JOSH HEUPEL

Tennessee fans are nervous about Josh Heupel’s potential candidacy for the Oklahoma job. But it's not the same as Lane Kiffin's exit in 2010.

Stetson Bennett ran for a touchdown and threw for another as top-ranked Georgia remained perfect, wrapping up its Southeastern Conference schedule by routing Tennessee 41-17.

Top-ranked Georgia and No. 3 Alabama appear headed for a showdown in the Southeastern Conference championship game.

Bryce Young passed for 371 yards and two touchdowns and ran for two more scores, carrying No. 4 Alabama to a 52-24 victory over traditional rival Tennessee.

No. 13 Mississippi held off Tennessee 31-26 on Saturday night after Rebels coach Lane Kiffin avoided being by hit by golf balls as Volunteers fans pelted the field with objects in the chaotic final minutes.

11 Florida to a 38-14 victory over Tennessee on Saturday night and extending nearly two decades of dominance in the series. Jones ran for 43 yards on Florida’s next drive and capped it with a 9-yard TD pass to Rick Wells. Jones completed 21 of 27 passes for 209 yards on the night and ran 15 times, with a long of 49 yards. He became Florida's first QB to top 200 yards passing and 100 yards rushing since Tim Tebow in 2009 against Florida State. Tennessee came into the game allowing just 54.3 yards rushing a game.

Emory Jones had two touchdown passes to go along with a career-high 144 yards rushing, leading No. 11 Florida to a 38-14 victory over Tennessee on Saturday night and extending nearly two decades of dominance in the series.

Southeastern Conference officials are trying to get back to normal on football game days, with stadiums filled with fans and grills being fired up outside, even in a portion of the country where the states have among the lowest COVID-19 vaccination rates.

The rich got even richer in the Southeastern Conference when the transfer floodgates opened wide.

New York Rangers coach David Quinn, middle rear, speaks to players during a timeout in the second period of the team's NHL hockey game against the Boston Bruins, Thursday, March 11, 2021, in Boston. The Latest on the effects of the coronavirus outbreak on sports around the world:___The New York Rangers will be without coach David Quinn and his entire staff tonight against Philadelphia because of NHL COVID protocol. Kris Knoblauch, who coaches the Rangers’ top minor league affiliate, the American Hockey League’s Hartford WolfPack, will serve as acting coach. Kruger said Harmon is the only Oklahoma player to test positive or be in contact tracing. The Volunteers have had multiple positive COVID-19 test results among athletes and staff members in recent rounds of testing.

Nebraska’s search for an identity in a changing college football landscape. On the latest AP Top 25 College Football Podcast, Steven Godfrey of Banner Society joins the AP’s Ralph Russo to take on the task of finding each conference’s most egregious underachiever. And how USC being unable to maximize its potential hurts all of college football. Plus, new Vanderbilt coach Clark Lea joins the show and shares his vision for transforming the Commodores. ___Follow Ralph D. Russo at https://twitter.com/ralphDrussoAP and listen at https://westwoodonepodcasts.com/pods/ap-top-25-college-football-podcast/Ad___More AP college football: https://apnews.com/Collegefootball and https://twitter.com/AP_Top25

FILE - Auburn head coach Gus Malzahn reacts to a call during the second half of an NCAA college football game against LSU in Auburn, Ala., in this Saturday, Oct. 31, 2020, file photo. (AP Photo/Butch Dill, File)ORLANDO, Fla. – The University of Central Florida has struck a deal to make former Auburn football coach Gus Malzahn the Knights’ next head coach. He will replace Josh Heupel, who recently left to become the Tennessee Volunteers’ head coach, and he will be UCF’s ninth head football coach. Malzahn has been linked to the UCF job ever since the school hired athletics director Terry Mohajir, who worked with Malzahn at Arkansas State. Not only do I believe that he’s the best college football coach in state of Florida now, I believe he’ll put together one of the best staffs in America.

