Crescent-News.com - SEC title: No. 1 vs. No. 2, again

NEW YORK (AP) -- For the second straight season the Southeastern Conference championship game will be a No. 1 vs. No. 2 matchup.

Again, it'll be Florida against Alabama, but this time the Gators will be top-ranked.

Florida extended its lead in the AP college football poll Sunday, receiving 46 first-place votes after routing rival Florida State 37-10.

The Crimson Tide received seven first-place votes and 1,416 points to edge No. 3 Texas, which received seven first-place votes and 1,414 points. Both teams had close victories against in-state rivals over the Thanksgiving weekend.

Last season, Florida went into the SEC title game as the No. 2 team in the AP Top 25 and beat No. 1 Alabama to earn a spot in the BCS national championship game. The SEC title game will again be a de fact national semifinal, with the winner of Saturday's game in Atlanta earning a spot in the national title game in Pasadena, Calif., on Jan. 7.

The top six in the latest poll was unchanged for the third consecutive week. TCU is No. 4, followed by fellow unbeatens Cincinnati and Boise State.

The top six in the BCS standings were the same as in the AP poll.

Oregon is No. 7 heading into Thursday's game against No. 13 Oregon State that will decide the Pac-10's representative in the Rose Bowl.

Three Big Ten teams round out the top. Ohio State is No. 8, followed by Iowa and Penn State.

Virginia Tech is No. 11 and fellow Atlantic Coast Conference member Georgia Tech dropped five spots to No. 12 after losing 30-24 to Georgia.

The Jackets will play Clemson, which fell 10 spot to No. 25 after a 34-17 loss to South Carolina, for the ACC championship and a spot in the Orange Bowl.

Pittsburgh fell six spots to No. 14 after losing 19-16 to West Virginia. Pitt hosts Cincinnati in a game that will decide the Big East title. West Virginia moved back into the rankings at No. 24.

No. 15 LSU, No. 16 BYU and No. 17 Miami all moved up two spots.

Houston jumped seven spots to No. 18 after clinching a spot in the Conference USA title game with a 73-14 victory against Rice.

No. 19 is California and No. 20 is Southern California.

Groh dismissed at Virginia

RICHMOND, Va. -- Virginia fired Al Groh after nine seasons at his alma mater Sunday, ending a tenure marked by his inability to beat rival Virginia Tech.

Groh's dismissal came less than 24 hours after the Cavaliers (3-9, 2-6 Atlantic Coast Conference) lost 42-13 at home to the No. 11 Hokies, finishing their worst season since they were 2-9 in 1982. It also was their eighth loss to the Hokies in Groh's nine tries.

"There is not a coach in the college game who has worked harder than Al Groh in trying to build a football program," athletic director Craig Littlepage said in a statement. "Football is his life and he dedicated himself to the university and to our football team. We are grateful for his service and for his commitment to his players and his coaching staff."

Marshall's Snyder resigns

HUNTINGTON, W.Va. -- Marshall football coach Mark Snyder resigned Sunday, a day after the Thundering Herd lost 52-21 to UTEP to finish the regular season at 6-6.

Snyder, who went 21-37 in five seasons, said in a news release that he made the decision after meeting earlier in the day with athletic director Mike Hamrick.

Snyder, a 1988 Marshall graduate, said the two men agreed his resignation was in the best interests of the program.

"It has been an honor to be the coach here and I will always be appreciative of the opportunity my university gave me," Snyder said in the statement. "I want to thank all of the fans for their support and all of my players and assistant coaches for their hard work and dedication. I wish the program nothing but the best."

Marshall athletic spokesman Randy Burnside said assistant coach Rick Minter would serve as interim coach if Marshall plays in a bowl game and the other assistant coaches would be retained for a bowl.

All's quiet on Irish front

SOUTH BEND, Ind. -- Notre Dame coach Charlie Weis returned home Sunday from another disappointing loss, his future with the Fighting Irish in limbo.

Amid rampant speculation Weis will be fired, all was quiet around the Notre Dame football offices from morning through the late afternoon.

The team's flight arrived in South Bend at 6 a.m. The coaches and players had the day off and university officials did not expect any news on Weis' future to be announced.

Athletic director Jack Swarbrick has said he would make a decision about whether Weis, who has six years left on his contract, will remain Notre Dame's coach this week. So Monday could very well be a busy one around those same facilities that were sleepy and dark Sunday.

A message left on Swarbrick's cell phone Sunday was not returned.

Notre Dame (6-6) finished its regular season with its fourth straight loss, 45-38 at Stanford on Saturday night.

