program had never seen in 2019, winning the Heisman Trophy and leading LSU to the national title. The Tigers won a program-record 15 games and capped their fourth-ever unbeaten season.

When healthy, he has been a top-5 quarterback in the NFL. The Bengals are currently a 6-point underdog (via BetMGM) against the 9-2 Patriots in Week 12. That game kicks off at 1 p.m. ET on Sunday.

The post Joe Burrow trending toward return to Bengals lineup in Week 12 appeared first on Saturday Down South.

Former Florida wide receiver Chris Doering released his rankings, listing Texas A&M as the top team in the conference and Arkansas as the last. Some other noticeable differences Doering had compared to the other panelists were that he had Tennessee lower than everyone else, and he and Alyssa Lang had Florida and Mississippi State higher than the others.

Dari Nowkah, Alyssa Lang, Benjamin Watson, and Chris Doering all agreed on the top five in the conference as well. Those unanimous rankings are Texas A&M, Georgia, Ole Miss, Oklahoma, and Alabama.

The larger point that these rankings show is that the middle of the SEC is a mess. There is not much separating any of these teams, and with only 2 weeks left, nothing is set in stone. Four teams are alive for the SEC title game: Texas A&M, Georgia, Ole Miss, and Alabama. None of those spots will be cemented until next week, during the last week of the regular season.

Doering and the rest of the SEC Network’s panelists do these rankings weekly, so obviously, things change, and there is likely to be even more that changes next week.

The post Chris Doering shares his updated SEC power ranking ahead of Week 13 appeared first on Saturday Down South.

On Thursday, the board released a statement saying, in part, it is “committed” to the Big Ten going forward.

Earlier this week, a report from the Detroit Free Press stated that Michigan could consider going independent in 2036 if the Big Ten agreed to receive private capital investment without unanimous consent. Big Ten commissioner Tony Petitti had been in discussions with a private equity firm about a multi-billion-dollar investment. Michigan opposed the move.

University of Michigan Regent Jordan Acker told the Free Press this week that U-M “would consider” leaving the Big Ten over the deal.

On Thursday, the board met to discuss the proposal and released a statement shortly after clarifying their stance.

“We remain opposed to this deal. Importantly, we are committed to the Big Ten Conference and will continue to explore opportunities that address the pressing financial challenges facing Big Ten athletic departments,” said Mark Bernstein, chair for Michigan’s Board of Regents.

The capital deal is reportedly on hold.

Michigan is one of the founding members of the Big Ten, college athletics’ oldest league. The Wolverines have been in the league since 1896, though they spent a decade as an independent from 1907-16 after being voted out.

The post Michigan clarifies stance on Big Ten future amid capital investment dispute appeared first on Saturday Down South.

Tennessee is wearing its all-white uniforms as it travels to The Swamp to meet the Gators. It is the Volunteers’ standard away look, but it also means they will not wear their white-on-orange road look.

The Volunteers wore all-white in road games against Alabama, Kentucky, and Florida, and all-orange in a road game against Mississippi State.

This is a lost season for Florida. At 3-7, the Gators are already out of bowl contention, but they can still cause a bit of havoc for the Vols.

And doing so wouldn’t necessarily be out of the norm. Tennessee has struggled in the Swamp this century, making it a house of horrors for the Volunteers. Florida won the last meeting in Gainesville, a 29-16 upset of a Tennessee team that was ranked No. 11 in the country at that point.

Florida has won 10 straight over Tennessee at home, dating back to the 2005 season. Tennessee’s only 2 wins this century at Florida came in 2001 and 2003.

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

The post Tennessee reveals uniform combo for Saturday’s game at Florida appeared first on Saturday Down South.

Mariota happens to be free this Saturday as the Washington Commanders are on a bye.

We have Oregon legend and 2014 Heisman Trophy winner Marcus Mariota joining us as this week's guest picker pic.twitter.com/VzUDOGEbrn

— College GameDay (@CollegeGameDay) November 20, 2025

Mariota was an Oregon Duck from 2011-14. He redshirted his first year on campus and then made an instant impact, winning Pac-12 Freshman of the Year in 2012.

The 2014 campaign was a season to remember for Mariota and the Ducks. Leading Oregon to the College Football Playoff National Championship, Mariota set single-season records with 4,454 passing yards and 42 passing touchdowns. He collected numerous conference and national individual honors, headlined by the Heisman Trophy.

After 4 years in Eugene, Mariota departed Oregon with program records for career total offensive yards (13,089), career passing yards (10,796) and career passing touchdowns (105). He was selected No. 2 overall in the 2015 NFL Draft by the Tennessee Titans.

Mariota continues to play professionally. After the Titans, he made stops with Las Vegas, Atlanta and Philadelphia before joining Washington in 2024.

Saturday, Mariota will be asked to pick the biggest college football games of Week 13, joining host Rece Davis and analysts Desmond Howard, Pat McAfee, Nick Saban and Kirk Herbstreit. The show is in Eugene for the Big Ten showdown between No. 7 Oregon and No. 15 USC.

The post College GameDay announces celebrity guest picker for Week 13 show at Oregon appeared first on Saturday Down South.

For customers in Michigan, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and West Virginia, take home $150 in bonus bets if you bet, and win, a wager of at least $10 cash on the game. Qualify that bet on any market you want, like a team’s moneyline or a player prop and receive the bonus when your bet is marked as a win. 

BetMGM Promo Code SDS150 for Thursday Night Football

Houston is staring at being a home underdog against one of the AFC’s best tonight. If you feel confident in the Texans chances, upload the BetMGM promo code today and place your first bet on Houston to beat the Bills tonight. 

The Texans do come into this matchup on a two game winning streak. Davis Mills did just enough to help squeeze out a win against the Titans Sunday, but Houston will be relying more on their defense if they want to stay close in this one. 

Buffalo, after a tough game against the Dolphins two weeks ago, found their stride against Tampa Bay. Josh Allen recorded six (6) touchdowns on his own as the Bills beat the Buccaneers 44-32. 

With all of that said, this welcome offer does give you the benefit of placing a substantial wager while knowing full well you will get it back if you lose. So you could decide to bet something like $100 on the Texans moneyline and, if the Bills do end up winning like everyone believes, get the $100 back in bonus bets. 

Thursday Night NFL Specials 

The special offers don’t just stop with the welcome deal Thursday. Log into your new BetMGM account and use their app to find these great deals to keep yourself in the game: 

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How to Quickly Score BetMGM Promo Code SDS150

The sportsbook will lay out all of the steps you need to take in order to lock up the BetMGM promo code offer in your state. Start off by turning on the location settings of whatever device you are signing up with. Then, include the following personal and financial details during registration:

• Full legal name
• Date of birth
• Valid home address
• Email address
• Secure deposit method like a debit card or online bank

In the event you are credited with bonus bets, BetMGM will give you seven (7) days to use those bonuses with the sportsbook. Bonus bets do not have to be wagered as a lump sum, so they can be spread across multiple markets if you choose. After seven (7) days, any outstanding bonuses will no longer be valid.

The post BetMGM Promo Code SDS150: Claim $1,500 Bonus for NFL Week 12, Bills-Texans TNF appeared first on Saturday Down South.

CBS Sports’ Shehan Jeyarajah joined the show to discuss the weird developments on the College Football Playoff, the coaching carousel and Texas Tech’s rise.

The guys close with Lad of the Week!

Watch the full episode here:

Subscribe to The Saturday Down South Podcast here, and subscribe to Saturday Down South on YouTube for all the latest video content!

The post SDS Podcast: Can Oklahoma and Vandy keep CFP hopes alive? Shehan Jeyarajah on coaching carousel & Texas Tech appeared first on Saturday Down South.

According to On3 Sports’ Chris Low, Ole Miss’ College Football Playoff seeding would likely take a hit if Kiffin departed Oxford prior to Selection Sunday.

Rebel fans would not be happy if this transpired, but there is precedent. In 2023, the Florida State Seminoles started 11-0 with quarterback Jordan Travis before he suffered a season-ending leg injury. The Seminoles overcame that setback and won the ACC Championship with a 13-0 record, but were passed in the CFP rankings by 12-1 Alabama, who captured the SEC Championship and had a healthy starting quarterback (Jalen Milroe).

Ole Miss’ situation is different from Florida State’s in that this CFP features 12 teams instead of 4. If the Rebels win the Egg Bowl and finish 11-1, they probably would not be left out of the CFP if Kiffin is gone. However, falling from their current No. 6 ranking — which would grant them a home playoff game — to No. 9 or lower — making them the road team in a first round playoff matchup — is a real possibility without Kiffin.

Last year, home teams went 4-0 in the first round of the CFP. Their average margin of victory was 19.3 points. So that drop, if it occurred, would potentially doom Ole Miss’ title chances. The Rebels face Mississippi State next Friday (11/28) at 12:00 p.m. E.T. on ABC).

The post Lane Kiffin leaving would impact Ole Miss’ CFP seeding, per CFB insider appeared first on Saturday Down South.

The Razorbacks (2-8, 0-6 SEC) have not beaten a Power 4 foe this season. Their offense, behind offensive coordinator/interim head coach Bobby Petrino and quarterback Taylen Green, has the firepower to put up points if the Longhorns’ defense overlooks them. Greg McElroy believes Texas will win this game, though, on the back of Arch Manning’s unit.

“I think this could be a game where the offense really gets going for the Longhorns,” McElroy said on the Always College Football podcast. “They could hit their stride. I’ll take the ‘Horns at home in a bounce-back situation, but I would not be surprised that this game is a bit uncomfortable through the first 2… [to] 3 quarters.”

Steve Sarkisian and Co. have the 22nd-best CFP odds (7.1%) in the country, according to ESPN’s Football Power Index. The Longhorns will need help in order to sneak into the bracket, but they must help themselves first by winning if they want to do so. Saturday’s kickoff between Arkansas and Texas is set for 3:30 p.m. E.T. on ABC.

Looking to wager on Arkansas and Texas? Check out prediction market Kalshi to put money on the winner of the game!

The post Greg McElroy shares prediction for Arkansas at Texas appeared first on Saturday Down South.

Ingram was tasked with picking the winner of the Missouri-Oklahoma matchup during the latest episode of The Triple Option podcast. He believes the Sooners, playing at home, will beat the Tigers.

RELATED: Looking for a DraftKings Missouri promo code? SDS is your go-to source for all the latest Missouri sports betting promos!

“I kind of like the under [42.5] in this one, and I like Oklahoma to cover [-7.5]” Ingram said. “Coming off a huge win in Tuscaloosa, their defense, their special teams… now you got Missouri, who has struggled against top-25 opponents. They’re 0-3 against ranked opponents… I see this being a defensive struggle. I feel like Oklahoma will control the game.”

Missouri’s tremendous running back duo of Ahmad Hardy (1,346 yards, 15 touchdowns) and Jamal Roberts (583 yards, 4 touchdowns) has the ability to keep the Tigers in any contest. Quarterback Matt Zollers has to prove he can do enough to keep Oklahoma’s defense from honing in on their ground attack, though, to give Missouri a real chance at victory.

The Tigers and Sooners will kick off on Saturday at noon ET (ABC).

The post Mark Ingram makes his pick for Oklahoma vs. Mizzou appeared first on Saturday Down South.

Oklahoma transfer Jackson Arnold began the season as QB1. Ashton Daniels has since made multiple starts, helping jump-start the struggling Tiger offense. Before Thursday’s news, interim head coach DJ Drukin had already stated Arnold and Knight would both play in the Mercer game.

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Sitting Daniels on Saturday helps preserve the quarterback’s redshirt. Daniels has already played in 3 games this season. NCAA rules allow athletes to participate in 4 regular-season games of the college football season and still take a redshirt. By sitting against Mercer, Daniels will be available to play in the Iron Bowl game against Alabama and still redshirt for 2025.

Knight is in his first season on The Plains. As a Class of 2025 recruit, Knight was rated 5-stars, the No. 1 player in Mississippi, No. 5 quarterback and No. 28 prospect overall on the 247Sports Composite. He was a big win on the recruiting trail for former head coach Hugh Freeze, signing with Auburn over 24 other scholarship offers.

Auburn vs. Mercer is set for a 2 p.m. ET kickoff on Saturday, with the game streaming via SEC Network+.

The post Auburn expected to start 5-star freshman QB in Week 13, per report appeared first on Saturday Down South.

Yes. We’ve seen this movie before.

In both 1995 and 1997, Tennessee featured one of the greatest QBs in the history of the sport… and lost at Florida.

In 1999, Tennessee was coming off 2 straight SEC titles and a national championship… and lost at Florida.

In 2005, Tennessee saw its punter go rogue… and lost at Florida.

In both 2015 and 2017, Tennessee gave up go-ahead 63-yard TDs in the waning moments… and lost at Florida.

Since 1977, the Vols have played against Florida in Gainesville 19 times… and won twice. Only the 2001 and 2003 Tennessee teams could break through, thanks to a QB who never seemed to get rattled in Casey Clausen, and a roster filled to the brim with NFL talent. This test in futility is now at 10 straight losses for the Vols.

Tennessee has finally gotten on a level playing surface when these teams meet in Knoxville, winning 3 of the last 5 at Neyland Stadium. But even those games are close, with the last 2 wins decided on the final play each time. It doesn’t matter if it’s Phillip Fulmer or Lane “Sing Rocky Top all night long at Florida” Kiffin or Derek Dooley or Butch Jones or Jeremy Pruitt or Josh Heupel as head coach, Tennessee just doesn’t win down there.

In fact, the Vols rarely play close to their potential, while Florida goes to another level. When these teams play in Gainesville, the Vols look like 2021 UMass while Florida looks like 2001 Miami.

