LANE KIFFIN

Sugar Bowl Football Baylor cornerback Al Walcott (13) runs 96 yards for a touchdown after intercepting a pass during the Sugar Bowl NCAA college football game against Mississippi Saturday, Jan. 1, 2022 in New Orleans. 8 Mississippi 21-7 Saturday night as injured Rebels quarterback Matt Corral watched from the sideline on crutches. Corral, a dual-threat star QB and projected high-round NFL draft choice, became one of the big stories of the Sugar Bowl because of his decision to play, rather than opt out and minimize injury risks in advance of turning pro. Ole Miss' defense kept the Rebels close after Corral's injury, shutting out the Baylor offense until less than 12 minutes remained. Ole Miss also will be looking to fill voids at receiver with Dontario Drummond, Jahcour Pearson and Sanders all finishing their careers.

Al Walcott set a Sugar Bowl record with a 96-yard interception return, Monaray Baldwin raced 48 yards for the go-ahead score on an end around, and sixth-ranked Baylor beat No. 8 Mississippi 21-7 as injured Rebels quarterback Matt Corral looked on from the sideline.

Mississippi quarterback Matt Corral wasn't about to miss a chance to make history in the Sugar Bowl. The potential first-round NFL draft choice has spent four years helping the Rebels (10-2) rise from the bottom of the Southeastern Conference standings to a No. 8 ranking and the cusp of the program's first 11-win season — if they can beat sixth-ranked Baylor (11-2) on Saturday night. Corral said the bond he has formed with Ole Miss teammates over several seasons outweighs the risk of an injury that could sink his draft stock — and his rookie pay day along with it.

I mean, we have free agency in college football. “Free agency has been created in college football — except you can’t lock people into a contract. BEARCATS BOUNTYCincinnati's run to the College Football Playoff isn't all that helped Luke Fickell sign what's shaping up to be the Bearcats' highest-ranked class. ___More AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/college-football and https://twitter.com/AP_Top25. Sign up for the AP’s college football newsletter: https://apnews.com/cfbtop25Copyright 2021 The Associated Press.

Texas A&M holds the lead in the race for the national recruiting title in college football.

Ole Miss football coach Lane Kiffin sees big problems coming to college football rosters if the transfer portal, free agency don't get adjusted soon.

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.

Winning rivalry games comes with bragging rights and other rewards, but Alabama coach Nick Saban knows what losing them brings. "And what comes after ‘but’ usually isn’t good.”Southeastern Conference teams have plenty at stake entering rivalry week, including No. Yes, it's time for the the Iron Bowl, the Egg Bowl and the assorted other rivalry games involving SEC teams. 8 Mississippi coach Lane Kiffin has a splash of reality for fans and media placing larger than life importance on rivalry games. His Rebels can't suddenly "practice more or try harder" just because it's Mississippi State week.

It's rivalry week across the Southeastern Conference, with plenty of stakes beyond bragging rights.

If you’re an AD waffling on a coaching change, the work of Lane Kiffin, Mike Leach and Sam Pittman is an argument for testing the coaching carousel.

15 Mississippi past Liberty and the former Rebels coach 27-14 on Saturday. Ole Miss was also hit with NCAA sanctions for recruiting and academic violations that happened under Freeze. Dannis Jackson had six receptions for a game-high 126 yards, including a 40-yard touchdown catch. John Rhys Plumlee added seven receptions for 110 yards for an Ole Miss receiver corp that has been banged up. The Flames played better in the second half, but it was too late to really challenge their SEC opponent.

Matt Corral threw for 324 yards and a touchdown to lead No. 15 Mississippi past Liberty and former Rebels coach Hugh Freeze 27-14.

Matt Corral threw for a touchdown and ran for another, directing No. 12 Mississippi to a 31-point outburst that spanned the second and third quarters to beat lame-duck coach Ed Orgeron and LSU 31-17.

Also receiving votes: Young. Also receiving votes: Tennessee, Mississippi. MOST SURPRISING PLAYERStetson Bennett, QB, Georgia. Also receiving votes: Hendon Hooker, QB, Tennessee; Max Johnson, QB, LSU; Tyler Badie, RB, Missouri, Chris Rodriguez Jr, RB Kentucky; and Bo Nix, QB, Auburn. Also receiving votes: George Pickens, WR, Georgia; Andre Anthony, DE, LSU; JT Daniels, QB, Georgia; Ventrell Miller, LB, Florida.

Georgia and Alabama could be heading for another showdown in the Southeastern Conference championship game.

Six schools from Conference USA want to join the American Athletic Conference and are expected to be accepted by the end of the week.