Bowden home mulling future

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. -- Bobby Bowden plans to meet with Florida State president T.K. Wetherell later in the week to discuss his future at the school.

Bowden said Sunday that he wants to coach another year, which would be his 35th in Tallahassee, but he's not sure whether he'll be given the chance.

"I've got bosses," Bowden said. "I've got people who would have to approve it."

Bowden has 388 career wins, second only to Penn State's Joe Paterno among major college coaches, and has continued to coach with the hope of getting Florida State back among the nation's elite programs.

Contenders stay unbeaten

NEW YORK -- After a weekend when all the national championship contenders stayed undefeated, the BCS standings were unchanged.

Florida was first, Alabama second and Texas third Sunday.

The Gators will play in the Southeastern Conference championship Saturday for one spot in the BCS national title game. The Longhorns can earn the other spot with a victory against Nebraska in the Big 12 title game.

The BCS bids go out Sunday, Dec. 6.

Hoping for a Texas loss are fourth-place TCU, which finished its regular-season 12-0, and fifth-place Cincinnati (12-0), which can boost it's ranking by beating Pittsburgh for the Big East championship.

Sixth-place Boise State (12-0) will be rooting for Texas. The Broncos play New Mexico State and likely need the Longhorns to win to ensure themselves an at-large BCS berth.

Assistant EIU coach killed in crash

CARBONDALE, Ill. -- An offensive line coach for Eastern Illinois was killed Saturday following a car crash that happened as he returned home from the team's 48-7 playoff loss against Southern Illinois, a county coroner said.

The car, which was carrying a coach, a staff member and family, apparently swerved to avoid a deer, athletics spokesman Rich Moser said. Effingham County coroner Leigh Hammer confirmed early Sunday that Jeff Hoover, who was in his third season with Eastern Illinois, was killed. It was not immediately cler if anyone else was injured.

Top 25

Late Saturday

Georgia 30, No. 7 Georgia Tech 24

ATLANTA -- Georgia took a page out of Georgia Tech's playbook, rushing for 339 yards to upset the Yellow Jackets and put a damper on the Atlantic Coast Conference championship game.

Washaun Ealey rushed for 183 yards, while Caleb King rambled for 166 yards and two touchdowns as the Bulldogs (7-5) reclaimed state bragging rights in a disappointing year and handed the Jackets (10-2) a huge setback in what has been their best season in nearly two decades.

No. 17 LSU 33, Arkansas 30, OT

BATON ROUGE, La. -- Josh Jasper hit a 41-yard field goal with 4 seconds to go to force overtime, then made a 36-yarder in overtime to lift LSU.

Alex Tejada missed a 36-yard field goal that could have forced a second OT, and Arkansas (7-5, 3-5 Southeastern Conference) just missed a remarkable comeback bid, highlighted by Ryan Mallet's fourth-down touchdown pass to Joe Adams with 1:18 left, which gave the Razorbacks a 30-27 lead.

Jordan Jefferson threw for touchdown passes to Brandon LaFell and DeAngelo Peterson, and Trindon Holliday had an 87-yard punt return for a touchdown for LSU (9-3, 5-3), which could sneak into a New Year's Day bowl game because of Mississippi's loss earlier Saturday.

No. 24 USC 28, UCLA 7

LOS ANGELES -- Malcolm Smith returned one of Southern California's three interceptions 62 yards for an early touchdown, and the Trojans regained their defensive pride while maintaining their city dominance.

Matt Barkley's 48-yard touchdown pass to Damian Williams with 44 seconds left led to an ebullient USC celebration that nearly set off an all-out fight between the teams in their 79th crosstown showdown.

The Trojans (8-3, 5-3 Pac-10) followed Williams' dramatic score by jumping and yelling on their sideline before moving onto the field in unison. They appeared to be taunting the Bruins (6-6, 3-6), who then came across midfield to challenge them before coaches and officials kept them apart.

No. 25 Houston 73, Rice 14

HOUSTON -- Case Keenum threw for 323 yards and two touchdowns and ran for another in the first half and Houston clinched the Conference USA West division title.

By scoring more points than any major college team has in a game this season, the Cougars (10-2, 6-2) avenged last year's 56-42 loss to the rival Owls (2-10, 2-6), a setback that kept Houston out of the C-USA championship game.

Tyron Carrier returned the opening kickoff 99 yards for a score and Houston tied a school record with 59 first-half points to get its place in next Saturday's title game at East Carolina. With this one wrapped up at halftime, Keenum and many of Houston's other starters didn't play after the break.

