Rivalry week gave us plenty to talk about, including a coaching bombshell that could reshape the SEC for years.
The College Football Playoff hopefuls mostly held serve, with Texas A&M the lone exception.
Lane Kiffin finally made his decision about where he’ll be coaching next season. After a long, drawn-out saga that had around-the-clock coverage of the weekend, Kiffin announced that he’s leaving Ole Miss for SEC rival LSU.
Now, all eyes shift to conference championship weekend and the unveiling of the 12-team CFP field on Sunday.
Here are 10 takeaways from the final week of the regular season.
1. Lane Kiffin takes LSU head coaching job
After weeks of drama, Kiffin officially decided to leave CFP-bound Ole Miss for LSU. The final decision came Sunday, following a long Saturday in which Kiffin reportedly met with Ole Miss athletic director Keith Carter and chancellor Glenn Boyce at the chancellor’s home. With no decision made late Saturday, new reports emerged that Kiffin would address his players during a team meeting on Sunday morning, which then got pushed a couple of hours.
In the end, Kiffin never attended that meeting, and players were informed that he was leaving and that defensive coordinator Pete Golding would lead them in the CFP and become the program’s next head coach.
Kiffin told ESPN that he wanted to stay at Ole Miss through the CFP before moving on, but Carter wouldn’t allow it. Kiffin said he understood and respected that decision but wished the circumstances were different. LSU is reportedly paying Kiffin around $13 million annually over seven seasons, making him one of college football’s top-paid coaches.
2. Lane Kiffin consults with Pete Carroll, Nick Saban
Kiffin coached at Ole Miss for six seasons and led the program to unprecedented success this year. The Rebels (11-1) are likely CFP-bound for the first time in school history and have a real chance to win the national championship.
Kiffin said that he wished his late father, legendary NFL defensive coordinator Monte Kiffin, was alive to talk to him about this opportunity. He was able to speak with coaching mentors Carroll (who he coached for at USC) and Saban (who he coached for at Alabama) before agreeing to anything, though.
Kiffin shared the advice Carroll gave him with ESPN: “Your dad would tell you to go, man. Take the shot.”
Lane Kiffin spoke with former Alabama coach Nick Saban before accepting the head coaching job at LSU. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)
3. What happens next at Ole Miss?
Kiffin has already left for Baton Rouge and reportedly took most of his offensive staff with him. Meanwhile, Ole Miss beat rival Mississippi State in the Egg Bowl on Friday night, 38-19, and is awaiting its CFP fate.
Carter made the quick decision to name Golding the program’s new head coach, likely with the hope of retaining as much of this current team and recruiting class as possible. Golding, who was Saban’s defensive coordinator at Alabama from 2018-22 and won a national title there before joining Kiffin at Ole Miss, has never been a head coach.
We’ll soon see the impact of Kiffin’s departure. Some Rebels could hit the transfer portal and join their now former coach at LSU, go elsewhere or stay and see things out in Oxford.
4. Coaching carousel spinning
While Kiffin’s situation was certainly the most dramatic and dominated 99% of headlines, he’s not the only coach on the move before the postseason.
Florida, which fired Billy Napier on Oct. 19, hired Tulane’s Jon Sumrall. Kiffin was an early target for the Gators, but the program landed on Sumrall, who went 19-7 in two seasons coaching the Green Wave. Unlike Kiffin, Sumrall will have the opportunity to coach Tulane through the postseason. The Green Wave will host North Texas in the American Conference Championship Game on Friday, with the winner potentially receiving a spot in the CFP.
Other notable recent hires this weekend include:
- Arkansas hires Ryan Silverfield from Memphis
- Auburn hires Alex Golesh from South Florida
- Oklahoma State hires Eric Morris from North Texas
- Virginia Tech hires James Franklin (formerly of Penn State)
5. Ohio State ends shedding streak vs. Michigan
The No. 1-ranked Buckeyes lastly snapped their four-year shedding streak to rival Michigan with a dominant 27-9 win at “The Massive Home” on Saturday.
Regardless of main Ohio State to a nationwide championship final season, head coach Ryan Day has been closely criticized for his lack of ability to string collectively wins towards Michigan. The Buckeyes gained this sport in 2019 — Day’s first season as head coach — however not since.
This 12 months’s win, although a very long time within the making, was satisfying. The Buckeyes made Michigan quarterback Bryce Underwood, a real freshman, uncomfortable, and so they ran the ball successfully towards the Wolverines’ perennially bodily protection. Ohio State operating again Bo Jackson had 117 yards, and Heisman-hopeful quarterback Julian Sayin hit star receivers Jeremiah Smith and Carnell Tate for explosive performs for touchdowns.
Ohio State will now face Indiana within the Massive Ten Championship sport this weekend.