FILE - Auburn head coach Gus Malzahn argues a call during the first half of an NCAA college football game against Alabama in Auburn, Ala., in this Saturday, Nov. 30, 2019, file photo. Central Florida hired Gus Malzahn as its football coach Monday, Feb. 15, 2021, a little more than two months after he was fired by Auburn. “I truly believe that this is a program of the future in college football,” Malzahn said. Arkansas State won a conference title that season before Malzahn returned to Auburn as head coach. Ad“This is one of the top 25 coaching jobs in all of college football,” Malzahn said.

Mohajir was most recently Arkansas State University’s vice chancellor for intercollegiate athletics. While at Arkansas State, the school’s football team won four Sun Belt Conferences and made more than $90 million in facility improvements during his tenure. AdGraduating Arkansas State Red Wolves earned a job or admission to graduate school under a promise from Mohajir, according to UCF. Previously Mohajir was senior associate athletic director for external relations at Kansas and senior associate director of athletics for external relations at Florida Atlantic University. UCF will host a news conference Wednesday at 12:15 p.m. to welcome the new athletic director to campus.

After weeks of a vacancy in UCF’s director of athletics position, Arkansas State’s Terry Mohajir is likely to fill the role, per numerous reports. In January, former athletics director Danny White left as he abruptly left to become the new leader of Tennessee Athletics in January and named former UCF head coach Josh Heupel the new Vols head coach days later. AdvertisementSources: The UCF search is focused on Arkansas State AD Terry Mohajir. — Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) February 8, 2021Mohajir was named Arkansas State’s athletics director in 2012 in the school states he has brought its program to new heights. Bruce Feldman of FOX Sports now joining Pete Thamel of Yahoo and @AStateNation in reporting that #AState AD Terry Mohajir will be hired by UCF.

Despite not currently having a head coach or athletics director, UCF landed its No. Titus Mokiao-Atimalala, a 6-foot-1, 170-pound wide receiver from Hawaii announced his commitment to UCF on Instagram live on Jan. 30. “Coach (Heupel) called us and asked if I wanted to come over to Tennessee. UCF it is.”https://t.co/qZTGxmxfbu — Brandon Helwig (@UCFSports) January 31, 2021Mokiao-Atimalala ultimately turned that offer down, because he had committed to UCF — not Heupel. With his commitment, Mokiao-Atimalala became just the 14th 4-star in UCF football history.

After being hired last week and tasked with finding a new head coach, Tennessee Director of Athletics Danny White announced UCF’s Josh Heupel will be joining him in Tennessee to fill the role. UCF defensive coordinator Randy Shannon is reported to be the interim head coach in the meantime. “Coach Heupel has compiled an impressive record, and I think Vols fans can look forward to a bright and exciting future,” Plowman said. He was previously an assistant coach and a head coach who captured conference championships at both Oklahoma and UCF — as of Wednesday, he has been named Tennessee’s 27th head football coach. “I am thrilled to be coming to Tennessee,” Heupel said.

New Tennessee NCAA college football head coach Josh Heupel, left, shakes hands with University of Tennessee athletics director Danny White after being presented a jersey speaks during an introductory press conference at Neyland Stadium in Knoxville, Tenn., Wednesday, Jan. 27, 2021. If anything, I was trying not to hire the coach from UCF.”White hired Heupel on Wednesday as Tennessee's 27th head coach and fifth coach, not counting interim or acting coaches, since the end of the 2008 season. Heupel said he wasn't deterred by the NCAA investigation that started with the firing of Tennessee's last coach, Jeremy Pruitt. “I believe in a very, very bright future for Tennessee football,” Heupel said. White was hired on Jan. 21 and his first job was to find a new coach.