Neyland Stadium File photo of Neyland Stadium during the game between the University of Tennessee Volunteers and the University of Florida Gators on Sept. 15, 2021. Tennessee has been fined $250,000, among other penalties, by the Southeastern Conference, after fans pelted the field with trash during the Vols' Oct. 16, 2021, game against Ole Miss. Ole Miss had just stopped the Volunteers on downs with 54 seconds remaining to preserve a 31-26 victory. >> Related: Tennessee fans throw trash on field, hit former coach Lane Kiffin after Ole Miss winThe game was delayed for 20 minutes until order could be restored. The Tennessee band and cheerleaders had to be evacuated, and several Ole Miss cheerleaders were also hit, according to the Clarion-Ledger.

Trash: Tennessee fans hurled trash at Ole Miss coach Lane Kiffin and his players as they exited the field Saturday. Ole Miss had just stopped the Volunteers on downs with 54 seconds remaining to preserve a 31-26 victory. The Tennessee band and cheerleaders had to be evacuated, and several Ole Miss cheerleaders were also hit, according to the Clarion-Ledger. They probably wouldn’t waste moonshine on me.”When the game resumed, Ole Miss went three-and-out and had to punt. Tennessee got the ball back and had all three of its timeouts remaining with 27 seconds left at the Ole Miss 47 after Velus Jones Jr. returned the kick punt 40 yards, ESPN reported.

Mississippi Tennessee Football Tennessee defensive back Alontae Taylor (2) tries to tackle Mississippi wide receiver Dontario Drummond during the first half of an NCAA college football game Saturday, Oct. 16, 2021, in Knoxville, Tenn. (AP Photo/Wade Payne) (Wade Payne)KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — (AP) — No. 13 Mississippi held off Tennessee 31-26 on Saturday night after Rebels coach Lane Kiffin was hit by a golf ball as Volunteers fans pelted the field with objects in the chaotic final minutes. Ole Miss stopped Tennessee a yard shy of a first down on a fourth-and-24 pass with just over a minute left. After that play, and the review that confirmed the spot of the ball, Tennessee fans pelted the field with objects. Milton ran 13 yards on the final play and was pushed out of bounds at the 8 as time expired.

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.

Arkansas Mississippi Football Mississippi quarterback Matt Corral, left, pushes off an Arkansas defender during the second half of an NCAA college football game, Saturday, Oct. 9, 2021, in Oxford, Miss. — (AP) — Sam Williams and Tavius Robinson pressured Arkansas quarterback KJ Jefferson on a potential game-winning 2-point conversion and No. 17 Mississippi held on for a wild 52-51 victory Saturday against the 13th-ranked Razorbacks after allowing a touchdown on the final play of regulation. Burks had seven receptions for 136 yards and Raheim Sanders rushed 17 times for 139 yards as the Razorbacks had 676 total yards. It was a heck of a football game and we knew we were going for two if we had the chance at the end of the game,” Pittman said.

No. 17 Mississippi stopped a 2-point conversion with no time left in regulation and the Rebels beat No. 13 Arkansas 52-51.

Brian Robinson Jr. rushed for career highs of 171 yards and four touchdowns and No. 1 Alabama mostly throttled the nation’s top offense in a 42-21 victory over No. 12 Mississippi.

Last year's game with Mississippi held scant resemblance to the traditional Alabama win.

Now there all kinds of intriguing storylines: national and SEC championship implications; established powerhouses hosting ambitious fast risers; former assistants against their old bosses. "We'll have our hands full," said Ole Miss coach Lane Kiffin, a former Crimson Tide offensive coordinator under Nick Saban whose current team is a two-touchdown underdog. They and Ole Miss are trying to show they're ready to perhaps unseat 'Bama in the SEC West. “There’s no kid that is going to say, ‘Oh man, this game is bigger than that game.’ They’re all big. Then there was the 2016 game when Ole Miss scored on a fumble by Tide quarterback Jalen Hurts.

Alabama and Georgia, the top-ranked teams in the country and the favorites to win their Southeastern Conference divisions, are preparing to face the league’s biggest early season surprises.

Other notable breakthrough cases have occurred in college football, with vaccinated players and coaches testing positive. His announcement follows Monday’s revelation by Georgia football Kirby Smart that “three or four” players on the second-ranked Bulldogs were sidelined with COVID-19. Kiffin did not travel with the Rebels to Atlanta for Monday night's 43-24 victory over Louisville after announcing his own breakthrough case on Saturday. “I am grateful to be vaccinated and experiencing only mild symptoms,” Kiffin said in a statement released on Twitter. Just not for us right now.”___More AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/college-football and https://twitter.com/AP_Top25Copyright 2021 The Associated Press.

Kentucky men’s basketball coach John Calipari says he contracted COVID-19 after being vaccinated, but points out that he is relieved the shot did its job in leaving him with mild symptoms.