But why is that the case? Yes, Florida had some really good squads under Steve Spurrier and Urban Meyer, but quite often Tennessee has had as much talent, if not more than its (former) SEC East rivals. For whatever reason, Tennessee plays tight at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium. Some of those games, especially the 2015 and 2017 matchups, should have been won by the Vols, but Butch Jones panicked time and time again. Remember “The Chart?” Tennessee fans certainly remember “The Chart.”

It doesn’t matter if most of Tennessee’s roster wasn’t even born yet the last time the Vols won in Gainesville. That history hangs over the program, especially with #VolTwitter. Last weekend, when Florida nearly pulled the upset in Oxford, social media was loud with Tennessee lamenting how Florida finally looks decent just in time for Tennessee to come to town. This game haunts the soul of Vols fans.

Tennessee is 7-3 and out of the Playoff hunt (even if SEC commissioner Greg Sankey thinks the Vols are 1 of 8 SEC teams that should get into the field of 12). You can make a case that if a couple of bounces go their way, this is a 9-1 Vols team. On the other hand, Florida is 3-7, fired its head coach a few weeks ago, and got destroyed by Kentucky 38-7 in Lexington, only 2 weeks after Tennessee destroyed Kentucky 56-34 in Lexington.

The Vols are coming off a fairly lackluster 42-9 win over New Mexico State. QB Joey Aguilar is putting up historic numbers, completing 66% of his passes for 2,941 yards and 22 TDs, although the 10 INTs are troubling. Tennessee has the 2nd-ranked offense in the nation in both scoring, at 43.4 points per game, and total offense, at 495 yards per game. WR Chris Brazzell is a matchup nightmare with 873 receiving yards and 8 scores this season. DeSean Bishop has been solid, rushing for 770 yards and 10 TDs.

Florida’s offense? Not good. Tied for 111th in scoring with 20.8 points per game and ranked 106th in total offense at 339.5 yards per game. Sophomore QB D.J. Lagway has not lived to expectations, throwing more INTs (13) than TD passes (12), while averaging less than 200 passing yards per game. Sophomore Jadan Baugh has made a jump this season, with nearly 81 rushing yards per game to go with 6 scores, but overall this isn’t an offense which should strike fear into UT DC Tim Banks.

The problem? Tennessee’s defense is also not good. The Vols are giving up 28.9 points per game (95th nationally) and 390.3 yards per game (85th nationally). They can still get to the opposing QB, averaging 3.3 sacks per game, tied for 4th best in the country. But overall this isn’t a defense which should strike fear into UF OC Russ Callaway.

RELATED: Check out our favorite TN sports betting apps to get in on the action for Saturday night’s big game.

The Gators’ defense is led by LB Myles Graham, who has 60 tackles this season. They are allowing 366.3 yards per game (63rd in the FBS) and 23.6 points per game (tied for 62nd in the FBS).

Florida isn’t going to play in a bowl game. The Gators’ fans are tracking planes, hoping that Lane Kiffin decides to show up and save their program. Tennessee still has a shot at winning 10 games for the third time in 4 years, something that hasn’t been done since 2004. On paper, it’s Tennessee’s time to snap this losing streak.

Back in 2022, with Tennessee suffering a 15-game losing streak to Alabama, the Fearless Prediction said that we needed to see Tennessee beat Alabama before we’d ever pick Tennessee to beat Alabama. Well, Tennessee beat Alabama. So picking the Vols to win that game isn’t a weird thought these days.

But when it comes to Tennessee-Florida games in Gainesville… we need to see Tennessee leading Florida on the scoreboard when the clock strikes zero and the teams, the refs, and fans and maybe even the cleaning crews have left the stadium. Until then, we just can’t live with ourselves if we make the call for the Vols. We have decades of research telling us what’s going to happen Saturday night.

Fearless Prediction: Florida 25, Tennessee 23

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Alabama lost this past week to Oklahoma and dropped down to No. 10 in the latest College Football Playoff rankings. The Tide are one spot behind Notre Dame, which is ranked No. 9. There has been a lot of talk this week about Alabama’s resume versus Notre Dame’s and their respective rankings. Pate responded to these new rankings, saying he was “pretty surprised if we’re just going on protocol.”

“Anyone can find a group of stats to throw in your face out there. Like, I got a group of my Notre Dame buddies right now, who I respect, who are making an argument for this, who I know would be on the other side if the logos were flipped,” Pate said. “So, really, if we’re just sticking to principle here, it didn’t make that much sense to me that Alabama dropped that far.”

Pate goes on to theorize that the committee only placed Notre Dame as high as they did so that they could avoid the comparisons between Miami and Notre Dame, two teams that faced each other earlier this year. Much of the talk surrounding the latest CFP rankings was about how much the committee valued head-to-head matchups and outcomes.

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What, you ask? After double-checking to shore up a hazy college memory, chaos theory states that within the apparent randomness of chaotic complex systems, there are underlying patterns, interconnection, constant feedback loops, repetition, self-similarity, fractals and self-organization.

If that doesn’t describe the current insanity revolving around Kiffin, we aren’t sure what to tell you. Because Kiffin – the chaos master himself throughout pretty much his entire employed adult life – is creating yet another seemingly self-immolating pattern.

In case you lost track trying to keep score, Kiffin is the most sought-after person on Saban’s green earth at the moment. Entire athletic departments and fanbases at Ole Miss, Florida and LSU are simultaneously hyperventilating at their perceived chances of landing the 50-year-old hot yogi/social media influencer who also dabbles in college football coaching.

The problem, we fear, that will result in the combined effect of all this hysteria – either drummed up by the nimble fingers of uber-agent Jimmy Sexton or a more organic groundswell of pent-up glee – is that this will end badly for all but 1 of the involved parties.

Why, again you ask?

Again, chaos theory. Why else would the Family Kiffin be jet-setting on scouting visits to Baton Rouge and Gainesville while the glow of getting to 10-1 by beating the Gators was still fresh?

This has happened before, and over and over again. We saw the result of Kiffin-a-palooza first in Knoxville way back in 2009 – when the recently-deposed Oakland Raiders coach took Tennessee by storm by way of taking wild verbal swipes at Urban Meyer and South Carolina WR Alshon Jeffery. Predictably, the whirlwind that Kiffin kicked up only resulted in a 7-6 record that spectacularly backfired when he bolted Tennessee for USC after just a single season… leaving chaos in his wake.

The same trend happened in Los Angeles, as Kiffin went 8-5 and 10-2 in his first 2 seasons at the helm of the Trojans but then mustered only a 7-6 mark in 2012 after being the preseason No. 1 and was then fired on the tarmac in the middle of the night by USC athletic director Pat Haden just 5 games into the 2013 season.

Chaos, redux.

Kiffin became the most prominent enrollee in the Nick Saban Reclamation Project, getting hired to coordinate Alabama’s offense out of the 3-yards-and-a-cloud-of-dust era it had lived in starting in 2014. And while Kiffin and Saban got along about as often as the Tide lost games, it didn’t take the Alabama boss long to show Kiffin the door in 2017 after he got the FAU head coaching job – and was too busy recruiting future Owls to work on the Crimson Tide’s offensive game plan for the national championship game.

Now that’s chaos at its finest, somehow figuring out a way to screw up a shot at coaching for a second-straight national title ring simply by not properly working out your 2-week notice.

Mercifully, Kiffin’s tenure at FAU came and went without a ton of hullabaloo – which probably led to Ole Miss figuring that Kiffin had matured enough for another shot in the SEC. Not quite… as his dalliance with Auburn in 2022 might have self-destructed the Rebels down the stretch to the tune of 4 losses in their final 5 games.

Which all leads up to 2025 – and peak Kiffin Chaos Theory unfolding in real time. First, Florida shows Billy Napier the door. Next, LSU bids Brian Kelly an abrupt goodbye. And finally, Kiffin’s Rebels are 10-1 with a very real shot at earning a first-round College Football Playoff bye.

That 3-pronged nexus of unlikelihood is swirling around the Mouth of the South himself like an F-5 tornado, all the while the impresario of it all is busily tweeting out daily affirmations and gleefully giving softball “interviews” to Pat McAfee this week while the SEC explodes around him.

This is a pattern, y’all. It doesn’t take multiple upper-level psychology level classes to determine that Kiffin wants this to happen – needs this to happen – to somehow feel appreciated and loved. Once? Maybe. Even twice in a career? OK, perhaps. But over and over and over again?

This will end badly in Baton Rouge and Oxford when Kiffin takes the Florida job. Or it will end badly in Gainesville and Oxford when Kiffin takes the LSU job. Or it will end badly in Baton Rouge and Gainesville when Kiffin stays at Ole Miss.

No matter what happens in the ensuing days and weeks, the only predictable outcome is that Kiffin will make 1 fanbase gleefully happy while simultaneously setting match to gasoline in 2 other football-mad locales.

Voila. Chaos theory.

Who says you can’t learn about deep topics while enjoying college football, right?  

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In the latest College Football Playoff rankings, the Georgia Bulldogs came in at No. 4. What this means is that Georgia would be slated for a first-round bye when the postseason starts. However, Georgia is not guaranteed to play in the SEC Championship game, so the Bulldogs could get two weeks off and the “double-bye” that Neuheisel is pointing out.

It all comes down to Week 14. There will be plenty of scoreboard watching. An Alabama loss to Auburn would put UGA ahead of the Tide. A Texas A&M loss to Texas could create a 4-way tie scenario that puts Georgia in the SEC Championship Game. The Bulldogs may get in based on strength of schedule in a tiebreaker scenario.

If you are Georgia, the idea of having a double bye sounds nice. After losing Carson Beck last year in the SEC Championship Game, the Bulldogs don’t need to run a similar risk for a game that ultimately means nothing in the CFP.

There isn’t a team in the country that wants to face Kirby Smart with two weeks to prepare.

The post Rick Neuheisel suggests potential ‘double-bye’ for Georgia in postseason appeared first on Saturday Down South.

The Texas Longhorns must regroup this offseason after going from a squad which started off the 2025 season ranked No. 1 in most polls to finishing the season in extremely disappointing fashion by not making the College Football Playoff for the first time in 2 seasons. Despite beating 2 teams ranked in the top 10 when it played them, mustering up 4 consecutive wins in the SEC and watching Arch Manning constantly improve, Texas was never able to reach the level of consistency it has played at for the majority of the last 2 seasons.

Here are 3 reasons Texas now has 3 losses on its record heading into its 2 remaining rivalry games against Arkansas and Texas A&M.

1. Couldn’t overcome tough road environments

Thanks to having an 11-game road winning streak and not losing on the road in the regular season since October 2022, Texas entered this season confident it could master its road games despite its difficult road slate. Unlike in years past, Texas couldn’t run the ball or protect Arch Manning consistently enough to win difficult road games in some of the toughest environments in the nation.

With losses at the “The Horseshoe” in Columbus, “The Swamp” in Gainesville and “Between The Hedges” in Athens, the Longhorns played in 3 of the hardest venues in the nation to win at this season and lost at every one of them. According to EA Sports and its iconic College Football video game series, Ohio Stadium and Sanford Stadium are the third and fourth hardest places to visit while Ben Hill Griffin Stadium is the seventh.

Even in victory Texas struggled on the road, as it needed to go to overtime to beat lowly Kentucky and Mississippi State in consecutive games the Longhorns were double-digit favorites to win. A consistent huge problem for Texas was the fact its offensive line was a no-show in these big environment games.

In their 3 road losses, the Longhorns allowed 10 total sacks and ran the ball for 241 total yards while rushing for under 55 yards in losses to Florida and Georgia. When you have a young quarterback like Manning who thrives on the play-action fake game, a nonexistent running game, combined with weak offensive-line play in tough road environments, you have a recipe for disaster. That’s something Texas couldn’t run away from this season.

2. Got burned by the big play in losses

Another major common theme which doomed Texas on the road this season was the lack of consistency from its talented defense which, for whatever reason, didn’t travel well this season. In 4 SEC road games, Texas gave up 29.5 points per game and had only 1 game where it gave up 29 points or less.

Texas’s inability to consistently get off the field on third down or prevent explosive plays in the pass game has been a constant problem it couldn’t overcome all season. In all 3 losses, Texas had a disturbing trend of giving up a touchdown of 30+ yards.

Allowing big plays to consistently happen is not conducive for winning big games in the toughest environments in college football.

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3. Never learned to play from behind against elite teams

A characteristic most elite teams have is the ability to come from behind in some games where they trail.

For whatever reason this was a huge problem for the Longhorns this season especially on the road. Yes, the Longhorns came back to beat the aforementioned Kentucky and Mississippi State. But in all 3 of their losses, they couldn’t muster up any late heroics. If you plan on beating teams like Ohio State and Georgia in their buildings you must make them uncomfortable.

The fact Texas never scored first or took a lead in their road losses will be something coach Steve Sarkisian and company must evaluate this offseason as it’s a trait you must have to win in the SEC. Fortunately for Longhorn Nation, they have the Mississippi State game to build upon, where Manning showed some growth and maturity by bringing them back from 21 points down on the road to win in overtime.

In the big picture, Texas had one of the toughest road schedules in the nation and simply wasn’t good enough to overcome it. How Manning and company grow from these road failures will determine how successful Texas is going into 2026 and beyond.

The post Why does Texas have 3 losses? The 3 biggest reasons for Longhorns’ struggles appeared first on Saturday Down South.

“The junior is sideline to sideline, and in this game he was blitzing like a wild man…,” Dvoracek said. “He was fabulous against Alabama.”

He went on to describe the play in which Alabama quarterback Ty Simpson threw a pick-six and credited Lewis for causing the interception with his pressure. Claiming he followed the motion and timed it up perfectly, allowing him to get home.

