Holiday Football Brings Upsets, Firings, Resignations

As I've mentioned before on this blog, I got my bachelor's degree at the University of Arkansas more than 25 years ago.

If you grow up in Arkansas, you learn a few things at a reasonably early age. (1) The Razorbacks are the big-time team in Arkansas. (2) You don't have to be a student at or hold a degree from the University of Arkansas to be a Razorback fan. In fact, you don't even have to set foot on the U of A campus in Fayetteville. Ever.

And, I guess it goes without saying that this football season has been a disappointment for Razorback fans, after last season's success.

Last season, Arkansas won 10 games in a row, finished the regular season 10-2, played in the Southeastern Conference championship game and advanced to a New Year's Day bowl game.

And Darren McFadden became the first Arkansas football player to be a finalist for the Heisman Trophy. In fact, the then-sophomore halfback was the runner-up in the Heisman balloting.

Going into this season, McFadden was one of the favorites to win the Heisman and the Razorbacks were favored to return to the SEC title game. But things didn't work out that way. Although it still appears likely that McFadden will declare for the NFL draft, he did not have a Heisman-winning season and the Razorbacks did not win the SEC's West Division.

Consequently, going into yesterday's annual rivalry game with LSU, expectations for victory weren't too high. LSU was ranked No. 1 in the nation and was expected to play for the national title in January. The game against Arkansas was being played in LSU's home stadium in Baton Rouge, La. And the Tigers have one of the best run defenses in the country.

But, somehow, the Razorbacks overcame every obstacle and beat LSU in triple overtime, 50-48. (I say "somehow" because I had to work yesterday and I didn't get to see the game.)

The Thanksgiving holiday period always brings plenty of rivalry games and many upset opportunities. Unranked Arkansas' win over top-ranked LSU certainly qualifies as an upset.

Football news isn't made only on the field at this time of year. Today, it was announced that Nebraska fired head coach Bill Callahan. In the last 45 years, Nebraska has had only two losing seasons. Callahan was head coach for both of them, including this year's 5-7 campaign that ended Friday with a 65-51 loss to Colorado.

I've heard little about who is favored to replace Callahan, but during today's announcement, Nebraska athletic director Tom Osborne stressed the need for "continuity" at the school, which suggests that someone from Callahan's staff could be selected. But the nine assistant coaches also were terminated, according to the Lincoln Journal-Star. And the newspaper is reporting that former Nebraska assistant coach Bo Pelini has been contacted by a search firm, although no meeting has been scheduled between Pelini and representatives of the athletic department.

Another coach is leaving a high-profile job, but he's doing so apparently of his own choice and in the aftermath of a big win, not a big loss. Dennis Franchione ended his five-year tenure at Texas A&M Friday following the Aggies' 38-30 victory over Texas. Tommy Tuberville of Auburn is considered a top candidate to replace him.

Kevin Sherrington of the Dallas Morning News writes that Franchione never came close to fulfilling expectations in Aggieland.

The futures of both of the coaches in the Arkansas-LSU game were in doubt before kickoff and remain so today.

Houston Nutt, Arkansas' coach, has reportedly been on the hot seat since the slow start knocked Arkansas out of the race for the SEC title early in the season. His position may be better today, after the win over LSU. But ESPN's college football experts appear to believe Nutt and the school have reached a mutual decision that it's best for them to part ways.

LSU's coach, Les Miles, hasn't been on the hot seat, but he has been mentioned as a potential replacement for Michigan's departing head coach Lloyd Carr. Miles played football at Michigan and was an assistant coach there for awhile.

If you haven't had your fill of holiday football, there are several big college games today. Already under way, as I write this, are games between Miami-Boston College and Virginia Tech-Virginia. Later today, games are scheduled matching Tennessee and Kentucky, Alabama and Auburn, Georgia and Georgia Tech, Florida and Florida State, Oklahoma and Oklahoma State, Clemson and South Carolina.

And, in a big game with conference title game and national title game implications (but it would never have been predicted to be that before the season started), fourth-ranked Missouri will play second-ranked Kansas tonight.

By the way, for you sports fans, there's a good website out there, RealClearSports, that tries to bring together each day's best sports articles from across the internet. Take a look.