Lane Kiffin positive: Lane Kiffin is entering his second season as University of Mississippi football coach. — University of Mississippi football head coach Lane Kiffin announced Saturday that he has tested positive for COVID-19 and will miss Monday’s season opener against Louisville. No other positive tests have been reported on the team, WAPT reported. Kiffin has been a head coach with the NFL’s Oakland Raiders in 2007 and 2008. Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin has tested positive for COVID-19 and will miss the team's season opener on Monday.

Mississippi coach Lane Kiffin will miss the opener against Louisville with a breakthrough case of COVID-19. Kiffin announced the positive test on Saturday, two days ahead of the Rebels' opener in Atlanta. He said no other members of the team are expected to miss the game because of COVID-19. “I am grateful to be vaccinated and experiencing only mild symptoms,” Kiffin said in a statement released on Twitter. “I'm proud of our program's commitment to vaccination and as a result there are currently no other cases to report or team members expected to miss the game.

Mississippi coach Lane Kiffin will miss the opener against Louisville with a breakthrough case of COVID-19.

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.

FILE - In this Aug. 21, 2020, file photo, Houston Texans coach Bill O'Brien watches during an NFL football training camp in Houston. Alabama has hired former Texans coach O'Brien as offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip, File)TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – National champion Alabama has hired former Houston Texans head coach Bill O'Brien as offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach. O'Brien also served as offensive coordinator for the Nittany Lions and won national coach of the year honors after going 8-4 in 2012. A 28-year coaching veteran and former Brown defensive player, O'Brien was also offensive coordinator at Duke.

(AP Photo/Vasha Hunt, File)Steve Sarkisian is the latest Alabama coordinator to be drawing up game plans for a national title showdown before leaving for a new head coaching job. The Longhorns fired Tom Herman and hired Sarkisian eight days before the national championship game Monday night against No. The difference this time is the accelerated time frame from Sarkisian’s hiring to the title game. Alabama beat Oklahoma in the semifinals before a 44-16 loss to Clemson in the national title game. Nearly a month passed from his hiring to the January 2012 title game rematch against LSU, which ’Bama won 21-0.

The Ole Miss defense, which allowed 535.7 yards and 40.3 points per game during the regular season, came through with one more stop to clinch the school's first bowl win since beating Oklahoma State in the 2016 Sugar Bowl. leaving Indiana with an opportunity to pull out its first bowl win in nearly 30 years. The Hoosiers, who don't have a postseason win since the 1991 Copper Bowl bowl, drove to the Rebels 33 before stalling and turning it over on downs. The Big Ten logo was replaced by an Outback Bowl logo on jerseys, and the letters “LEO” were added to helmets. POLL IMPLICATIONSThe loss could cost Indiana what likely would have been a Top 10 finish in the final AP Poll.

“We were definitely kind of bummed out about what happened with the New Year's Six bowl game, but we just kind of used that as fuel to the fire,” running back Stevie Scott III said. “It has been 29 years since we last won a bowl game,” quarterback Jack Tuttle said. The problem was a porous defense yielded 40.3 points and a nation’s-worst 535.7 yards per game in the team’s first season under Kiffin. In fact, it’s rare that Ole Miss is facing a Big Ten opponent at all. They haven’t faced a team from that league since beating Nebraska in the 2002 Independence Bowl.

Manuel spoke hours after Michigan's game against Maryland this weekend was canceled because of an outbreak of COVID-19 in the Wolverines' program. Ohio State had to cancel its game last week at Illinois because of a spike in COVID-19 cases in its program. Matchups against Ohio State and Michigan State were wiped out last month after the Terrapins had 23 positive tests for COVID-19, including coach Michael Locksley. ___AP College Football Writer Ralph D. Russo contributed. ___More AP college football: https://apnews.com/Collegefootball and https://twitter.com/AP_Top25

The team did not meet in person the previous two days after coach Jim Harbaugh said there had been an increased number of presumptive positive COVID-19 tests. “We’d be able to play as of right now, with no more” positive tests, Kiffin said. ___Kent State’s football game at Miami (Ohio) scheduled for Saturday has been canceled due to positive COVID-19 tests within the Golden Flashes’ program. Linebacker Sione Takitaki and defensive ends Porter Gustin and Joe Jackson remain isolated following positive tests. ___The final scheduled World Cup ski races used to test the 2022 Olympic downhill course have been canceled by the Chinese ski federation.

Auburn wide receivers Anthony Schwartz (1) and Ze'Vian Capers (80) both reach for an errant pass during the first half of an NCAA college football game against Mississippi in Oxford, Miss., Saturday, Oct. 24, 2020. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis)

10 Florida's game against defending national champion LSU was postponed Wednesday to tentatively Dec. 12 after the SEC postponed Missouri-Vanderbilt on Monday. Vanderbilt coach Derek Mason is going through a similar situation. To play, the SEC requires at least 53 on game days. Timing is critical depending on the day of the week a positive test or tracing result returns. “Every time you’re taking a test," Mason said, “you're crossing your fingers ... you don't have anybody in harm's way."