Central Florida head coach Josh Heupel, right, has words with head linesman Jim Casey, left, during the first half of an NCAA college football game against Cincinnati, Saturday, Nov. 21, 2020, in Orlando, Fla. (AP Photo/John Raoux)ORLANDO, Fla. – Josh Heupel is leaving UCF to become the next Tennessee head football coach. He will become Tennessee’s fifth head coach, not counting interim or acting coaches, since the end of the 2008 season. Scott Carr, deputy AD for brand activation, is now serving as interim director of athletics, and defensive coordinator Randy Shannon will serve as interim head coach. He also served as interim head coach at Florida in 2017. “We would like to thank Coach Heupel for his contributions to UCF, and we wish Josh, Dawn, Hannah and Jace the best in their new endeavor,” UCF said.

(AP Photo/George Frey, Pool)Preparing for the Boca Raton Bowl proved a bit of a slippery slope for the Central Florida Knights. All part of Heupel’s plan to bring a dose of fun to the bowl game with some of the customary pageantry halted because of the COVID-19 pandemic. “A really good football team,” Heupel said. “Kind of reminds me of why you don’t play football in Provo in December,” Sitake joked. They're 0-3 in Florida bowl games, including losses in the 1976 Tangerine Bowl, 1985 Florida Citrus Bowl and 2014 Miami Beach Bowl.

All rights reserved)BOCA RATON, Fla. – The University of Central Florida has accepted a bid to play in the RoofClaim.com Boca Raton Bowl. [TRENDING: ‘Christmas Star’ forming soon | This holiday drone light show is way COOL]The game will be at 7 p.m. on Dec. 22 at FAU Stadium in Boca Raton. @UCF_Football will play in the Boca Raton Bowl on December 22nd. “Our players and staff are excited to be in this bowl game. @UCF_Football will "likely face" an ACC opponent in the Boca Raton Bowl on Dec. 22nd https://t.co/qtu7QkVrxz — Nathaniel Rivas (@nathanielrivas9) December 7, 2020Florida Atlantic defeated SMU 52-28 in the 2019 Boca Raton game.

ORLANDO, Fla. – UCF quarterback McKenzie Milton is transferring to another school, the star player announced in a video released Thursday. “I will be entering the transfer portal and playing my last year of college football elsewhere,” Milton said in an Instagram post. “I may be suiting up in different colors, but I’ll always bleed Black and Gold.”It’s not known where Milton will play next. In the video, Milton said leaving UCF is “one the hardest things for me to do.”“I’m trying to think of it more logically than emotionally,” he said. Milton thanked UCF Nation in his farewell video.

UCF quarterback McKenzie Milton announced he is entering the transfer portal and said the torch has been passed to sophomore quarterback Dillon Gabriel. Advertisement“With that being said, I will be entering the transfer portal and playing my last year of college football somewhere else,” Milton said. “I may be suiting up in different colors, but I will always bleed black and gold.”Photo courtesy of McKenzie Milton’s Instagram. “It’s DG’s team now,” Milton said in a video posted to UCF Football’s Twitter on Thursday. #BREAKING: McKenzie Milton is transferring.

The annual War on I-4 rivalry game renews it’s tradition on Black Friday, as the UCF Knights travel to Tampa, Florida, to take on the USF Bulls at Raymond James Stadium at 3:30 p.m. It has been 15 years since the start of the South Florida, UCF rivalry as the two teams met for the first time on Sept. 15, 2005. The last time South Florida was in the Top 25 was the week before they lost to UCF in the aforementioned 2017 War on I-4 contest. Despite this, South Florida has fared well against the pass and only allows 7.4 yards through the air per passing attempt. Riche Grant and company should have a field day against a struggling South Florida team who lacks consistency on offense.

UCF will take on the Temple Owls Saturday at 7:30 p.m. at the Bounce House, and after coming off a bye week, here’s a breakdown of what UCF fans should look out for. If Nixon is able to return against Temple, expect the Owls to have trouble matching up against UCF’s foursome of speedy receivers. Temple QB Anthony Russo is not here in Orlando. — OwlsDaily (@TempleOwlsDaily) November 14, 2020The Knights will face the Temple Owls at 7:30 p.m. at the Bounce House, and the game will air on ESPNU. Update: This story has been updated to reflect new information about Temple QB Anthony Russo.