6. Heisman Trophy favorites to duel in Massive Ten championship
OSU’s Sayin and Indiana’s Fernando Mendoza will face off Saturday when the Buckeyes and Hoosiers play for the Massive Ten title. There’s rather a lot at stake for these prime two unbeaten groups, together with the convention championship trophy and CFP seeding. Plus, whichever quarterback performs finest and leads their staff to a win might additionally clinch the Heisman.
It’s a toss up proper now since each signal-callers are having stellar seasons. Sayin is finishing 78.9% of his passes and has thrown for 3,065 yards with 30 touchdowns and simply 5 interceptions. Final weekend, he carved up Michigan’s protection with huge performs within the passing sport. Mendoza, in the meantime, has accomplished 72% of his passes this season and has thorwn for two,758 yards with 32 touchdowns and 5 interceptions. Maybe his most notable second of the season was his game-winning landing move to Omar Cooper Jr. to push Indiana previous Penn State final month.
Massive Ten Championship Preview: Ohio State’s Greatest Take a look at 🔥 Is Indiana Underappreciated?
7. Texas retains Texas A&M out of SEC title sport
Within the greatest upset of the weekend, Texas defeated rival Texas A&M by double digits, 27-17. It was the Aggies’ first lack of the season and eradicated them from enjoying within the SEC Championship Recreation. As a substitute, Georgia and Alabama will meet Saturday in a rematch from earlier within the season wherein the Crimson Tide narrowly gained, 24-21.
Whereas the Aggies will nonetheless make the CFP, a first-round bye is up within the air.
This now brings up the query of Texas and the CFP. The Longhorns misplaced three video games to Ohio State, Florida and Georgia, respectively, however performed 5 top-10 groups this season and gained three of these video games. Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian said his case after the sport as to why the Longhorns deserve a spot within the 12-team subject. He defined that, had this system not performed Ohio State to open the season and scheduled a neater non-conference opponent as an alternative, Texas could be within the CFP. The Buckeyes gained that sport, 14-7.
“[What] message … can we wish to ship to the top coaches and the athletic administrators across the nation?” Sarkisian mentioned postgame. “Would you like us to not schedule Ohio State? As a result of if we’re a 10-2 staff proper now, this isn’t a dialogue — we’re within the [CFP]. However we have been keen to go up there and play that sport.”
We’ll see how the choice committee feels about this later within the week.
Steve Sarkisian says Texas ought to UNEQUIVOCALLY be within the CFP | The Herd
8. What number of SEC groups will make the CFP?
It’s anybody’s guess.
Proper now, it might be 5 with Alabama, Georgia, Ole Miss, Oklahoma and Texas A&M, however what’s going to the committee do with two-loss Vanderbilt and three-loss Texas? Moreover, Alabama is not assured a spot if it falls to Georgia in Saturday’s SEC title sport.
Relying on what occurs elsewhere — for instance, if the Massive 12 will get two groups in (Texas Tech and BYU) — a three-loss Alabama might be on the surface trying in for a second consecutive 12 months.
9. The ACC’s five-loss convention champion?
Duke (7-5) will play Virginia (10-2) for the ACC title and probably a spot within the CFP due to some convention tiebreakers. It sounds wild {that a} five-loss staff has this chance, however issues simply labored out for the Blue Devils.
Duke entered Week 14 needing a couple of issues to occur, and every thing went its method. It needed to beat Wake Forest, Pitt wanted to lose to Miami (Fla.) and SMU needed to lose to Cal — and all these issues occurred.
Now, due to the truth that Duke’s convention opponent profitable proportion is increased than that of Miami, SMU, Pitt and Georgia Tech, Manny Diaz’s staff will play within the ACC Championship Recreation for the primary time since 2013.
Duke head coach Manny Diaz has led the Blue Devils to a spot within the ACC Championship Recreation. (Photograph by Nicholas Faulkner/Icon Sportswire through Getty Photos)
10. The Notre Dame-Miami conundrum
Miami is arguably the perfect staff within the ACC, however due to losses to Louisville and SMU (two video games the Hurricanes ought to have gained), will probably be compelled to look at Duke and Virginia play for the ACC title.
Earlier than these two sloppy video games, Miami opened the season with a 27-24 win over Notre Dame. Nonetheless, when the primary CFP rankings got here out, the Preventing Irish have been forward of the Hurricanes (Miami’s loss to SMU occurred days earlier than the primary rankings got here out). Notre Dame misplaced its first two video games of the season — at Miami and vs. Texas A&M — however hasn’t misplaced since. Miami had some midseason hiccups however has ended the season on a four-game profitable streak, which included a lopsided 38-7 win over then-No. 22 Pitt.
At the moment, Notre Dame is three spots forward of Miami within the CFP rankings, so what’s going to the committee do with these two groups? That may be the most important query heading into the ultimate rankings this weekend.
Laken Litman covers faculty soccer, faculty basketball and soccer for FOX Sports activities. She is the writer of “Sturdy Like a Girl,” printed in spring 2022 to mark the fiftieth anniversary of Title IX. Observe her at @LakenLitman.
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