10+ min ago (334+ words) LOS ANGELES "The Ghost Notes Gameday is a piece that brings notes and observations from the sideline point of view. Today, we get into USC's 29-10 win over UCLA in the Crosstown battle. - I wish I had a better beginning point for today's Ghost Notes, but it's simple staring out of Tunnel 14 at the Coliseum. The weather is perfect for fighting your rival. Sometimes the best start is the simplest start. - I head out to the tailgates and the area around the Peristyle is lively. There are pockets of Bruin fans all around. - I see the Captain Morgan promotional boat in the distance. That should make you weary as USC is 0-2 at games where the boat is present. I explain this to a fan, who responds by telling me they were going to "burn the boat" anyway, so it all works…...

47+ min ago (218+ words) Tennessee, which was ranked No. 24 in the Preseason AP Top 25 and No. 18 in the Preseason Coaches Poll, will learn its bowl game assignment a week from Sunday. It's the first time since the end of the regular season in 2023, a stretch of 33 consecutive weeks, that Tennessee is not ranked in the AP Top 25, where the Vols received the most votes among unranked teams. But the Vols did continue their streak of being ranked in every Coaches Poll dating back to the second week of the 2022 season, a streak of 62 consecutive weeks " the program's longest streak since a run of 92 straight weeks from November 1994 to October 2000. Tennessee will learn on Tuesday night if its streak of inclusion in 22 straight CFP top-25 rankings will continue " that run goes all the way back to the debut rankings in 2022. In the loss to Vanderbilt,…...

47+ min ago (426+ words) The Florida football program has announced the hiring of Jon Sumrall as the Gators' next head football coach." "Not many coaches win big at two different non-Power programs, and even fewer do it as quickly as Jon has done it," Stricklin said. "He joins rare company'coaches like Urban Meyer, Brian Kelly and Willie Fritz'who've delivered immediate success at multiple stops. Jon's track record of rapid turnarounds speaks directly to his leadership and the culture he establishes." The 43-year-old Sumrall arrives at UF with a 42-11 record as a head coach, with his current team, Tulane (10-2), in the midst of a push for the College Football Playoff in the head coach's second season with the program if the Green Wave can win the American Conference Championship Saturday with a victory over North Texas. Florida will allow Sumrall to coach Tulane through the…...

1+ hour ago (121+ words) Florida didn't land Lane Kiffin, leading a significant portion of the fanbase to express their anger and frustration upon Jon Sumrall's hiring Let's get this out of the way from the jump before moving on: Jon Sumrall may very well end up being successful at Florida. While many are rushing to proclaim the hiring of Sumrall as an absolute failure by the Florida athletic department, it's too soon to know, with his success or lack thereof in Gainesville being determined solely by his on-field results in the years ahead. His demeanor should appeal more to a frustrated, if not incensed, Florida fanbase than former head coach Billy Napier's did, which should in theory help Sumrall appeal to Florida fans....

1+ hour, 28+ min ago (313+ words) Arkansas football has officially hired former Memphis head coach Ryan Silverfield as the program's next head football coach, the school announced on Monday. The news was first reported by CBS Sports and 247Sports national college football writer Matt Zenitz'on Sunday morning. Silverfield's Tigers finished 8-4 this season with three straight losses to finish the year. The wins include a 32-31 win over Arkansas in Week 4. Silverfield is coming off an 11-2 record in 2024 and a 10-3 mark in 2023. He is 50-25 in seven seasons as the Memphis head coach.' Per the program's official release, an introductory press conference with Silverfield and Arkansas Director of Athletics Hunter Yurachek will be held on Thursday at 1 p.m. inside the media room at the Broyles Center.' Following the introductory press conference, a "public celebration" will be held inside the Walker Pavilion at 5 p.m. Doors on the west side of the Pavilion will…...

1+ hour, 36+ min ago (162+ words) Let Saturday be a reminder that the Oregon Ducks run the streets of the Pacific Northwest, and their rival, Washington, is yet again playing catch-up. This wasn't just another rivalry win. Oregon's 26-14 victory over Washington recalibrated the power dynamic in the Pacific Northwest. The Oregon Ducks and head coach Dan Lanning left Seattle Saturday night, having reminded their rivals they run these streets. To understand why, you have to go back to the wounds of 2023 " wounds that defined the Lanning era's early narrative, whether Oregon liked it or not. Oregon had Washington beaten in Seattle before letting the game slip away in the final seconds. Two months later, the Ducks entered the Pac-12 Championship with revenge, momentum, and a playoff berth on the line, only to watch the Huskies steal their season again. The lingering question around Oregon entering 2024 and…...

2+ hour, 31+ min ago (565+ words) Lane Kiffin hasn't changed for the better. He's only gotten worse. Kiffin's Ole Miss exit makes the famed Tennessee middle-of-the-night abandonment seem like a church social. He, back then, awkwardly held a press conference because his conscience cared about how others saw him despite the decision to bolt for USC. The move more than 15 years ago was for his dream job and without all the'trolling and tone-deafness'that has enveloped this switch to LSU for more than 40 days. Kiffin doesn't care about anyone else and is trying to torpedo the Ole Miss program on his way to the bayou. His players, assistants and everyone associated with the Rebels are merely chess pieces and shrapnel toward a result. He's for his players' success only if it doesn't derail his selfish desire. It's the epitome of having the cake and eating it, too....

2+ hour, 31+ min ago (570+ words) Lane Kiffin hasn't changed for the better. He's only gotten worse. Kiffin's Ole Miss exit makes the famed Tennessee middle-of-the-night abandonment seem like a church social. He, back then, awkwardly held a press conference because his conscience cared about how others saw him despite the decision to bolt for USC. The move more than 15 years ago was for his dream job and without all the'trolling and tone-deafness'that has enveloped this switch to LSU for more than 40 days. Kiffin doesn't care about anyone else and is trying to torpedo the Ole Miss program on his way to the bayou. His players, assistants and everyone associated with the Rebels are merely chess pieces and shrapnel toward a result. He's for his players' success only if it doesn't derail his selfish desire. It's the epitome of having the cake and eating it, too....

3+ hour, 7+ min ago (532+ words) Who would have predicted this a few weeks ago?" Despite two ugly losses in mid-November and injuries all over the offense - including to starting quarterback Maddux Madsen - the Boise State football team somehow will get a chance to play for a third straight Mountain West Championship." And maybe even more remarkable? They get to host the game." The Mountain West announced Sunday morning that UNLV and Boise State will meet Friday night at 6 p.m. at Albertsons Stadium in Boise in the championship." The Broncos and Rebels finished tied with San Diego State and New Mexico at 6-2 in league play, sending it to a confusing computer rankings formula to decide the two participants. UNLV finished first and Boise State was second in the final composite rankings, but the Broncos earned the right to host by beating UNLV in a head-to-head matchup earlier…...

3+ hour, 42+ min ago (350+ words) Florida is expected to finalize the hiring of'Tulane head coach Jon Sumrall as the Gators' head football coach, multiple sources have told Swamp247. A deal is expected to be announced Sunday. Sumrall, 43, possesses a 42-11 record as a head coach, with Tulane (10-2) in the midst of a push for the College Football Playoff in Sumrall's second season with the program if the Green Wave can secure the American Conference Championship Saturday against North Texas. Considered to be a defensive-minded head coach, Sumrall has ascended up the coaching ranks as a result of his impressive attention to detail, ability to maximize talent at his disposal and build a program, and he'll now head to Gainesville to take over a program coming off a four-win season following former head coach Billy Napier's ousting in mid-October. It's been a rapid yet impressive rise for Sumrall,…...