ORLANDO, Fla. – University of Central Florida head football coach Josh Heupel announced Wednesday four players have been dismissed from the team. “As of today, there are some young men who are no longer part of our football program. Three other UCF players were in the car at the time, according to the incident report. The university has not identified the players dismissed from the team. Coach Heupel did not say why the players were dismissed from the team.

Three other UCF players were in the car, according to the incident report. “I want to make it abundantly clear that the behavior of some of our football players last Thursday was completely inappropriate. That’s not us, that’s not UCF, that’s not UCF Football, and we have to be better than that,” UCF coach Josh Heupel said in a statement. Records show Collier told the investigator he had a gun underneath his seat, which he was told to leave in that location. As of Thursday, Collier is in the middle of an interim suspension process from UCF, according to the report.

Gabriel threw for 408 yards and four touchdowns to help UCF beat East Carolina 51-28 on Saturday, winning its American Athletic Conference opener for the fifth straight season in a game marked by the Knights' offensive brilliance and its early trouble with pre-snap penalties. “You never play a perfect game but we came out (and) we put 51 points up,” Gabriel said. UCF (2-0, 1-0) rolled to 632 total yards after amassing 660 in its opener, getting huge performances from receivers Jaylon Robinson and Marlon Williams. But there were also 19 penalties for 139 yards, 10 coming in the opening quarter with seven of those false-start flags. Going back to last week's Georgia Tech win, UCF has committed 14 false-start penalties this season.

The UCF Knights opened their season Saturday with a 49-21 win over the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets in Atlanta, and UCF head coach Josh Heupel said he’s proud of the team for staying the course and growing together. “They didn’t know until 9:30 this morning for sure if we were going to play,” Heupel said after the game. — UCF Knight News (@UCFKnightNews) September 19, 2020A 9-yard pass from Georgia Tech freshman quarterback Jeff Sims to freshman running back Jahmyr Gibbs would shrink the deficit just before halftime. “I’m really proud of them for staying the course together and growing together over the last six months,” Heupel said. Georgia Tech did not make the field goal attempt — the Knights are tied with the Yellow Jackets 7-7 with 14:46 left in the 2Q.

All rights reserved)UCF is going to start the 2020 season against Georgia Tech at 3:30 p.m. on Saturday. Head Coach Josh Heupel is going into his third season with the Knights, he is 22-4 with the team. Georgia Tech is not ranked at the moment, but the Yellow Jackets did get a win against Florida State this past Saturday. The Yellow Jackets outscored FSU 16-3 in the second half. Joe Tessitore, Greg McElroy, Marty SmithWhat is the total for the game?

ORLANDO, Fla. Ten UCF football players have opted not to play during the 2020 season over concerns about COVID-19, head coach Josh Heupel said. Its the most unique thing that most of us have ever encountered in our lifetime, he said. Each of these kids that chose to opt out have different reasons behind their decision. THREAD: Full comment from #UCF Head Coach Josh Heupel on the 10 players opting out of the upcoming football season @news6wkmg pic.twitter.com/iW4Qab7wG4 Nathaniel Rivas (@nathanielrivas9) September 1, 2020#UCF Head Coach saying 10 players opting out of the upcoming 2020 football season. Tay Gowan and Darriel Mack, Jr., among the players not playing Nathaniel Rivas (@nathanielrivas9) September 1, 2020

It has nothing to do with the fact that elections are taking place, but that's also something you should know, so let's start there. Find out what races, if any, are taking place in your county and where to cast your vote. If you've driven past a Popeyes restaurant, you definitely know what "it" is. Look, I also started a "diet" today, but today is National Candy Day, there's still Halloween candy sitting in my house and, well, I'm only human. With that being said, I won't judge you if decide to "start tomorrow," cheat and enjoy a sweet or two today.