Lewis finished the game with 7 total tackles and 2 sacks. He helped lead Oklahoma to a 23-21 win over the Crimson Tide.

Lewis has had a great season for the Sooners so far. He’s totaled 60 tackles, 3 sacks, and 2 passes defended. He’s on track to record his highest number of tackles ever in a season, passing his 2023 season, where he totaled 66 tackles.

Oklahoma will finish its season with two home games against No. 22 Missouri and LSU. After their win against Alabama, the Sooners have solidified themselves as a College Football Playoff team. Winning out is a must, though, if the Sooners want to remain in the bracket.

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1. Opening Tip

This is why Tom Izzo is a Hall of Famer, y’all.

Seconds before tipoff against Kentucky on Tuesday night at the Champions Classic at Madison Square Garden, Izzo and Kentucky basketball coach Mark Pope were interviewed by ESPN’s Kris Budden. Coaches rarely say anything detailed or combative during these pregame hits, and this was no different.

Izzo’s note? He wanted to see his team make some shots.

Boy, did the Spartans ever listen to their coach.

By the 7:11 mark in the first half, Michigan State had knocked down 6 3-pointers, more than it had made in any entire game so far this season. Triple No. 7 came 20 seconds later at the 6:51 mark as the Spartans took a 31-19 lead at the under-8 timeout.

Michigan State finished an impressive 11-of-22 from long range. Kentucky shot an abysmal 7-for-30 from deep. There’s always going to be some variance in 3-point percentage on a night-to-night basis, but this game can be explained by something deeper.

It was shot selection that doomed the Wildcats. While Michigan State was playing “inside-out” basketball, getting the ball to the paint before kicking it back out for 3s, Kentucky was settling for contested 3s all too often. Just look at these 2 plays below:

That’s just bad offense. Even more so when you’re already down by 10+ points and trying to stage a comeback.

Pope said after the game that Kentucky’s problem is bad coaching. That’s something every coach will say after a couple of bad outings, but in this case, I’m inclined to agree with him. Kentucky needs to play more cohesive offense or it is going to struggle in SEC play.

Here’s where I mention that the Wildcats didn’t have Jaland Lowe (and are still without Jayden Quaintance) due to injury, but it shouldn’t have resulted in the lackluster effort I saw on Tuesday night. Rebounds are an effort stat more often than not and the Wildcats got out-rebounded by the Spartans 42-28 in this game. That should be absolutely unacceptable to Pope and his staff.

If you can’t get up for a game at Madison Square Garden, it’s time to press the panic button.

2. SEC Notes

My former college roommate and good friend Robert will text me his random basketball/football thoughts from time to time. I always welcome these texts, but especially when they concern Illinois basketball, as no one in my life is more thoughtful/insightful about our home-state basketball squad than Robert.

Still, my jaw dropped when I saw what he said the Monday before the Illini scored a big-time win over a ranked Texas Tech squad. He said:

“In my opinion, this is their best team since ’04-’05,” his text read.

Mind you, this is an Illinois team that has made it to the Elite Eight once and the Sweet 16 twice since that magical 2004-05 season that saw the Illini lose to North Carolina in the national title game.

I say all that to say this…

That was a hell of a win for the Alabama Crimson Tide.

To go to Chicago, walk into the United Center — where Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen, Dennis Rodman and company dominated the 1990s — and do that to a great Illini team? Incredible.

This was a Final Four-caliber matchup and it’s only mid-November. These teams like Illinois, like Alabama, like Arizona, like UConn, like Florida, like Gonzaga and dozens of others that use nonconference play to actually challenge themselves? This is what college basketball is all about.

Shoutout to Labaron Philon, who returned to school despite having the ability to potentially be a late first-round pick or early second-round pick in last year’s NBA Draft. He scored a team-high 24 points and also led the Tide with 5 assists in the 90-86 win over the Illini. The NIL era works, y’all!

He made himself a lot of future NBA money with tonight’s win, scoring 10 of the Tide’s final 15 points. Look at this highlight reel:

The 3-point shooting? NBA caliber. The finishing at the rim? NBA caliber. The passing? Getting there, but almost NBA caliber. We’ll talk more about Philon in the final section of this column.

Also, credit to the Alabama defense. The Crimson Tide shut down everyone but Kylan Boswell (who my best friend Michael’s wife, Hanna (shoutout, Hanna!), taught back when he was in 5th grade) from the start of the second half until the 10:51 mark of the second half.

It’s odd to give credit to a defense that allowed 86 points, but the Tide forced the Illini to rely on Boswell and Andrej “Baby Peja” Stojakovic almost exclusively in the second half.

The Illini are still trying to work Tomislav Ivisic and Mihailo Petrovic back to full health, so they’ll be even more dangerous in March assuming everyone is healthy by then. But don’t take anything away from this Alabama squad that has challenged itself to the max early this season. The Tide still have Gonzaga and Arizona on their schedule before SEC play starts.

College basketball is the best.

And here are a few other notes from around the SEC:

• First of all, it’s always great to have Dan Shulman and Jay Bilas back on the broadcast for big games on ESPN. Those 2 are pro’s pros and really add to the atmosphere of a high-quality matchup. My favorite broadcast team in the men’s hoops game today. Honorable mention goes to Jason Benetti and the legendary Bill Raftery on FOX.
• Let’s check in on the reigning champion Florida Gators, shall we? After a season-opening loss to Arizona, the Gators have reeled off 3-straight wins against in-state foes, including winning the “state championship” by beating Florida State and Miami. One problem is beginning to present itself, though — Florida is really struggling to shoot the 3. It all starts with the new-look backcourt of Boogie Fland and Xaivian Lee. In a 78-76 win over FSU (too close for comfort), the Gators shot 19% as a team from 3-point range and Lee and Fland combined to shoot 3-for-17 from deep (17.6%). In the Miami game? Lee and Fland were a combined 0-for-10 from beyond the arc. That won’t fly in SEC play.
• I’m officially worried about the Arkansas Razorbacks. (Interestingly, another SEC team that lost to Michigan State than I’m pressing the panic button on.) The Hogs have won their last 2 games, beating Samford and Winthrop. But they only beat Samford by 4 and needed a heroic shot by Nick Pringle with 11 seconds left to beat Winthrop 84-83. I don’t need to tell you this, reader, but a ranked SEC team shouldn’t need heroics to beat Winthrop. Color me concerned.

Now let’s move on to the rest of the country.

3. Non-SEC Notes

If, for some reason, you are trapped under a rock and haven’t watched Duke play yet this year… first, you clearly have internet access if you’re reading this article, so call for help. Second, make sure to watch Duke freshman Cameron Boozer play basketball ASAP, maybe from your hospital bed as you recover from your injuries/dehydration.

One of 2 sons of former Duke/NBA star Carlos Boozer on this year’s Duke team, Cameron is doing it all for the Blue Devils. In fact, he’s already making history:

In case that tweet doesn’t load for you, Boozer is the first ACC player since March of 2006 with 100 points, 50 rebounds and 20 assists in a 5-game span. That player was Boston College’s Craig Smith.

Smith was a senior in 2006. Boozer is a true freshman.

Oh, and Boozer has done this in his first 5 games. Like his first 5 college games ever. I cannot stress to you how insane it is that a college freshman is already this good. Look at the full-court pass he makes in the highlight video below. That’s on par with Nikola Jokic and Kevin Love, 2 of the best outlet passers the NBA has ever seen:

Now, before you think I’m comparing him to Jokic and Love already, he still has a lot of work to do. If there’s one flaw to his game at this point, it’s that you can throw size at him defensively to rattle him a bit. He’s not making a high enough percentage of his shots at the rim:

Is this something he can fix? Sure. Is he still a near-lock to be a top-5 2026 NBA Draft pick? Absolutely.

Duke has an incredible nonconference run coming up when it plays Arkansas (Nov. 27), Florida (Dec. 2) and Michigan State (Dec. 6) in 3-straight games. Mark your calendars now, as those games will all be appointment viewing.

Now for some other storylines around the country:

• Koa Peat. (I had this in here as a reminder to talk about him, but it really says it all.) Koa Peat. The guy who is the son of former NFL OL Todd Peat and current NFL OL Andrus Peat plays basketball, well… like an offensive lineman. He’s not afraid to mix it up with opposing players:

• He is a beast in the paint:

• The guy can do it all on the court. Also, shoutout to former Alabama guard Jaden Bradley, who has become a steady veteran presence for the Wildcats this year. They don’t win that game at UConn (71-67) without Bradley’s leadership.
• I’d be remiss not to mention the No. 1 team in the country — the Purdue Boilermakers — in this section. I wouldn’t want to be remiss, so let’s talk about Matt Painter’s squad for a second. Purdue’s offense, led by Braden Smith, Trey Kaufman-Renn, Fletcher Loyer and Oscar Cluff, is one of the most-efficient groups you’ll ever see on a court. Per KenPom’s offensive efficiency ratings, Purdue (128.3) is 2.4 points better than No. 2 Louisville (125.9). That gap is as big as the gap between Louisville and the No. 6 offense in the country (Vanderbilt). The Boilermakers aren’t just beating up on nobodies, either — they have a true road win at Alabama on their résumé already and face Memphis in the Bahamas on Thursday night. Expect this team to continue its strong run all year long.

Now let’s take a look at the week ahead.

4. Games to Watch This Week

Here’s a ranking of the top 5 games I can’t wait to watch over the next week of college hoops action, which takes us into Feast Week:

1. No. 11 Alabama vs. No. 13 Gonzaga (Monday, November 24 at 9:30 p.m. ET on TNT) — Alabama continues to schedule like absolute maniacs during nonconference play, and I love it. How are you supposed to prepare yourself for SEC play if you beat up on a bunch of nobodies before January comes around? Nate Oats and the Tide have the NCAA Tournament résumé to back up this strategy. This will be a must-see game in Las Vegas. Also, Gonzaga might be No. 13 in the AP Poll, but the Bulldogs are the No. 2 team in the nation according to KenPom.com.
2. No. 2 Houston vs. No. 20 Tennessee (Tuesday, November 25 at 6 p.m. ET on TNT) — Two teams that have been incredible defensively in recent years and are once again the top 5 of the defensive efficiency ratings on KenPom.com? Sign me up to watch that. This game will teach us a lot about the new-look Vols, who had to replace defensive maestro Zakai Zeigler this offseason.
3. No. 9 BYU vs. No. 23 Wisconsin (Friday, November 21 at 4 p.m. ET on Peacock) — I admittedly haven’t watched much of AJ Dybantsa yet this year. It appears he’s been as advertised. I can’t wait to watch him in this Friday afternoon matinee. The guy who could end up being the No. 1 overall pick in the 2026 NBA Draft should be ready for the national spotlight.
4. No. 7 Michigan vs. No. 22 Auburn (Tuesday, November 25 at 8:30 p.m. ET on TNT) — Auburn is coming off a 1-point loss to an elite Houston squad. That loss changed my opinion on the Tigers. I think they’re ready to take a step forward. The Wolverines will have their work cut out for them on Tuesday night if they’re going to remain unbeaten.
5. No. 14 St. John’s vs. No. 16 Iowa State (Monday, November 24 at 4:30 p.m. ET on truTV) — Zuby Ejiofor wasn’t quite able to get St. John’s over the hump against Alabama, but he was amazing in that game. In addition to having one of the best names, he’s also one of the best players. This should be another fun Feast Week afternoon showcase.

This Feast Week isn’t as meaty as ones in the recent past, but that’s not a huge surprise as more teams move away from preseason tournament (thanks a lot, Dan Hurley). Thankfully the Players Era Festival has some great matchups to keep us entertained all week long.

5. Buzzer Beater

In this spot this week, I just want to do a quick ranking of my 5 favorite 2026 NBA Draft prospects from the SEC. There’s a nice mix of guys who came back to school to go with some talented freshmen. Let’s dive in:

1. Nate Ament, Tennessee freshman — Any NBA Draft conversation involving the SEC has to start with the talented Tennessee freshman. Being 6-10 and moving the way he does shouldn’t be legal. He has the chance to lead the Tennessee basketball program to new heights this season, and I’d be shocked if he’s not a first-round pick in the upcoming draft.
2. Darius Acuff Jr., Arkansas freshman — As long as Acuff stays healthy this year, he can be what the Hogs thought they were getting in Boogie Fland last year, and could be even better. He’s an elite shooter. His passing is beyond his years. His defense needs to improve, but what freshman’s defense doesn’t? The Razorbacks have something special in Acuff.
3. Labaron Philon, Alabama sophomore — I was surprised Philon didn’t enter the 2025 NBA Draft, but he returned to school and will be looking to make himself some first-round money this coming summer. So far, it looks like a good decision. Prior to Wednesday night’s game against Illinois, Philon had improved his shooting percentage (45.2 to 54.5), his 3-point percentage (31.5 to 33.3), points per game (10.6 to 19.3) and a bunch of his other numbers from last year to this year. If he keeps playing like this, he’ll be a Round 1 pick.
4. Jayden Quaintance, Kentucky sophomore — I’m a bit lower on Quaintance than many. I just want to see how he looks in his return from an ACL injury suffered last year at Arizona State. Is that too much to ask? He has a chance to make me look like an idiot if he comes back and is able to build on the impact he was having with the Sun Devils last year. He’s the biggest X-factor in the SEC this year.
5. Thomas Haugh, Florida junior — Haugh is a Swiss Army Knife who is well-positioned to be drafted in the middle of Round 1 of the upcoming draft. That’s going to be perfect for him, as he could end up being the missing piece for a team that’s on the edge of playoff or title contention. ESPN’s Jeremy Woo currently has Haugh going No. 15 overall to the Boston Celtics. Imagine him stepping into a situation where he’s coming off the bench for a team with Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown and Derrick White. That would be ideal for the Florida wing.