Alabama running back Najee Harris (22) dances after breaking a Mississippi tackle and scoring a touchdown during the first half of an NCAA college football game in Oxford, Miss., Saturday, Oct. 10, 2020. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis)

2 Alabama beat Ole Miss 63-48 on Saturday night in the highest-scoring Southeastern Conference regulation game ever. Matt Corral passed for 365 yards for Ole Miss (1-2) and the Rebels put up 647 yards on the Tide. Obviously, we didn’t play well on defense.”After another Ole Miss field goal, Alabama recovered an onside kick and Harris busted a 39-yard touchdown run moments later to seal it. Ole Miss: The offensive unit is impressive. Ole Miss: The Rebels visit Arkansas on Saturday.

At the top of USA Today's most recent revenue rankings for college athletic departments are Texas and Texas A&M. Texas and Texas A&M have everything needed to put out a national championship-level football program. The Aggies and Longhorns refuse to play each other but combine to form an Axis of Underachievers in the Lone Star State. In three games against Alabama under Fisher, the Aggies are 0-3 by a combined 144-75. For now, though, Texas and Texas A&M continue to prove the adage that money can't buy happiness.

Florida tight end Kyle Pitts (84) breaks away from Mississippi linebacker Jacquez Jones (32) during the second half of an NCAA college football game in Oxford, Miss., Saturday, Sept. 26, 2020. 5 Florida won 51-35. (AP Photo/Thomas Graning)

The star tight end caught four of Kyle Trask’s six touchdown passes and No. 5 Florida spoiled the head coaching debut of Mississippi’s Lane Kiffin with a 51-35 victory Saturday. Trask completed 30 of 42 passes for 416 yards including touchdown passes of 1, 16, 71 and 17 yards to Pitts. Trask modestly chose to deflect the attention to 6-foot-6, 240-pound Pitts, who consistently found seams in the Ole Miss secondary. Ole Miss (0-1) tied it at 14 midway through the second quarter before yielding to the Trask-led Florida outburst.

Before Miami won easily last year, the ‘Canes and ’Noles played five straight games decided by five points or fewer. A pandemic-altered college football season has helped put FSU-Miami in the spotlight again this weekend. The Big Ten and Pac-12 are still at least a month away, but the college football menu is starting to fill up. 7-6 — Lane Kiffin's record in his one SEC season as coach at Tennessee. ___Follow Ralph D. Russo at https://twitter.com/ralphDrussoAP and listen at http://www.westwoodonepodcasts.com/pods/ap-top-25-college-football-podcast/___More AP college football: https://apnews.com/Collegefootball and https://twitter.com/AP_Top25

FILE - In this Monday, Dec. 9, 2019, file photo, Lane Kiffin speaks to Mississippi fans after being announced as the new head football coach during a introductory press conference in Oxford, Miss. In attendance were his children, daughters Presley Kiffin, 13, left, Landry Kiffin, 15, second from left, and son Knox Kiffin, 10. Mississippi State's Mike Leach and Mississippi's Lane Kiffin brought big names and offensive pedigrees to the Magnolia State. But they drew huge challenges for their debuts, with the Bulldogs visiting defending national champion and No. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis, File)

Mississippi State's Mike Leach and Mississippi's Lane Kiffin brought big names and offensive pedigrees to the Magnolia State. Mike Leach expected to start his first season at Mississippi State versus New Mexico. Instead, both coaches — and their respective offenses — will encounter stiffer challenges in their Magnolia State debuts. 5 Florida and ex-Mississippi State coach Dan Mullen as two-touchdown underdogs. Before Deion Sanders made a prime-time splash when he was hired by Jackson State on Monday; Leach and Kiffin were splashy hires in the state.

It also could be Mullen taking over-the-top precaution as the eighth-ranked Gators get ready to begin a championship-or-bust season. We have the potential to go compete for a championship and be a championship team, said Mullen, who is 21-5 in two seasons in Gainesville. Florida won 10 games in Mullens first season and 11 in Year 2. Despite Franks' departure, the Gators still have as much depth at the position as they've had in years. This season, Wilson has All-SEC potential and fellow cornerback Kaiir Elam is considered a rising star after a breakout freshman year.

LSU coach Ed Orgeron is looking to add a transfer defensive back at a time when uncertainty caused by the coronavirus pandemic could theoretically help the No. Were a little short at cornerback, Orgeron said during a video media conference Tuesday. We are currently researching if there is a cornerback or maybe a nickel cornerback out there who is available. The Eagles play in the ACC and remain on track to play its fall season. In addition, Fresno State standout linebacker Justin Rice also transferred after the Mountain West Conference postponed its fall season.