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Home \| Back SEC title: No. 1 vs. No. 2, again E-mail Story \| Print Story \| Comments \| * AP Wire November 30, 2009 NEW YORK (AP) -- For the second straight season the Southeastern Conference championship game will be a No. 1 vs. No. 2 matchup. Again, it'll be Florida against Alabama, but this time the Gators will be top-ranked. Florida extended its lead in the AP college football poll Sunday, receiving 46 first-place votes after routing rival Florida State 37-10. The Crimson Tide received seven first-place votes and 1,416 points to edge No. 3 Texas, which received seven first-place votes and 1,414 points. Both teams had close victories against in-state rivals over the Thanksgiving weekend. Last season, Florida went into the SEC title game as the No. 2 team in the AP Top 25 and beat No. 1 Alabama to earn a spot in the BCS national championship game. The SEC title game will again be a de fact national semifinal, with the winner of Saturday's game in Atlanta earning a spot in the national title game in Pasadena, Calif., on Jan. 7. The top six in the latest poll was unchanged for the third consecutive week. TCU is No. 4, followed by fellow unbeatens Cincinnati and Boise State. The top six in the BCS standings were the same as in the AP poll. Oregon is No. 7 heading into Thursday's game against No. 13 Oregon State that will decide the Pac-10's representative in the Rose Bowl. Three Big Ten teams round out the top. Ohio State is No. 8, followed by Iowa and Penn State. Virginia Tech is No. 11 and fellow Atlantic Coast Conference member Georgia Tech dropped five spots to No. 12 after losing 30-24 to Georgia. The Jackets will play Clemson, which fell 10 spot to No. 25 after a 34-17 loss to South Carolina, for the ACC championship and a spot in the Orange Bowl. Pittsburgh fell six spots to No. 14 after losing 19-16 to West Virginia. Pitt hosts Cincinnati in a game that will decide the Big East title. West Virginia moved back into the rankings at No. 24. No. 15 LSU, No. 16 BYU and No. 17 Miami all moved up two spots. Houston jumped seven spots to No. 18 after clinching a spot in the Conference USA title game with a 73-14 victory against Rice. No. 19 is California and No. 20 is Southern California. Groh dismissed at Virginia RICHMOND, Va. -- Virginia fired Al Groh after nine seasons at his alma mater Sunday, ending a tenure marked by his inability to beat rival Virginia Tech. Groh's dismissal came less than 24 hours after the Cavaliers (3-9, 2-6 Atlantic Coast Conference) lost 42-13 at home to the No. 11 Hokies, finishing their worst season since they were 2-9 in 1982. It also was their eighth loss to the Hokies in Groh's nine tries. "There is not a coach in the college game who has worked harder than Al Groh in trying to build a football program," athletic director Craig Littlepage said in a statement. "Football is his life and he dedicated himself to the university and to our football team. We are grateful for his service and for his commitment to his players and his coaching staff." Marshall's Snyder resigns HUNTINGTON, W.Va. -- Marshall football coach Mark Snyder resigned Sunday, a day after the Thundering Herd lost 52-21 to UTEP to finish the regular season at 6-6. Snyder, who went 21-37 in five seasons, said in a news release that he made the decision after meeting earlier in the day with athletic director Mike Hamrick. Snyder, a 1988 Marshall graduate, said the two men agreed his resignation was in the best interests of the program. "It has been an honor to be the coach here and I will always be appreciative of the opportunity my university gave me," Snyder said in the statement. "I want to thank all of the fans for their support and all of my players and assistant coaches for their hard work and dedication. I wish the program nothing but the best." Marshall athletic spokesman Randy Burnside said assistant coach Rick Minter would serve as interim coach if Marshall plays in a bowl game and the other assistant coaches would be retained for a bowl. All's quiet on Irish front SOUTH BEND, Ind. -- Notre Dame coach Charlie Weis returned home Sunday from another disappointing loss, his future with the Fighting Irish in limbo. Amid rampant speculation Weis will be fired, all was quiet around the Notre Dame football offices from morning through the late afternoon. The team's flight arrived in South Bend at 6 a.m. The coaches and players had the day off and university officials did not expect any news on Weis' future to be announced. Athletic director Jack Swarbrick has said he would make a decision about whether Weis, who has six years left on his contract, will remain Notre Dame's coach this week. So Monday could very well be a busy one around those same facilities that were sleepy and dark Sunday. A message left on Swarbrick's cell phone Sunday was not returned. Notre Dame (6-6) finished its regular season with its fourth straight loss, 45-38 at Stanford on Saturday night. Bowden home mulling