Honorable mention goes to Tahaad Pettiford of Auburn, who I absolutely love watching every time he’s on the basketball court. However, I think his lack of size (6-1, 170 pounds) will hurt him in NBA circles. I expect him to push to be a late first-round pick, but current consensus seems to have him going early in Round 2.

Enjoy the Starting 5? Have a question? Want to yell at me about something? Follow me on X @AdamSpencer4 or email me at a.spencer@sportradar.com.

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Since the LSU and Florida jobs became available, there has been much talk about whether Kiffin would leave to become the head coach of one of those programs. Well, it seems that Aaron Taylor and Rick Nehueisel believe it is more than speculation, as both of them believe he will be the head coach at the University of Florida next year.

Brian Jones wasn’t sure which spot Kiffin would land at, but he’s sure it is “not Ole Miss.” Randy Cross stands alone as the lone CBS Sports analyst who believes he will return to the Rebels as their head coach in 2026.

Kiffin has been the head coach at Ole Miss since 2020. In 6 years, Kiffin has led the Rebels to a 54-19 record and consecutive bowl wins in their last two seasons. Ole Miss reached their highest AP ranking under Kiffin this year at No. 4.

Ole Miss has been a great home for Kiffin, but will it be enough to keep him in Oxford?

The post CBS Sports analysts predict where Lane Kiffin will be coaching in 2026 appeared first on Saturday Down South.

Ranking the Top 25 résumés in college football

This is not a power ranking of the best teams in college football. This is not a ranking of how I think these teams will look at the end of the season or a prediction of who will make the College Football Playoff. This ranking aims to compare who has accomplished what, who has beaten whom, and who has lost where. While some might treat the non-power conferences as second-rate, I’m more inclined to give those teams love. If Tulane is above Texas, does that mean I think Tulane would beat Texas on a neutral field if they played tomorrow? It does not.

Let’s get to it.

Dropped from the ranking: 18 South Florida, 21 Louisville, 24 Cincinnati, 25 Iowa

25. North Texas (9-1, 5-1 AAC)

BEST WIN: 59-10 vs. Washington State
LAST WEEK: NR

The Mean Green keep thumping teams. The 29-point win over UAB was the fifth time this season North Texas has beaten an opponent by at least 3 touchdowns.

24. Missouri (7-3, 3-3 SEC)

BEST WIN: 23-17 at Auburn
LAST WEEK: NR

A warm welcome back to Missouri, which ran roughshod over Mississippi State last week for a 49-27 victory. The Tigers are firmly in the top 20 of most power ratings, and 2 of the 3 losses have come to Sagarin-rated top-10 teams. The lack of a strong win keeps them from climbing much higher, but the overall quality of the season, given the context and the schedule, warrants inclusion here.

23. Virginia (9-2, 6-1 ACC)

BEST WIN: 30-27 at Louisville
LAST WEEK: NR

The Cavaliers picked up a solid win at Duke. They led 31-3 going into the fourth quarter, so the final margin was a little less indicative of the type of game it was.

22. SMU (7-3, 5-1 ACC)

BEST WIN: 26-20 vs. Miami
LAST WEEK: NR

The Mustangs have 2 fewer wins than Virginia and an extra loss, but they are above Virginia. Why? SMU is 1-0 against Sagarin-rated top-10 teams, and it is 2-0 against top-30 teams. Virginia has yet to play a top-10 team, and it has faced only 1 top-30 team.

21. Tennessee (7-3, 3-3 SEC)

BEST WIN: 41-34 at Mississippi State
LAST WEEK: 23

Tennessee did what it was supposed to against New Mexico State. I’m curious how the defense will look against Florida.

20. Texas (7-3, 4-2 SEC)

BEST WIN: 23-6 vs. Oklahoma
LAST WEEK: 10

Texas is an interesting team. It feels like the Longhorns have done a lot while simultaneously doing very little. Texas has 2 wins over Sagarin top-30 teams, but it is 0-2 in games against top-10 teams. And neither of those games was particularly pretty for the Longhorns.

19. Georgia Tech (9-1, 6-1 ACC)

BEST WIN: 24-21 vs. Clemson
LAST WEEK: 22

There still isn’t a clearly defined elite victory on the résumé. They still play in a bad conference. They still have a bad loss, and they almost suffered another one in Week 12. But the Yellow Jackets are 9-1.

18. James Madison (9-1, 7-0 Sun Belt)

BEST WIN: 63-27 vs. Old Dominion
LAST WEEK: 20

The Dukes beat Appalachian State 58-10 over the weekend. It was their fourth win this season by 30-plus points. James Madison is up to seventh nationally in adjusted net EPA per play. The team is legit good.

17. Tulane (8-2, 5-1 AAC)

BEST WIN: 38-32 at Memphis
LAST WEEK: 19

Tulane avoided the post-big win hangover and beat FAU 35-24 to move one step closer to the American title game and, by extension, the CFP. The Green Wave have 2 wins over power conference teams and a massive road win at Memphis in a “have to have it” spot.

16. Michigan (8-2, 6-1 B1G)

BEST WIN: 24-7 vs. Washington
LAST WEEK: 17

In the 16-19 range, I was constantly left asking myself, “Well, who else are you going to go with?” Michigan has flirted with disaster in back-to-back games. The bottom of the Big Ten — which the Michigan Men have been beating up on of late — is pretty bad, but not as bad as the ACC or the Sun Belt.

15. Vanderbilt (8-2, 4-2 SEC)

BEST WIN: 31-24 vs. LSU
LAST WEEK: 16

Seven programs have at least 4 wins over Sagarin top-30 teams so far this season. Six of them are in my top 9 this week. Vanderbilt is the seventh.

14. BYU (9-1, 6-1 Big 12)

BEST WIN: 24-21 vs. Utah
LAST WEEK: 15

BYU’s 9-1 record deserves acclaim, but the only thing of substance on the résumé is the 3-point home win over Utah, and I can’t forget the shellacking at Texas Tech that quickly. The head-to-head with Vanderbilt here comes down to the best win. Vandy has quantity. Utah is better than any of the teams Vandy has beaten.

13. USC (8-2, 6-1 B1G)

BEST WIN: 31-13 vs. Michigan
LAST WEEK: 14

Gutsy win over Iowa by the Trojans, who have won 3 straight since the loss to Notre Dame. The Playoff beckons if USC can pull an upset this weekend. The Trojans are in a block with my 11 and 12 teams, and head-to-head is the differentiator.

12. Notre Dame (8-2)

BEST WIN: 34-24 vs. USC
LAST WEEK: 13

Notre Dame caused a raucous this week over its ranking in the CFP Top 25, which technically didn’t change from the previous week. I think the committee is being intentionally obtuse with Notre Dame. Good team, but there’s zero reason for the Irish to be above Alabama or Miami. Notre Dame is 0-2 against Sagarin top-10 teams. Alabama and Miami are a combined 2-0. The Irish aren’t anywhere close to Alabama in my view. Miami beat Notre Dame on the field. This is a good spot.

11. Miami (8-2, 4-2 ACC)

BEST WIN: 27-24 vs. Notre Dame
LAST WEEK: 12

Miami smoked NC State, which only made me more annoyed about the loss to Louisville. The Hurricanes are getting a bit of a raw deal this season, but they can’t really absolve themselves of blame. Great wins, avoidable losses.

10. Utah (8-2, 5-2 Big 12)

BEST WIN: 45-14 vs. Cincinnati
LAST WEEK: 9

Utah has done exactly what a team needs to do when it doesn’t get a ton of opportunities to beat elite teams — obliterate the rest. The Utes lost the only 2 games they’ve played against a Sagarin-rated top-30 team. The other 8 games have been decided by an average of 35.3 points per game. Even if you remove the Cal Poly result, the Utes still have an average margin of victory of 32.6 points. While they don’t have the kinds of résumé-building wins Miami has, they don’t have the head-scratching losses and they’ve passed the eye test every week.

9. Alabama (8-2, 6-1 SEC)

BEST WIN: 24-21 at Georgia
LAST WEEK: 4

Alabama lost in a bad way to a good team. I’m not going to hammer the Crimson Tide for that, but they do drop a bit. Ty Simpson needs to figure out how to take better care of the football; the offensive problems have officially caught up to Alabama. And, for weeks, we could say “yeah, but…” with the Florida State loss because Alabama kept beating good teams. Now that the Tide have suffered another loss — at home, no less — it’s harder to deflect from that Week 1 eyesore.

8. Oregon (9-1, 6-1 B1G)

BEST WIN: 18-16 at Iowa
LAST WEEK: 7

It has been interesting to see folks play the “who have they beaten” game with Oregon after the Ducks thoroughly dismantled Minnesota on a short week with a depleted roster. Oregon has become the team your buddy loves to hate. The Ducks are 2-1 against Sagarin-rated top-30 teams. They have the fifth-best résumé when judged by SP+. They have the seventh-best strength of record, according to FPI. The Ducks are a worthy top-10 team, and I have no qualms about having them ahead of Alabama. Upset about that decision? Take it up with Mike Norvell.

7. Oklahoma (8-2, 4-2 SEC)

BEST WIN: 33-27 at Tennessee
LAST WEEK: 11

Oklahoma won another game on the road against a ranked opponent that it really didn’t have any business winning. Teams that outgain their opponent on a per-play basis win the vast majority of the time. Oklahoma lost the per-play efficiency battle against Tennessee (minus-0.2 yards per play) and won by 6 in Knoxville. Then it lost the efficiency battle again at Alabama (minus-1.2) and won by 2. A defense that forced 4 turnovers through the first 8 games of the season has come up with 6 in the last 2 games. Is that sustainable? Probably not, but it’s still darned impressive.

6. Ole Miss (10-1, 6-1 SEC)

BEST WIN: 34-26 at Oklahoma
LAST WEEK: 8

While the entire sports media landscape debates what Lane Kiffin should or should not do, I’m left lamenting the fact a special season is being drowned out by the noise. Ole Miss beat Florida to move to 10-1 and seemingly lock up a spot in the CFP. And I don’t think this year’s team is as talented as last year’s group. Given all the noise surrounding it, the locker room deserves a ton of appreciation for going out and taking care of business.

5. Texas Tech (10-1, 7-1 Big 12)

BEST WIN: 29-7 vs. BYU
LAST WEEK: 5

Tech has a Sagarin-rated top-10 win. It is 2-0 in games against top-30 teams. It is top-5 in résumé SP+. It is top-5 in ESPN’s game control metric. It has a top-10 strength of record, according to FEI. It has a top-10 résumé, according to KFord’s ratings. The only loss was on the road with a backup quarterback, and it came in the final minute. The 4 consecutive wins since that loss have all been by at least 22 points. I will not be entertaining any arguments that suggest this is anything other than a top-5 team.

4. Georgia (9-1, 7-1 SEC)

BEST WIN: 43-35 vs. Ole Miss
LAST WEEK: 6

Kirby Smart owns Steve Sarkisian. That budding “rivalry” isn’t a rivalry. Smart has outmaneuvered Sarkisian in 3 consecutive matchups. Georgia flat dominated Texas in what was a “stop doubting us” kind of statement game. I won’t walk back any of the comments about Georgia’s friendly whistle this season, but I won’t doubt the Dawgs any longer. They just keep answering the moment.

3. Ohio State (10-0, 7-0 B1G)

BEST WIN: 14-7 vs. Texas
LAST WEEK: 3

The Buckeyes obliterated UCLA. A no-nonsense team in Columbus.

2. Texas A&M (10-0, 7-0 SEC)

BEST WIN: 41-40 at Notre Dame
LAST WEEK: 1

Texas A&M did everything wrong in the first half against a bad South Carolina team. Then it woke up in the second half and took it to the Gamecocks. I didn’t drop Indiana after it needed to come from behind to beat Penn State, but I’m dropping Texas A&M for needing to come from behind to beat South Carolina. The Hoosiers were on the road, and they didn’t trail until the fourth. The Aggies were at home, and they looked horrendous in the first half to fall into a 27-point hole. Texas A&M is 5-0 against Sagarin-rated top-30 teams while Indiana is 4-0. A&M still has a case to be No. 1, but the margins at the top are that thin. If I weren’t reactive to the results as they happen, there wouldn’t be any point to weekly updates for this ranking.

1. Indiana (11-0, 8-0 B1G)

BEST WIN: 30-20 at Oregon
LAST WEEK: 2

Indiana smashed Wisconsin. It was “only” a 24-point win at home, but the Hoosiers never trailed and out-gained Wisconsin 6.3 yards per play to 3.7. The Hoosiers sit atop KFord’s “most deserving” ranking this week, and they hold the top spot in SP+’s résumé ranking.

The post College football’s Top 25 résumé ranking entering Week 13 appeared first on Saturday Down South.

Along with Florida, LSU and Auburn, Penn State is one of the best open jobs on the market and figures to be of significant interest to numerous top coaches. 

Penn State head coach candidates

Kalshi, a predictions market that is legal in all 50 states, has posted markets for more than a dozen potential candidates to be the next Penn State head coach. 

Let’s break down some of the leading candidates before making a prediction on Penn State’s coaching search. 

Eli Drinkwitz, Missouri head coach

Current Kalshi price: 42 cents per contract

Eli Drinkwitz is the clear favorite to be the next Penn State head coach if you believe in Kalshi’s market prices. He’s set to wrap up his 6th season at Mizzou in a couple of weeks and led the program to back-to-back 10-win seasons in 2023 and 2024. The Tigers have taken a small step back this year, but Drinkwitz is still expected to be a candidate at all the top open jobs this cycle. One potential negative for Drinkwitz at Penn State is he’s never coached at a Big Ten institution and has spent almost all of his career in the South. 