ORLANDO, Fla. - UCF head coach Josh Heupel said Monday that he loves his job, but he didn't definitively say he wouldn't be interested in the Florida State position, a day after FSU fired Willie Taggart. Taggart, 43, was fired less than two years on the job with the Seminoles, prompting speculation about who will become the next head coach in Tallahassee. Bet Online listed the odds for Heupel to become the next FSU head coach at 7 to 1, just below former Florida and Ohio State head coach Urban Meyer. This is maybe the most unique job in college football," Heupel said. Coach Heupel restates UCF is "unique job" and his family and he enjoy being here in Orlando #ucf #ucfknights Nathaniel Rivas (@nathanielrivas9) November 4, 2019UCF lost head coach Scott Frost to his alma mater, Nebraska, after he spent two seasons at UCF, including a 13-0 record in 2017.

Ron DeSantis announced his support for legislation that would allow Florida college athletes to cash in on their names and images. DeSantis told reporters he supports the direction of bills filed for the 2020 legislative session that propose what he said is needed reform for college athletes. Gavin Newsom last month signed into law a measure that, starting in 2023, would allow California college athletes to hire agents and sign endorsement deals. If passed, any of the proposed bills would impact the state's more than 11,000 college athletes, including those under UCF football coach Josh Heupel and basketball coach Johnny Dawkins. "I want to be wealthy and I think my videos can take me there," De La Haye told News 6 in 2017.

Associated PressORLANDO, Fla. - Former Notre Dame star Brandon Wimbush threw for 168 yards and two touchdowns in his UCF debut, helping the 17th-ranked Knights open the season with a 62-0 rout of Florida A&M on Thursday night. Wimbush, who tossed TD passes of 37 and 12 yards to Gabriel Davis, was 13-2 as a starter over the past two years at Notre Dame. Gabriel arrived at UCF from the same high school where Milton played in Hawaii. 25 Stanford visiting Orlando in two weeks and UCF traveling to Pittsburgh on Sept. 21. UP NEXTFlorida A&M: The Rattlers have two weeks to prepare for their Sept. 14 home opener against Fort Valley State.

The win streak was a UCF record and marked the 22nd longest in FBS history. UCF is led by second-year head coach Josh Heupel, who led the Knights to a 12-1 record in his first season in Orlando. [RELATED: UCF sell out its football season]What station is the game on? CBS Sports onlineWhich team is favored to win the game? Florida A&M leads the overall series 1-0, beating the Knights 19-14 in 1987 in Tallahassee.

ORLANDO, Fla. - The University of Central Florida Knights have tapped Brandon Wimbush to be the team's starting quarterback coming into the 2019-20 season. UCF Football announced on Twitter that Wimbush will be the starting quarterback and Dillion Gabriel will also have an opportunity to play in the first game of the season. "We've been pleased that all three quarterbacks have played at a high level during fall camp," UCF Knights head coach Josh Heupel said in a statement. Wimbush, 22, transferred from Notre Dame University for the 2019 season. Wimbush started 12 games for the Fighting Irish in 2017 and was later replaced by Ian Book, according to ESPN.comThe Knights open their 2019 football season Aug. 29 at home playing against Florida A&M.

(Photo by JulioORLANDO, Fla. - UCF quarterback Darriel Mack Jr., who replaced McKenzie Milton last year and was competing with Brandon Wimbush and others for the starting job this season, broke his ankle in a non-football related activity and is out indefinitely, the team announced Wednesday. He will not be available for training camp," UCF coach Josh Heupel said in a statement. "We hope Darriel has a speedy recovery, but we are excited about the talent we have in the quarterback room to start the season." Mack, a redshirt sophomore, was a backup to Milton last season and replaced him when Milton suffered a season-ending knee injury while playing rival USF. Battle Tested .... Darriel Mack Jr (@DJMactastic1) July 10, 2019Wimbush, a Notre Dame transfer, will compete with redshirt freshman Quadry Jones and true freshman Dillon Gabriel for the Knights' starting QB spot.