future TALLAHASSEE, Fla. -- Bobby Bowden plans to meet with Florida State president T.K. Wetherell later in the week to discuss his future at the school. Bowden said Sunday that he wants to coach another year, which would be his 35th in Tallahassee, but he's not sure whether he'll be given the chance. "I've got bosses," Bowden said. "I've got people who would have to approve it." Bowden has 388 career wins, second only to Penn State's Joe Paterno among major college coaches, and has continued to coach with the hope of getting Florida State back among the nation's elite programs. Contenders stay unbeaten NEW YORK -- After a weekend when all the national championship contenders stayed undefeated, the BCS standings were unchanged. Florida was first, Alabama second and Texas third Sunday. The Gators will play in the Southeastern Conference championship Saturday for one spot in the BCS national title game. The Longhorns can earn the other spot with a victory against Nebraska in the Big 12 title game. The BCS bids go out Sunday, Dec. 6. Hoping for a Texas loss are fourth-place TCU, which finished its regular-season 12-0, and fifth-place Cincinnati (12-0), which can boost it's ranking by beating Pittsburgh for the Big East championship. Sixth-place Boise State (12-0) will be rooting for Texas. The Broncos play New Mexico State and likely need the Longhorns to win to ensure themselves an at-large BCS berth. Assistant EIU coach killed in crash CARBONDALE, Ill. -- An offensive line coach for Eastern Illinois was killed Saturday following a car crash that happened as he returned home from the team's 48-7 playoff loss against Southern Illinois, a county coroner said. The car, which was carrying a coach, a staff member and family, apparently swerved to avoid a deer, athletics spokesman Rich Moser said. Effingham County coroner Leigh Hammer confirmed early Sunday that Jeff Hoover, who was in his third season with Eastern Illinois, was killed. It was not immediately cler if anyone else was injured. Top 25 Late Saturday Georgia 30, No. 7 Georgia Tech 24 ATLANTA -- Georgia took a page out of Georgia Tech's playbook, rushing for 339 yards to upset the Yellow Jackets and put a damper on the Atlantic Coast Conference championship game. Washaun Ealey rushed for 183 yards, while Caleb King rambled for 166 yards and two touchdowns as the Bulldogs (7-5) reclaimed state bragging rights in a disappointing year and handed the Jackets (10-2) a huge setback in what has been their best season in nearly two decades. No. 17 LSU 33, Arkansas 30, OT BATON ROUGE, La. -- Josh Jasper hit a 41-yard field goal with 4 seconds to go to force overtime, then made a 36-yarder in overtime to lift LSU. Alex Tejada missed a 36-yard field goal that could have forced a second OT, and Arkansas (7-5, 3-5 Southeastern Conference) just missed a remarkable comeback bid, highlighted by Ryan Mallet's fourth-down touchdown pass to Joe Adams with 1:18 left, which gave the Razorbacks a 30-27 lead. Jordan Jefferson threw for touchdown passes to Brandon LaFell and DeAngelo Peterson, and Trindon Holliday had an 87-yard punt return for a touchdown for LSU (9-3, 5-3), which could sneak into a New Year's Day bowl game because of Mississippi's loss earlier Saturday. No. 24 USC 28, UCLA 7 LOS ANGELES -- Malcolm Smith returned one of Southern California's three interceptions 62 yards for an early touchdown, and the Trojans regained their defensive pride while maintaining their city dominance. Matt Barkley's 48-yard touchdown pass to Damian Williams with 44 seconds left led to an ebullient USC celebration that nearly set off an all-out fight between the teams in their 79th crosstown showdown. The Trojans (8-3, 5-3 Pac-10) followed Williams' dramatic score by jumping and yelling on their sideline before moving onto the field in unison. They appeared to be taunting the Bruins (6-6, 3-6), who then came across midfield to challenge them before coaches and officials kept them apart. No. 25 Houston 73, Rice 14 HOUSTON -- Case Keenum threw for 323 yards and two touchdowns and ran for another in the first half and Houston clinched the Conference USA West division title. By scoring more points than any major college team has in a game this season, the Cougars (10-2, 6-2) avenged last year's 56-42 loss to the rival Owls (2-10, 2-6), a setback that kept Houston out of the C-USA championship game. Tyron Carrier returned the opening kickoff 99 yards for a score and Houston tied a school record with 59 first-half points to get its place in next Saturday's title game at East Carolina. With this one wrapped up at halftime, Keenum and many of Houston's other starters didn't play after the break. Comments By Posting to this site, you agree to our Terms of Service Be polite. Inappropriate posts may be removed. Crescent-News.com doesn't necessarily condone the comments here, nor does it review every post. Login above or Register to comment. 0 Total Comments Home \| Back
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