Brent Key, Georgia Tech head coach

Current Kalshi price: 21 cents per contract

Georgia Tech coach Brent Key has turned things around at his alma mater in relatively short order. The Yellow Jackets are contending for the ACC title this season. In the 3+ years prior to Key taking over as interim head coach in 2022, Georgia Tech won a total of 10 games. However, Key has made some pretty convincing statements about remaining at his alma mater beyond this season. “Slice me open and see what colors I bleed,” Key said earlier this month. Like Drinkwitz, Key has spent most of his career in the South and has never worked at a Big Ten program.  

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Brian Hartline, Ohio State offensive coordinator

Current Kalshi price: 15 cents per contract

Brian Hartline is regarded as one of the top offensive coaches in the country. The former NFL wideout has had a big hand in turning Ohio State into the nation’s premier wide receiver factory. Hartline, 38, does have some potential marks against him, though. He’s an Ohio State alum who has never coached anywhere but in Columbus. He’s been on staff since 2017 in various capacities and is Ohio State’s offensive coordinator in 2025. Hartline is the team’s primary play caller in 2025, which should be a boost for his candidacy. The Buckeyes are thriving with first-year quarterback Julian Sayin and are averaging 6.95 yards per play this season (12th nationally entering Week 13). 

Bob Chesney, James Madison head coach

Current Kalshi price: 11 cents per contract

Bob Chesney is less established than the coaches above him on this list, but he could be a candidate at any number of top jobs this offseason. Chesney is in his second season at James Madison and already has the Dukes competing for a College Football Playoff berth. Chesney is a Pennsylvania native who played at Dickinson College, a Division III program located less than 100 miles from Happy Valley. Chesney’s career has brought him to several schools in the northeast, including Holy Cross, Assumption and Johns Hopkins. 

Here’s a look at the live market on Kalshi for Penn State’s next head coach:

Penn State head coach prediction

Given the options above, I like backing Bob Chesney to be the choice in State College. He has deep ties to the area and is a proven winner at multiple levels. I’m skeptical about the fit for Drinkwitz or Key given their lack of Big Ten experience and their well-documented affinity for their current jobs. Hartline is intriguing, but being an Ohio State lifer may be enough of a red flag to keep his name further down the list. Chesney checks more boxes than any of these other candidates. 

How does Kalshi work?

Kalshi is one of the top prediction markets available and is legal in all 50 US states. Markets posted on Kalshi could include everything from sports to politics to weather.

Here’s how it works: Users purchase contracts for a certain prediction in a given market. Those contracts will then pay out at a rate of $1 per contract if graded as accurate. For example a $10 prediction on Bob Chesney to be the next head coach at Penn State would pay out approximately $85 if Chesney is the next permanent head coach in Happy Valley.

Kalshi users can also adjust their position before the market is settled. So if new information about a Penn State coaching candidate becomes available, users can adjust accordingly.

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The post Predicting the next head coach at Penn State appeared first on Saturday Down South.

Steve Sarkisian would like you, me and Joe Blow to know that everything is fine with him at Texas and he’s not going anywhere. The Year 5 Longhorns coach made that point emphatically on the SEC Teleconference on Wednesday, wherein he addressed outside speculation about his future … unprompted:

Here was the full quote:

Sure, that’s fine.

That could’ve stemmed from what came out before the game at Mississippi State when Sarkisian’s name was at the center of a report from The Athletic’s Diana Russini that his representatives, “have let NFL decision-makers know that he’d be interested in potential head coaching openings, including the Titans’.”

There’s some careful wording in there that certainly makes it safe for Sarkisian to offer up an emphatic denial that he’s got 1 foot out the door. Whether he waited to address that until Texas suffered loss No. 3 and saw it’s name next to the No. 17 spot in the Playoff Poll heading into the penultimate weekend of the regular season, well, that’s in the eye of the beholder.

It’s also apparently in the eye of the beholder whether or not Texas has underachieved this year. As in, the program who earned its first preseason AP No. 1 ranking in its rich history.

Ask Sarkisian about that, and he’ll remind you that “underachieving” is a subjective term.

If Sarkisian had just cut off that first part of his response to longtime Texas columnist Kirk Bohls, that response doesn’t get all of that social media engagement. If everything is fine, why is it so hard for Sarkisian to just say “I’m proud of how we handled adversity, but we haven’t achieved our goals this season.” Forget the preseason ranking. Truth serum Sarkisian would never tell you that 7-3 is an acceptable place to be for a program who has been to consecutive semifinals. Do you think Sarkisian has approached his team after these 3 losses and told his team, “you guys met my expectations today.” No chance.

But instead, that reasonable question was turned into an icy exchange by Sarkisian. Why? Nobody expects Sarkisian to pretend that everything is fine.

Sarkisian presented that front repeatedly when asked about Arch Manning this season. The “I’ve never filmed any of you guys when you’re using the bathroom” response to early-season speculation about Manning wincing after throws was weird, and if you’ve observed Sarkisian in a local media setting, it’s been noticeably weird how little insight he provides on Manning.

“Dismissive” might be the best word to describe Sarkisian’s 2025. After that Florida loss, Sarkisian seemed to dismiss the idea that Texas’s Playoff chances were in significant danger even though it was a 2-loss team heading into the midway point of the season. With 3 losses, Sarkisian dismissed the idea that his team has underachieved.

Speaking of getting to 3 losses, Sarkisian apparently has some strong thoughts about that dreaded total.

As Lane Kiffin said on The Pat McAfee Show on Tuesday, he, Kirby Smart and Sarkisian have a group text, wherein they discuss things like what a loss means. Here was the index that they came up with after watching Brian Kelly get fired at LSU, according to Kiffin:

One small, tiny issue with that.

Smart is the coach of a 1-loss team who is very much in the top 10, as is Kiffin. In fact, all but 2 (No. 11 BYU and No. 16 Georgia Tech) of the remaining 1-loss teams are in the top 10.

Another small, tiny issue with that is Sarkisian is coaching a 3-loss team who is ranked No. 17. According to their own index, not only does that mean the Longhorns are out of the top 25 — every 2-loss Power Conference team is currently inside the top 25 of the Playoff Poll — but it means that Sarkisian should be fired.

Mind you, Sarkisian’s squad lost 3 games last year. So did Smart’s and Kiffin’s. Not only are all of them are still employed, but they’re all on 8-figure contracts.

(OK, Kiffin technically isn’t there yet. He’s only making $9 million annually, but if he’s not making $10 million annually after all of this drama for his services, knock me over with a feather.)

In fact, Sarkisian got both a raise and an extension after a 3-loss season in 2024. It made him one of the 5 highest-paid coaches in the sport.

Everything should be fine in Austin, even in the likely event that Texas ends its season playing in the Citrus Bowl instead of another College Football Playoff. After all, Texas was the only program in America who entered 2025 having reached the semifinal in consecutive years. Hence, why it earned that preseason No. 1 ranking. It’s also why it earned the right to say that 3 regular-season losses isn’t fine. Whether he admits it or not, Sarkisian has felt a bit off all year.

According to who, you ask? You, me and Joe Blow.

The post For a coach who says everything is fine, Steve Sarkisian is giving off some weird vibes appeared first on Saturday Down South.

Right behind fellow two-loss squad Notre Dame, this puts Kalen DeBoer‘s team in a precarious spot, as the No. 11 and No. 12 teams figure to be nudged out in favor of the ACC and GO5 representatives.

DeBoer was asked about his reaction to the Tide’s drop in the ranking following his team’s loss to Oklahoma, and he explained that he paid it little mind.

“Took a quick look at it, went back to work, didn’t read into anything. I just know that we have a ton of quality wins. I know they really look strongly at the losses,” DeBoer said during the SEC’s weekly coaches teleconference. “Last week was against a very good football team. I think we’ve played a lot of really good football. We’ve shown consistency and improvement throughout the year. A lot of improvement.”

Reading between the lines leaves one to infer that DeBoer believes his team’s plethora of quality wins should trump its two head-scratching defeats, with him frequently emphasizing his squad’s noted improvement since Week One.

One-loss BYU sits right behind Alabama at No. 11, with the Cougars’ lone defeat coming at the hands of the committee’s No. 5 team, Texas Tech.

The post Kalen DeBoer reveals how he reacted to Alabama’s new CFP ranking appeared first on Saturday Down South.

Despite his insistent pleas that he loves where he’s at, Kiffin has done nothing to deny that he is entertaining the notion of taking over as the head coach at Florida or LSU.

The Rebels’ head coach took to The Pat McAfee Show on Tuesday to talk with the cast of characters, but all Kiffin did was dispel the notion that Ole Miss had given him an Egg-Bowl deadline to make a decision on his future.

Of course, this infuriated ESPN’s Paul Finebaum, who took to First Take to vent his frustrations.

“That was not exactly a denial yesterday. What was all that about? Was he trying out for Shakespeare?” Finebaum said. “That was absurd…Lane, it’s up to you, if you want to end the speculation, end it right now.”

Amidst a potential College Football Playoff run, Kiffin appears to be trying to balance the need to block out exterior noise while also planning for his future. That has prompted many in Oxford, Gainesville and everywhere in between to question his loyalties and how is handling the whole situation.

The post Paul Finebaum rips Lane Kiffin’s ‘absurd’ appearance on Pat McAfee Show appeared first on Saturday Down South.

With the program’s 2025 National Championship rings having recently arrived, Golden and assistant coach Carlin Hartman made the short trip down to Orlando in order to surprise current Golden State Warriors guard Will Richard with his piece of jewelry.

Golden and Hartman walked into a team meeting after being introduced by Steve Kerr, who noted that his squad has two former Gators in its midst, both of whom won national titles. Al Horford, a back-to-back champion in 2006 and 2007, is the other.

Florida’s head coach spoke to the Warriors’ players about why he specifically made the trip to see Richard.

“We just finished our third year at Florida, culminating with a national title, and the first young man we brought into our program was Will,” Golden said. “As soon as Will committed with his family, we said that if we were able to go out and build a team with a bunch of guys like Will Richard, we could have a bunch of success in a short amount of time.”

Golden went on to emphasize how Richard was the MVP of the National Championship win over Houston and discuss what he believes the guard can bring to a team when it comes to his selflessness.

“He doesn’t care about who gets the credit,” Golden said.

The post Todd Golden surprises Will Richard with national championship ring appeared first on Saturday Down South.

The storylines surrounding Ole Miss’ Lane Kiffin are abundant, but reports emerged earlier Wednesday that Jon Sumrall would be meeting with representatives from Florida later in the night.

Of course, that report was later refuted, and with On3’s Florida beat writer being the one to break the news before the outlet’s national insider said the meeting had been called off. NOLA.com’s Tulane source disputed that there was ever a meeting in the first place.

So amidst it all, Sumrall decided to have some fun. He posted an image to X/Twitter with the caption: “Most important meeting I have all week…Wednesday Night with QB’s! ⁦@On3sports⁩”

Sumrall appears to be locked in to potentially guiding two-loss Tulane to a College Football Playoff appearance…at least for this evening.

Sumrall’s name has swirled around the openings at Auburn and Florida, and for good reason. He boasts a 40-11 overall record in his four years as a head coach, including a pair of 10-win campaigns at Troy.

Between his stints with the Trojans and Green Wave as well as various roles at SEC programs in the past, the former Kentucky linebacker has been well-indoctrinated into the Southeast and seems primed for a step up.

The post Jon Sumrall playfully addresses report of meeting with Florida appeared first on Saturday Down South.

Senior safety Bryce Anderson was carted off the field after suffering a head injury during the team’s game against Notre Dame on Sept. 13, and although he returned to play against Florida just three weeks later, he has not seen the field since.

And during his weekly media availability, Texas A&M head coach Mike Elko revealed that Anderson will likely redshirt for the remainder of this season, considering he has only appeared in four games in 2025.

“I think at this point, he’s [Anderson] still not completely back,” Elko said. “I think he’s getting really close. I certainly don’t think it would be in Bryce’s best interest for him to go out and play in one of these remaining two games.”

“I think [redshirting] would potentially present an opportunity for him as we move forward beyond these next two,” Elko added.

Anderson began the season as a starter in the secondary and has been a productive member of the Aggies’ back end for years. He’s racked up 116 total tackles, 13 tackles for loss and a pair of interceptions in his career thus far.

The post Mike Elko reveals veteran Texas A&M DB will take redshirt for 2025 appeared first on Saturday Down South.

Anderson, who has spent over 4 decades in college baseball and was Tennessee‘s pitching coach, informed new Volunteers head coach Josh Elander that he was heading west, according to the On3 report. Elander replaced Vitello as Tennessee head coach last month after Vitello departed Knoxville to take the manager’s job with the San Francisco Giants.

Now, it appears that another piece of the Vols baseball program will be trading in 1 color of orange for another one in San Francisco.

Anderson’s reported departure created another opening in Knoxville, and that spot has reportedly been filled already. Low also reported on Wednesday night that Elander will promote Josh Reynolds to be the Volunteers’ new pitching coach. So, Reynolds is reportedly replacing Anderson as the man in charge of Tennessee’s pitching staff in 2026.

Reynolds spent last season as Tennessee’s director of pitching performance, so he’ll have a much bigger role beside Elander in 2026. Tennessee hired Reynolds in July 2024, so last year was his first season in Knoxville.

He has been in college baseball for over 20 years, with Reynolds previously being a part of the coaching staffs at Northwestern and Kansas State.

The post Tennessee baseball assistant reportedly leaving to join Tony Vitello’s San Francisco staff appeared first on Saturday Down South.

Yet despite the team already being all-but-eliminated from the College Football Playoff, Missouri still has a shot at clinching the program’s third straight 10-win season down the stretch, and recruits are taking notice.

The haphazard rumors swirling around Eli Drinkwitz‘s potential move to another SEC school have done little to dampen Mizzou’s momentum on the recruiting trail, and the sixth-year head coach received some good news Wednesday.

RELATED: Looking for a Fanatics Sportsbook Missouri promo! SDS is your go-to source!

Jayden McGregory, a 4-star safety out of Des Moines, Iowa as rated by 247Sports, announced that he would be flipping his commitment from Louisville to join Drinkwitz & Co. in COMO.

The 6-foot-2 prospect shared a message stating: “AGTG Columbia I’m home,” and he becomes the 22nd commit in Missouri’s 2026 class.

McGregory committed to Louisville on July 7 following a visit in late June. He made the trip to Columbia on June 6 and also took a visit to Minnesota in late May.

The two-way player also held offers from the likes of Arkansas, Florida State, Georgia, Michigan, Tennessee and Nebraska.

The Tigers’ 2026 class now ranks 23rd overall in the nation according to 247Sports.

The post Missouri flips 4-star safety amid Eli Drinkwitz rumors appeared first on Saturday Down South.

The former Alabama star quarterback is close with SEC circles and now as an ESPN college football analyst and podcast host, he has a unique perspective on the madness that typically develops within the SEC. That’s what has happened with Kiffin, even as he coaches the Rebels to a 10-1 record and a No. 6 spot in the latest College Football Playoff rankings.

Ole Miss is on a bye this week, but that hasn’t stopped the Kiffin saga from churning. His possible departure is mentioned seemingly everywhere, and on Wednesday it was McElroy’s turn to speculate on whether Kiffin leaving Oxford would hurt Ole Miss’s standing — that is, assuming the Rebels do make the Playoff next month.

Would the CFP selection committee dare penalize Ole Miss should Kiffin leave? McElroy tried to answer that delicate question on his Always College Football podcast.

“Yes. I think they could. I think you treat Lane Kiffin’s absence like you treat a quarterback,” McElroy said. “I do think that he does provide an advantage with his acumen, his ability to tweak plays right before the snap. I think that could have an impact on how they are evaluated (by the selection committee).”

McElroy also knows how messy of a situation it would create for the Rebels if Kiffin did leave before the Playoff.

“I think that cooler heads need to prevail in the event that Lane Kiffin decides to leave Ole Miss,” McElroy said. “This is still the best opportunity that Ole Miss has had to go win a championship. Give your team the best chance. The best way you give your team a chance is by allowing Lane Kiffin to be on the sidelines.”

The post Greg McElroy weighs in on whether CFP selection committee would penalize Ole Miss for a Lane Kiffin departure appeared first on Saturday Down South.

Kirby Smart’s Georgia is beatable and vulnerable, playing with fire consistently and asking to be beat, you say? That was so October. It’s November now. Georgia is playing its best football, and Kirby Smart is starting to feel this team and is getting a little loud about it. A week after bulldozing an improved Mississippi State in Starkville, the Dawgs decimated Texas 35-10 on Saturday, scoring the game’s final 21 points and putting the preseason No. 1 Longhorns out of their Playoff hope misery.

Gunner Stockton isn’t quite “List” worthy, but it’s time to acknowledge that, like Stetson Bennett IV before him, Stockton is an asset for Georgia, not just a game manager. The Dawgs are good enough to win Kirby Smart’s third national championship, and as the defense continues to improve, they are sneaking into “favorite” territory.

Speaking of favorites, it was a week of near-failure for other SEC Playoff “favorites.” Then again, the name of the game in the 12-team Playoff era is “Survive and Advance.”

That’s exactly Oklahoma did in its win at Alabama.

That’s also what Lane Kiffin’s Ole Miss did on Saturday against Florida. The Gators, released from the fires of Bily Napier’s 2-year long battle with a hot seat, played excellent football for the second time in 3 weeks. It was nearly enough for Florida to fell the less-talented Rebels in Oxford. Then DJ Lagway made a crucial mistake — as he’s done so often this year — and Ole Miss escaped with a 10-point win (thanks to a Kewan Lacy TD run in garbage time that made the final margin much wider than the game itself).

Was that Lane Kiffin’s last game as the Ole Miss coach at Vaught Hemingway? We’ll know soon, I reckon, but even if Kiffin is on another sideline next autumn, is Keith Carter truly Machiavellian enough to dismiss Lane before Ole Miss plays in the College Football Playoff? In an era where the end goal for every SEC program (even Clark Lea and Vanderbilt!) is to play for championships, will Ole Miss cut off its nose to spite its face? Perhaps Lane will stay in Oxford. If he doesn’t, I don’t envy the diabolical decision Keith Carter must make.

Speaking of diabolical, should we discuss South Carolina’s collapse in College Station?

How in the world is Shane Beamer 3-7 with a team that has at least 2 future first-round draft picks (Dylan Stewart, LaNorris Sellers), the fastest receiver (Nyck Harbor) and probably the SEC’s best special teams player (Vicari Swain)? Has a SEC coach ever won SEC Coach of the Year one season and done his worst coaching job the following season? If not, Shane Beamer is first. A woeful coaching job in Columbia, punctuated by the Gamecocks blowing a 27-point halftime lead last weekend at Texas A&M.

Meanwhile, the Aggies feel like a team of destiny.

Not every champion is 2019 LSU or even 2022 Georgia.  You usually need luck to win a championship, even in the rugged SEC. Coming back from 27 points down after the worst half of Marcel Reed’s career felt like a stroke of destiny, even if it wasn’t just “luck.” Reed’s bounce back from half 1 to half 2? That felt like great coaching, which we’ve come to expect from Mike Elko and this A&M staff.

And yes, Elko is a great lesson for fanbases teetering on the edge of the Lane Kiffin sweepstakes.

If you don’t land your first choice, you aren’t necessarily doomed.

The grass is often greener on the other side of a big buyout. Trust the process.

The process for crowning a “List” champion will go deep into November and probably December this season.

It’s a 3-horse race (for now), but probably the most competitive “List” battle we’ve had since we started the most important “List” in college football in 2019. The decisions at the top get tougher and tougher, and this week’s new No. 1 is the 7th player to top the list this season — a record. Which player will close strong and wear the crown as the best football player in America’s best conference? Stay tuned.

Last week’s “List” is here.

As always, we begin with Honorable Mentions, limited to 2 per school.

Honorable Mention: Alabama: Parker Brailsford, C; Ty Simpson, QB. Auburn: Xavier Atkins, LB; Keyron Crawford, DE. Arkansas: Mike Washington, RB. Florida: Myles Graham, LB; Jake Slaughter, C. Georgia: Drew Bobo, C; Gunner Stockton, QB. Kentucky: Jalen Farmer, OL; Daveren Raynor, LB. LSU: AJ Haulcy, S; Harold Perkins Jr., LB. Mississippi State: Nic Mitchell, LB; Brenen Thompson, WR. Missouri: Connor Tollison, C; Keagan Trost, OT. Oklahoma: Febechi Nwaiwu, OG; R Mason Thomas, DE. Ole Miss: Suntarine Perkins, LB; Diego Pounds, OT. South Carolina: Dylan Stewart, Edge. Tennessee: Chris Brazzell II, WR; Wendell Moe Jr., OG. Texas: Anthony Hill Jr., LB; Colin Simmons, Edge. Texas A&M: KC Concepcion, WR; Trey Zuhn III, OL. Vanderbilt: Eli Stowers, TE; Jordan White, C.

10. Vicari Swain, DB/Return (South Carolina)

Swain’s 3 punt returns for touchdowns this season lead the nation. He’s also been outstanding in coverage, with 4 pass breakups to his name and a completion percentage against under 50%.

On Saturday, his 2 interceptions helped the Gamecocks storm to a 27-point halftime lead. There was a second half, of course, but Swain, as he has all season, did his part to make the Gamecocks a winner.

9. Kadyn Proctor, OT (Alabama)

Proctor grades out as Alabama’s best offensive linemen in 2025, and he allowed just 1 pressure on a night when the rest of Alabama’s offensive line was shaky against an outstanding Oklahoma defense. In 400 drop-backs this season, Proctor has allowed just 1 sack. Throw in his versatility as a short yardage piece and his excellent run blocking, and you have one of the best offensive linemen in America.

8. Kip Lewis, LB (Oklahoma)

With R Mason Thomas out with a quad injury, Lewis had 7 tackles and 2 sacks to lead the outstanding Oklahoma defense in a 23-21 upset of Alabama. Lewis has 60 tackles this season for a Sooners defense that ranks 11th nationally in stop rate and 5th in SP+ efficiency. Oklahoma produced 3 turnovers in Saturday’s win, tormenting Ty Simpson for 4 quarters to come out of Tuscaloosa with its Playoff dreams very much intact.

7. Trinidad Chambliss, QB (Ole Miss)

Chambliss shook off an early interception to help rally Ole Miss past Florida on Saturday night, throwing for 301 yards and a touchdown in the victory. On the season, the Ferris State transfer has 2,657 yards passing and 14 touchdowns and he’s added 444 yards rushing and 6 scores on the ground. Kewan Lacy is the bell cow and red-zone machine that makes this offense consistently lethal — but Chambliss gives it an extra gear.

6. Mansoor Delane, CB (LSU)

Delane was marvelous in LSU’s 23-22 win over Arkansas, breaking up 2 passes and intercepting another in a performance that should cement his All-American candidacy.

Delane has played through an undisclosed injury over the past few weeks, an ode to the toughness of a player who has allowed just 13 receptions on 34 targets against in 2025.

5. CJ Allen, LB (Georgia)

By his lofty standards, Allen had a quiet evening against Texas, collecting just 3 tackles (1 takcle for loss) in Georgia’s 35-10 win over the Longhorns before he exited with an injury. That said, Allen’s starting to get more help around him, and under his on-field leadership, the Dawgs have risen from the 30s in SP+ defense in early October to 11th in mid-November. Georgia has allowed 21 points or fewer in 5 of its last 6 games, with the lone exception being a 43-35 win over Ole Miss.  

4. Ahmad Hardy, RB (Missouri)

Hardy seized the national lead in rushing yardage again with 300 yards on the ground in Mizzou‘s 49-27 rout of Mississippi State. Hardy’s 3 touchdowns give him 15 on the season, which ranks third in the country. The Tigers are 7-1 when Hardy rushes for 100 yards or more. Another huge opportunity and tough defense looms Saturday when the Tigers visit Norman and former Big 12 rival Oklahoma.

3. Diego Pavia, QB (Vanderbilt)

The Vanderbilt quarterback had a bye ahead of a 2-game close that will define the Playoff future of the Commodores. Pavia ranks in the top 6 in the SEC in passing yards, touchdown passes, and completion percentage and continues to be the lone player in the SEC to lead his team in passing and rushing.

2. Cashius Howell, Edge (Texas A&M)

The Aggies’ best player had a strange Saturday afternoon. He was active early in the first half, creating 3 pass breakups. He then went quiet for a quarter-plus, only to reemerge to create havoc as Texas A&M rallied to win late. Howell was targeted repeatedly by South Carolina in the run game Saturday, and graded out a season-low 47.4 (very poor) against the run. But Howell still managed a sack, adding to his SEC-high total of 11.5, and he remains the SEC’s leader in pressures and hurries as well to key one of the nation’s most disruptive defenses.

1. Kewan Lacy, RB (Ole Miss)

The Ole Miss sophomore powered his way for 224 tough yards on 31 carries on Saturday night, adding 3 touchdowns to his nation-leading total of 19 on the season. Lacy’s first touchdown Saturday night broke a single-season Ole Miss record.

Florida’s played solid run defense all season, but Lacy continues to challenge even stacked fronts. An astounding 809 of his 1,136 yards this season have come after contact, and he’s forced 84 missed tackles, the most in America. Not bad for a kid who is only 19 years old.  

The post Ranking the top 10 players in the SEC through Week 12 appeared first on Saturday Down South.

The Fox Sports host was discussing the Kiffin topic with fellow FOX host Colin Cowherd, and while Cowherd had a few suggestions for where Kiffin should wind up in 2026, for Klatt the choice was obvious.

“I think he’s going to Florida. I really do,” Klatt said. “I think he’s going to Florida, and I think he’s going to be the next coach of the Gators.”

Klatt acknowledged the Kiffin issue has been hard for him to wrap his arms around.

“I have been all over the map on this, but Lane is a unique cat,” Klatt said. “Now, I don’t know if he can come back to Ole Miss.

“You can’t lead them on for this long. And now there’s going to start to be animus. Like, why aren’t you signing an extension? What’s the problem?”

Not only does Klatt believe Kiffin is heading to Gainesville, he also thinks the move is going to create chaos and soon.

“I think that we’re going to have one of the biggest messes in college football history go down before the Playoff when Lane Kiffin steps away from a College Football Playoff team and goes to coach another team,” Klatt said.

Time will tell what happens with Kiffin and when. For now, his Rebels are rolling with a No. 6 spot in the latest CFP rankings that were revealed on Tuesday night.

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The longtime Fox Sports talk show host doesn’t think Kiffin should even entertain those possible offers from the 2 SEC rival schools. Instead, Cowherd has a message for Kiffin — stay put or go pro.

“I think he should stay at Ole Miss or go pro. I don’t want to bounce into LSU or Florida,” said Cowherd on Wednesday while discussing the topic on his show with fellow Fox Sports host Joel Klatt. “Either stay at Ole Miss. They’ve got NIL money. I made a call on that 2 days ago. They’ve got NIL money. That’s not an issue.”

Cowherd said he simply doesn’t believe going to Gainesville or Baton Rouge would be a significant step up from where he is right now.

“I think the SEC jobs outside of maybe Georgia are all kind of the same,” Cowherd said. “They’re all dysfunctional, a bit delusional. Georgia, maybe (Alabama), but Bama doesn’t have Georgia’s high school football talent within a hundred feet of the campus. So, I, to me, if you have an SEC job and you’re winning, stay in that job.”

Right now, Kiffin is winning at Ole Miss. The Rebels are 10-1 overall and 6-1 in the SEC, and they were placed at No. 6 in the latest College Football Playoff rankings on Tuesday night.

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Earlier Wednesday afternoon, there were conflicting reports on Sumrall’s apparent scheduled meeting with UF to discuss its head coaching position. First, a report by On3’s Zach Abolverdi suggested that Florida was set to meet with the 43-year-old Sumrall about bringing him in to replace the fired Billy Napier.

But just a few hours later, On3’s Pete Nakos reported that the meeting had been called off and that Sumrall was removing his name from the list of candidates in Gainesville.

Sumrall is in his 2nd season at Tulane, and right now he has the Green Wave riding high with an 8-2 record and the No. 24 spot in the latest College Football Playoff rankings that were revealed on Tuesday night. Tulane is poised right now to make the Playoff, but amid all of that success Sumrall is also being mentioned for a lot of the current Power 4 coaching vacancies.

Florida appeared to be 1 of those positions that Sumrall was in the mix for, but Wednesday’s latest reported developments now suggest otherwise.

Before he got to Tulane, Sumrall was the head coach at Troy for 2 seasons, winning the Sun Belt Conference title in both of those years.

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Franklin just suffered through hard times amid his firing as head coach at Penn State a little over a month ago. So, Franklin is very familiar with grinding through challenges, and he knows there will be plenty of those in Blacksburg. Virginia Tech is a 3-7 football team in mid-November and just 2-4 in the ACC, records that Hokies fans would never have imagined during the glory years under Frank Beamer.

Brent Pry, who was Franklin’s former defensive coordinator at Penn State, was fired by Virginia Tech a few months ago after the Hokies stumbled to an 0-3 start. So, Franklin will get a shot to do what Pry couldn’t in Blacksburg, and Franklin talked about what awaits during an appearance on The Pat McAfee Show on Wednesday.

“I need to evaluate the current roster. I need to see how recruiting is going to go, what is available in the transfer portal,” Franklin said. “The reality is, we’re going to be aggressive from Day 1. We’re going to wake up every single morning and give Virginia Tech everything we got.”

Franklin knows there will be a ton to take on, because that’s today’s reality.

“The investment level is what it’s all about. College football has changed,” he said.

Here are Franklin’s full comments on those big challenges ahead:

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Original post:

Florida will reportedly meet with Jon Sumrall as the program searches for its new full-time head coach. The news comes via a report from On3’s Zach Abolverdi on Wednesday.

Sumrall, 43, is in his second season as Tulane’s head coach. He has frequently been mentioned as a potential candidate for Power 4 jobs as numerous high-profile positions have become part of this year’s coaching carousel.

This season, Sumrall’s Tulane squad has an 8-2 record entering Week 13. He’s 17-7 with the Green Wave, leading the program to a 9-5 record last season with an appearance in the AAC Championship Game and a Gasparilla Bowl berth against Florida.

Prior to Tulane, Sumrall was Troy’s head coach for 2 seasons, going 23-4 overall and 14-2 in conference play. The Trojans won the Sun Belt both seasons, and Sumrall was the conference’s Coach of the Year for 2022.

Sumrall has SEC roots as a former Kentucky linebacker from 2002-04. He then got into coaching in 2005, serving as a graduate assistant at his alma mater. Sumrall had assistant stops at San Diego, Tulane and Troy before returning to the SEC as Ole Miss’s linebackers coach in the 2018 season.

Kentucky added Sumrall to the staff as inside linebackers coach in 2019. He added co-defensive coordinator responsibilities for the 2021 season.

Want to make some money on the Florida coaching hire? Check out the wagering options at prediction market Kalshi!

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During Wednesday’s SEC teleconference, Wilson said Nussmeier remains in essentially the same spot he was a week ago — battling the same issues and trending toward missing another game.

“Garrett’s situation hasn’t changed much since last week. Those same issues are there for him,” Wilson said. “He’s probably doubtful. He was around yesterday, did some things in individual (drills), but I would say he’s doubtful.”

Nussmeier’s injury, which started leaving his status uncertain after a 20-9 loss to Alabama on Nov. 8, has forced LSU to lean more heavily on its depth at the position as the Tigers look to close out the regular season. While he was able to participate in limited individual work, Wilson’s comments make it clear the staff isn’t expecting a sudden turnaround before the weekend.

And if Nussmeier can’t go again this week, LSU has at least seen what life with Michael Van Buren Jr. looks like.

The sophomore QB stepped into his first start for LSU last weekend and helped the Tigers grind out a 23–22 win at Arkansas — throwing for 221 yards, hitting 8 different receivers, and leading the 92-yard go-ahead touchdown drive in the fourth quarter.

According to a report from CBS Sports’ Matt Zenitz, he is expected to draw the start again this weekend against Western Kentucky.

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Sarkisian opened his time on the SEC coaches teleconference call with a prepared statement about reports linking him to other jobs. He said he usually does not comment on speculation because he doesn’t want to be a distraction, but said recent reports have been “bothering” him for several weeks.

“I’m not going anywhere,” Sarkisian said. “I’ve had no discussions — not with my agent, not with the university, not with any other school, not with any NFL team — about ever going anywhere else. I came here to win championships.”

Sarkisian went on to mention he has 2 children enrolled at UT, a third he hopes will enroll at the school next fall, and called Austin his home.

He also listed off an assortment of accomplishments and accolades his program has enjoyed during his 5 years at the school.

“We’ve built a damn good football program over the 5 years that we’ve been here,” Sarkisian said. “Can we please stop putting things out there that you have absolutely zero evidence on? And then can we please stop retweeting, putting it back out there as if it’s true, as if it’s the gospel? It is not true.”

His comments on Wednesday come after weeks of outside chatter tying Sarkisian to everything from NFL interest to other major college jobs. He already dismissed those reports as “absolutely ridiculous” earlier this season, and doubled down again on Wednesday. With Texas fighting through an up-and-down stretch and expectations still sky-high, Sarkisian made it clear he’s locked into the program — not entertaining any detours.

Sarkisian and the Longhorns return home this week to face Arkansas (2–8). Texas continues to lean on a defense ranked top-25 nationally in scoring (18.3 ppg allowed) and top-10 against the run (83.2 ypg). That unit will be tested by an Arkansas offense averaging 470 yards per game — one of the most productive attacks in the country.

The Longhorns still have major games ahead — including a Black Friday showdown with No. 3 Texas A&M — but Sarkisian’s message was unmistakable: he’s not looking elsewhere, not exploring options, and not wavering.

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At the top, the two systems actually agree: Ohio State, Indiana, Texas A&M, and Georgia make up the same top 4 in both rankings. But everything after that starts drifting fast, especially when it comes to who gets rewarded and who gets punished.

One of the biggest surprises? Notre Dame‘s placement relative to Alabama. The two models match each other exactly — Notre Dame at No. 9 and Alabama right behind it at No. 10. That mirrors the CFP’s stance, which had been met with plenty of frustration from Alabama fans and neutral observers alike.

There’s also a clear divide in which teams the formula values compared to the folks in that committee room. The BCS model includes James Madison (No. 22) and North Texas (No. 23) — neither of which appears in the CFP’s Top 25. Meanwhile, the committee inserted Illinois (No. 21) and Arizona State (No. 25), two teams the computers didn’t rank at all.

The split at No. 5 and No. 6 is also telling.

The simulated BCS has Ole Miss at No. 5, while the CFP puts the Rebels sixth and elevates Texas Tech to No. 5 — a sign the committee is rewarding résumé wins more heavily than the BCS formulas, which still lean on polls and computer efficiency metrics.

The BCS simulation for Week 13 shows that if the old system still existed today, the playoff debate likely wouldn’t be any quieter. In fact, the Alabama–Notre Dame argument might be even louder — and teams like North Texas and James Madison would have far more to stand on than the current committee seems willing to give them.

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Kiffin, reportedly the primary target in both the LSU and Florida head coaching searches, repeatedly stated that he was not commenting on other jobs. His Ole Miss program is on a bye week this week as it readies for the Egg Bowl, which meant Lane Kiffin was peppered with questions about his future as the Rebels’ coach.

“I love it here. We are in the greatest run that this school has ever had,” Kiffin said. “It’s amazing. I’m living in the moment. The players are, too. It’s awesome to be a part of.”

The Rebels are 10-1 and ranked No. 6 in the latest College Football Playoff Top 25. They seem like a near lock to make the CFP. Should Kiffin be offered and accept the Tigers’ job or the Gators’ job, though, he wouldn’t be around for that run.

He was asked directly on Wednesday if he still expected to be the head coach when Ole Miss kicks off against Mississippi State on Nov. 28.

“Why would I not expect to coach next week?” he responded. “We’re gameplanning, we just practiced. I don’t even understand how that would happen.”

A report (which was later refuted) on Tuesday claimed that Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry spoke directly with Kiffin about the LSU job. Kiffin was asked about that as well on Wednesday.

“I wouldn’t comment on that either way,” he said.

When asked if it was possible he could accept another job before the start of the postseason, Kiffin said, “I’m not speaking on other jobs.”

The noise surrounding a potential departure is at an all-time high. Earlier this week, it was reported that Ole Miss had given Kiffin a deadline to decide on his future with the school, but he publicly denied any such ultimatum had been given just a day later.

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1. Diego Pavia, Vanderbilt

This weekend’s visit from Kentucky will be Pavia’s swan song in Nashville, where he has presided over a remarkable 11-3 home record over the past 2 years. For some context, a win on Saturday (the Commodores are 9.5-point favorites at DraftKings Sportsbook) would leave him in 2nd place on Vandy’s all-time list for home wins behind only the immortal Kyle Shurmur, who was the starting QB in 13 home wins over a 4-year period from 2015-18. It’s a short list of Vanderbilt quarterbacks who have a dozen career wins to their credit, period. Beating Kentucky would also complete the ‘Dores’ first perfect season at home since 1982, ensure a winning record in SEC play for just the 3rd time since World War II, and keep their dwindling Playoff hopes alive heading into the season finale at Tennessee. If they went ahead and retired Pavia’s number at halftime, who would object?

Last week: 1⬌

2. Gunner Stockton, Georgia

If you averaged every Georgia performance of the Kirby Smart era, the result would look a lot like Saturday’s 35-10 romp over Texas. And if you combined every Georgia quarterback in that span into one guy, the result would look a lot like Stockton, whose resemblance to his predecessors could not be more on the nose if he’d been cast to play Generic Kirby Smart Quarterback in a movie. (You couldn’t script a much better name than “Gunner Stockton” for that role, either.) Imagine a version of Jake Fromm with Stetson Bennett IV’s mobility operating the same scheme as Carson Beck, and you’ve conjured Stockton. Average their production through the first 10 games of their respective seasons as QB1, and you’re effectively left with Stockton’s output so far in 2025:

The most notable evolution in Georgia’s offense under Smart is the uptick in screen passes since Mike Bobo’s arrival as offensive coordinator in 2023. More than 30% of Stockton’s attempts this season have been behind the line of scrimmage, per Pro Football Focus, the highest rate in the SEC and roughly twice the rate that Fromm threw behind the line from 2017-19. That accounts for the improved completion percentage and decline in yards per attempt. Otherwise, in terms of total yards, touchdown percentage and efficiency, Stockton is almost eerily par for the course.

If Stockton brings anything new to the table, it’s a week-in, week-out presence as a runner. Already, he’s run more times (79, excluding sacks) for more yards (377) and more first downs (26) than Fromm, Bennett or Beck did in an entire season, and his 8 rushing touchdowns are 2nd only to Bennett’s 10 rushing TDs in 2022 in 15 games. Compared to the rest of the SEC, though, those numbers are squarely in the middle of the pack. As far as opposing defenses are concerned, Stockton might as well be just the latest model of the same guy they’ve been defending for the better part of a decade.

Last week: 3

3. Marcel Reed, Texas A&M

There are bigger comebacks on record, but I defy anyone to verify a more dramatic u-turn in the annals of college football history than the one Reed pulled off in the Aggies’ wild, 31-30 win over South Carolina.

The first half could not have gone much worse. After completing his first 2 passes of the afternoon, Reed proceeded to melt down, missing on 13 of his next 17 attempts; that included 2 interceptions — both costly — and a series of coulda-been picks that repeatedly forced his own receivers to turn into defenders. Meanwhile, there was also the slapstick fumble on which Reed, attempting to salvage an instantly doomed play while in the grasp of elite Carolina edge rusher Dylan Stewart, instead lost control of the ball in a moment of panic; it skittered free, and eventually into the mitts of A&M defensive linemen who returned the loose ball for a touchdown. The Aggies limped into the locker room down 30-3 while Reed’s Heisman stock abruptly plummeted in real time.

In the second half, he was unstoppable, flipping the switch to lead 4 touchdown drives in as many possessions to erase the deficit less than 5 minutes into the 4th quarter. Those drives covered 75, 70, 80 and 98 yards, respectively, on a combined 27 plays. Four of those plays were completions of 25+ yards, 3 of which went for touchdowns; the 4th set up a short TD run on the ensuing play. Incredibly, Reed’s resurgent Heisman odds were slightly better at the end of the day than they’d been at the beginning.

That’s quite the journey just to balance the ledger against a 20-point underdog. I wonder what the reaction would have been if Reed had delivered the exact same performance, but in reverse — shock-and-awe in the first half, followed by a stunning collapse in the second — or in a more random order, generating a series of back-and-forth swings in momentum rather than a couple of sustained waves with an obvious turning point. Or if, say, South Carolina’s offense had taken advantage of the botched trick play Texas A&M ran on 3rd-and-goal from the 1-yard line on its last full possession, which resulted in another slapstick fumble and, briefly, a game-winning opportunity for the Gamecocks. (That play is the sudden spike you see in Carolina’s win probability near the end.) Maybe I’m in the minority, but I’m of the mind that the only thing more impressive than the drama of rallying from a seemingly insurmountable deficit is never putting yourself in the position of facing one in the first place.

Last week: 4

4. Ty Simpson, Alabama

Last week, I praised Simpson’s steady hand and allergy to turnovers for a team that seemed to thrive the thinner the margin for error. Right on cue, he served up the costliest mistake of his season, a pick-6 INT with a free rusher in his lap that set off the upset siren in an eventual 23-21 loss to Oklahoma.

That was the first of 2 uncharacteristic giveaways against the Sooners, both of which came under pressure. The 2nd was the result of a blindside sack that jarred the ball loose at the end of the 3rd quarter; Oklahoma recovered the fumble inside the Bama 30-yard line, setting up a go-ahead field goal that proved to be the winning points. Simpson was hardly the biggest goat on an afternoon when an inconsistent o-line, anemic ground game and shambolic special teams all conspired to blow a game in which Alabama ran up a nearly 200-yard advantage in total offense. But to the extent that Simpson’s Heisman case rested on his reputation for transcending the Tide’s shortcomings — or at least not making them worse — it’s safe to say that case is officially closed until further notice.

Last week: 2

5. Trinidad Chambliss, Ole Miss

By all rights this should have been one of the chillest weeks in the history of Ole Miss football, with an open date on deck to bask in the 10-1 Rebels’ success before wrapping up the regular season in the Egg Bowl. Instead, they’ve spent their week off embroiled in the ongoing saga of Lane Kiffin‘s courtship by LSU and Florida. The prospect of any coach potentially bailing on a top-5 outfit in the midst of a Playoff run seems like a textbook case of galaxy brain run amok – to fulfill your ultimate goal of winning a championship, you have no choice but to consider abandoning a team currently competing for a championship? But, you know, look around. If you expect decision-making at the executive level in college football or, like, America at large to align with common sense in the year 2025, I don’t know what to tell you. All I know is that, regardless of where he’s ultimately employed in 2026, if Kiffin doesn’t feel obligated to do everything he can to give the best Ole Miss team in living memory the best possible chance to max out what might be the best opportunity the program going to get at national relevance, what a sorry state of affairs for the sport.

Last week: 5⬌

6. Joey Aguilar, Tennessee

Interceptions ranked at the top of the list of preseason concerns over Aguilar’s game, based on his an FBS-worst 14 INTs in 2024 at Appalachian State. He hasn’t been quite as interception-prone as a Vol, but it’s close: With 2 picks Saturday in a 42-9 win over New Mexico State, Aguilar has now thrown 10 INTs this year in 320 attempts, a rate of 3.1%; that’s only slightly off last year’s pace of 3.6% at App. State. Half of those picks have come in Tennessee’s 3 losses against Georgia, Alabama and Oklahoma, including the season-defining, coast-to-coast pick-6 at Bama that’s going to haunt the offseason in Knoxville if Tennessee goes on to finish 9-3. Still, given the dramatic uptick in big plays this season compared to last year’s defensively-driven, 10-2 CFP run, here’s guessing Vols fans will still take him over Nico Iamaleava in a heartbeat.

Last week: 6⬌

7. Taylen Green, Arkansas

Arkansas’ 23-22 loss at LSU was familiar in many ways, marking the Razorbacks’ 7th loss by single digits and the 4th in which they led in the 4th quarter. For once, though, Green can’t lay a close loss at the feet of the defense. The offense botched opportunity after opportunity in Baton Rouge, committing 2 turnovers inside the LSU 25-yard line and failing to punch it in the end zone on a crucial goal-line sequence in the the 3rd quarter. Between those 3 possessions and what turned out to be their last one, which ended on a missed go-ahead field goal attempt in the 4th, the Hogs racked up 242 yards on drives that yielded no points.

Last week: 7⬌

8. John Mateer, Oklahoma

Mateer was mostly along for the ride in the Sooners’ 23-21 upset at Alabama, finishing with a season-low 161 scrimmage yards and declining to even attempt a pass of 20+ air yards, per PFF. Oklahoma’s 4 scoring drives in Tuscaloosa covered 23 yards (for a field goal set up by a big punt return); 31 yards (a short-field touchdown following a muffed punt); 41 yards (another field goal, this one from 52 yards to open the 3rd quarter); and 22 yards (yet another field goal, set up by a strip sack by the defense). Altogether, OU’s 212 total yards for the game represented its fewest in a win since a 2001 victory over Texas, which not coincidentally also featured a memorable defensive touchdown.

Still, Mateer made key plays with both his arm and legs to advance the effort, didn’t do anything to hurt it. The upshot is that the Sooners remain improbably but squarely on the Playoff track at 8-2. They will be favored in their last 2 games against Missouri and LSU, both of which will likely be starting backup quarterbacks. (See below.) Looking ahead to the postseason, the outlook for winning a hypothetical road Playoff game with an attack that currently ranks next-to-last in the SEC in total offense vs. Power 4 opponents is not very encouraging. But given how distant the possibility of crashing the field seemed just a couple weeks ago, Sooners fans will be more than happy to cross that bridge when they come to it.

Last week: 9

9. Arch Manning, Texas

Texas still has a chance to salvage a modicum of self-respect and/or momentum heading into the offseason against Arkansas and (especially) Texas A&M in Austin. But the story of Manning’s underwhelming debut as QB1 can be largely told by his struggles on the road. Saturday’s loss at Georgia dropped the Longhorns to 2-3 in true road games on the year, with both wins coming in overtime escapes against a couple of basement dwellers, Kentucky and Mississippi State. It didn’t help, either, that Manning spent so much of his time in those games stuck in comeback mode. Of the 11 regulation touchdowns Texas scored on the road, 8 came with the ‘Horns already trailing by double digits, including all 5 TDs in their 3 losses.

Last week: 8

10. LaNorris Sellers, South Carolina

Sellers reliably makes a play or two per game that remind you what he’s capable of when it all comes together. Against Texas A&M, it was a flawless, 51-yard dime to Vandrevius Jacobs for the opening strike in what would quickly escalate into a major upset in progress.

Otherwise, as usual, it was just kinda meh. The Gamecocks’ other big play of the first half, an 80-yard touchdown pass to Nyck Harbor, was a routine throw just past the sticks that Harbor turned into a viral highlight via YAC. After halftime, the offense did nothing whatsoever to alter the momentum of A&M’s furious 2nd-half comeback, and Carolina’s final possession with a chance to salvage a game-winning field-goal attempt ended with Sellers taking back-to-back sacks on 2nd and 3rd down and scrambling futilely out of bounds 10 yards short of the line to gain on 4th — the story of his sophomore campaign, in 3 plays.

Last week: 10⬌

11. Cutter Boley, Kentucky

Boley’s first start, a 35-13 loss to South Carolina in Week 4, was a disaster. Since, he’s been cromulent almost every time out, turning a QBR rating of 78.0 or better in 5 of the past 6 games. (The exception: A 10-3 win at Auburn in Week 10.) A 3-game November winning streak has 5-5 Kentucky a win away from bowl eligibility with Vanderbilt and Louisville on deck. That might or might not be enough to save Mark Stoops‘ job, but considering the state of affairs a month ago, the fact that it’s still in doubt at this late hour should be all the endorsement Boley needs to remain QB1 for the foreseeable future.

Last week: 12

12. Garrett Nussmeier or Michael Van Buren Jr., LSU

Van Buren went the distance Saturday in his first start as a Tiger, a come-from-behind, 23-22 win over Arkansas that was forgotten the second the clock hit triple zeroes. He’s in line to start again this weekend in an even more ephemeral date against Western Kentucky, pending Nussmeier’s status after he aggravated an abdominal injury that had reportedly bothered him all season prior to his benching in the Tigers’ Week 11 loss at Alabama. More important at this point, Van Buren followed up the win by expressing his love for Baton Rouge and pledging to stay to compete for the full-time job under the next head coach.

Last week: 11

13. Blake Shapen, Mississippi State

Defying calls to bench his 6th-year starter in favor of dynamic freshman Kamario Taylor, Jeff Lebby preserved the the status quo for a must-win game at Missouri to reach bowl eligibility. He was rewarded with one of Shapen’s worst outings as a Bulldog in a deflating, 49-27 loss. Looking exhausted and possibly hurt, Shapen came in at or near season lows for completion percentage (57.6), yards per attempt (6.0), passer rating (96.1) and QBR (36.3) while serving up 2 pick-6 INTs in the 2nd half that turned a competitive game into a laugher.

Afterwards, Lebby attributed the decision to stick with the vet to Shapen’s “decision-making and having the ability to not waste a play” in a tough road environment. Fair enough. With 2 weeks to prepare for the Egg Bowl and little hope of earning that elusive 6th win either way, the question at this point is pretty much academic.

Last week: 13⬌

14. DJ Lagway, Florida

Like most Florida fans, Lagway sounded well past ready to be done with the 2025 season following a 34-24 loss at Ole Miss, describing the past 3 months as “emotionally draining” in what a local reporter described as “a monotone voice, (while) staring at the bricks on the back of the wall.” After an encouraging opening half in Oxford, the Gators did nothing in the 2nd, when their only trip into Rebels territory ended on a tip-drill interception.

At 3-7, bowl eligibility is off the table, leaving only desultory rivalry dates against Tennessee and Florida State to endure before the big decision about Lagway’s future becomes the first order of business for the new head coach. Maybe that decision has already been made, on one end or the other. If not, a strong finish against the Vols and Noles – however unlikely – could still give both sides something to consider.

Last week: 15

15. Matt Zollers, Missouri

Mizzou fans are still holding out hope that they have not seen the last of Beau Pribula this season. But despite “early optimism” that Pribula has made enough progress rehabbing the ankle injury that’s sidelined him the past few game to potentially start this weekend against Oklahoma, Eli Drinkwitz tapped the brakes, telling reporters he expects Zollers to get the nod for the 3rd Saturday in a row. Either way, after leaning heavily on a resurgent ground game in Week 12 against the SEC’s worst rushing defense, Mississippi State, the Tigers will need more from whomever is behind center against the Sooners to make up the difference opposite the SEC’s best rushing defense in Norman.

Last week: 16

16. Deuce Knight, Auburn

What a journey it’s been at this position. Jackson Arnold‘s doomed tenure as QB1 officially ended with the end of Hugh Freeze‘s doomed tenure as head coach. The next man up, Stanford transfer Ashton Daniels, looked like a keeper his last time out, when he led the Tigers to a season-high 38 points in a shootout loss at Vanderbilt in Week 11. Under NCAA rules, however, keeping him means sitting him: The trip to Nashville was Daniels’ 3rd appearance of the season, leaving only 1 more before he burns his redshirt and, with it, his final year of eligibility. (He did not redshirt in any of his 3 seasons at Stanford, where he started 20 games.) Wisely, coaches have opted not to waste that appearance on a glorified scrimmage against an FCS patsy. Instead, Daniels will skip this weekend’s game against Mercer and return to the lineup for the Iron Bowl, thereby preserving another year on campus (and the paycheck that comes with it) in 2026.

That leaves Knight, 5-star gem of the Tigers’ 2025 recruiting class, who’s due for the first meaningful action of his career against the Bears. His debut will also serve as an audition – if not for the chance to start against Alabama, then to get a leg up on the competition for QB1 next year under a new head coach. Whether that competition will involve Daniels or an incoming transfer, or both, will be up to the next administration. For now, all he can do is look the part against the No. 6 team in the latest FCS rankings.

Last week: n/a

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Should he stay or should he go? If he stays, there will be trouble in Baton Rouge and Gainesville. Both programs have been heavily linked to Kiffin since firing their respective coaches. Whiffing on the man who has turned into the biggest fish in this year’s coaching market would be tough to swallow for either school.

But someone is going to be left disappointed when it’s all said and done. Kiffin can only coach at 1 school. During an appearance on ESPN’s Get Up Wednesday morning, Paul Finebaum was asked what he believes the ideal landing spot is for Kiffin.

“I think it’s Florida. He’s always been a Florida fan. He grew up idolizing Steve Spurrier. I think it comes down to Florida or LSU,” Finebaum said. “It seems like he has already left Ole Miss. You just don’t leave them hanging like he has if you’re going to stay there. … I think he’s trying to decide between LSU and Florida, and Florida seems like a slightly better choice.”

Earlier this week, it was reported that Ole Miss had given Kiffin a deadline to decide on his future with the school. Kiffin went on The Pat McAfee Show on Thursday to deny any such ultimatum had been given.

Kiffin’s family members reportedly took trips to Gainesville and Baton Rouge on Sunday and Monday.

As Ole Miss readies for its regular-season finale in Starkville, it seems as though the Kiffin sweepstakes are coming to a head. With Ole Miss on a bye week, Kiffin has some extra time he wouldn’t otherwise have. Maybe that means nothing, but LSU and Florida are both likely seeking an answer sooner rather than later.

The Early Signing Period is approaching. Either program will want its coaching search wrapped up with enough time for the new leader to salvage a recruiting class and prepare for the opening of the transfer portal.

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