ESPN College Football

Leaving one's job can be pretty awkward. For college football coaches, it usually is. Rarely do we see an amiable mutual parting in these situations.

As we continue to take a look at the coaches we love to hate this week, we're looking at SEC coaches who have left their respective schools in a lurch.

We already discussed Bobby Petrino's more than awkward departure at Arkansas, so we're going with three other recent departures that happened unexpectedly.

Let the bad memories return:

Lane Kiffin, Tennessee: He left for USC in 2010 after one season at Tennessee. Kiffin replaced longtime Tennessee coach Phil Fulmer in 2009 and was immediately confrontational with other SEC coaches, and that sort of arrogance was something that had to be a little attractive to Tennessee's fan base. However, his lack of production on the field made his pompous attitude laughable. Through all the chirping, he delivered a 7-6 season, which might go down as the most celebrated 7-6 season in SEC history. He talked so much about all the good things he'd do at Tennessee, but whined about not having enough talent. Then he built up his first signing class, but it eventually turned into nothing more than a paper tiger. Kiffin suddenly left Tennessee for USC just three weeks before national signing day in 2010. During his uncomfortable news conference, in which he announced his departure, Tennessee fans showed up in droves to wish him a not-so-safe trip to Cali. Kiffin left under the protection of police and left Tennessee with an NCAA cloud hanging over its head, which got the school a visit from the NCAA infractions committee. Kiffin and his staff's recruiting practices prompted an investigation that resulted in two years of probation for Tennessee. The NCAA found that Kiffin and his staff had committed 12 secondary violations, but Kiffin wasn't penalized. Derek Dooley took over for Kiffin in 2010 and has dealt with a laundry list of player and attrition issues. He has gone 11-14 in his two years.

Urban Meyer, Florida: He announced that he'd be stepping away from coaching in 2010, but is now coaching at Ohio State. There was no question that Meyer was one of the best coaches to swing through Gainesville. During his six-year tenure, he won two national championships and took the Gators to three SEC championship games. But it was the way he left that sent Gator Nation into a frenzy. First, he announced his retirement for health reasons a couple of weeks after the loss to Alabama in the 2009 SEC championship game. His retirement barely lasted 24 hours, but Meyer and Florida were never the same. The 2010 season was a major step back, as Florida went 8-5, and Meyer stepped away again after the regular season concluded. Meyer said he was taking time off because of his health and his desire to spend more time with his family. Then, he took over at Ohio State (one of his dream jobs) for the fired Jim Tressel. But it wasn't just leaving Florida for a Big Ten school barely a year later that upset Florida fans. It was the fact that he left new coach Will Muschamp with what Meyer himself deemed a broken program. Muschamp dealt with discipline and attrition issues during his first season, in which he went 7-6. While Meyer was the king of winning the recruiting ranking game, he too often missed on character.

Tommy Tuberville, Ole Miss: He left Ole Miss after the 1998 season for Auburn. Tuberville took over a struggling Ole Miss program in 1995 and helped the Rebels to three winning seasons in four years. But four years wasn't what the Ole Miss faithful expected to get from Tuberville; he made it seem that he would be there for much longer when he uttered those now-infamous words: "They’ll have to carry me out of here in a pine box." That pine box apparently had to be filled with money, as just a couple days after he emphatically stated that he wanted to stay in Oxford and be the Rebels' coach, he took a pay raise that doubled his salary and headed off to Auburn. Soon after Tuberville left without so much as telling his players, Ole Miss fans donned T-shirts inspired by the movie "Liar, Liar" with Tuberville's face on them instead of Jim Carrey's. Tuberville went 7-3 against his old team during his time at Auburn. David Cutcliffe, Tuberville's replacement, guided Ole Miss to five winning seasons in his six years, including a 10-win season that ended with a Cotton Bowl victory.

COLUMBIA, S.C. -- Texas Tech coach Tommy Tuberville dropped by South Carolina’s spring practice a few weeks ago and brought along his son, Tucker, to chat with Steve Spurrier.

Tucker, a quarterback, would like to come back to the South and play college football -- and he's interested in possibly walking on at South Carolina.

Tuberville and Spurrier matched wits in some epic SEC battles back when Tuberville was at Auburn and Spurrier at Florida.

“We’re standing over there watching one of our inside drills in practice, and I said, ‘Tommy, did you ever think I’d be a spread offense coach running the ball 70 percent of the time?’ ” cracked Spurrier, whose Gamecocks averaged more rushing yards (192.1) than they did passing yards (181.5) last season.

And they did it with a quarterback, Connor Shaw, who was the second-leading rusher on the team. Shaw, whose specialty is the zone read, churned out 525 rushing yards and eight touchdowns.

It was a far cry from Spurrier’s Fun ‘n’ Gun days at Florida, when the Gators threw it all over the ballpark and regularly averaged more than 300 yards passing.

“What we did then was throw it around a whole bunch, get a lead and then try to run it,” Spurrier said.

But these days, the Head Ball Coach leans to the run and isn’t ashamed to admit it.

In a lot of ways, he’s reinvented himself, but stops short of saying that he’s undergone a total transformation.

“It’s just what we do best right now,” Spurrier said. “If that’s what we had done best back then (at Florida), that’s what we would have done. We beat Penn State in the 1997 Citrus Bowl, and Fred Taylor ran it 43 times (for 234 yards).”

Still, Spurrier has proven over the past couple of seasons that he’s not too stubborn (or too programmed) to adjust to his personnel.

When you have Marcus Lattimore sitting back there in the backfield, it’s an adjustment that comes pretty naturally.

“You can only call so many pass plays,” Spurrier said. “Two years ago, when we were playing Georgia, I think that’s when it hit me. We were up 14-3, and to start the fourth quarter, [Stephen] Garcia got sacked and fumbled, but we recovered it.

“There was about nine minutes left, and I told the guys up top, ‘We’re not going to throw it again. We’re going to keep giving it to Marcus until they stop him.’ When your defense is playing well, you just keep running it. And if we don’t make it, we’re not going to give them anything.”

The Gamecocks expect to get a healthy Lattimore back in the fall and should again have one of the better defenses in the SEC. Plus, Shaw simply isn’t a pocket passer. His forte is moving around and making things happen with his arm and legs, although he’s working hard on becoming more efficient from the pocket.

In South Carolina’s spring game last Saturday, Shaw was 6-of-7 for 128 yards and two touchdowns. On the first play of the game, he hit Damiere Byrd with a 70-yard touchdown strike.

“When you throw, throw, throw and the ball hits the ground, the clock doesn’t go,” said Spurrier, who doesn’t understand the current fascination with trying to run 100-plus plays.

“Everybody is all hung up on how many plays you get. That means your defense is going to be out there a bunch, too. I remember when time of possession used to be an important stat. Now, all of a sudden, they think it’s cool to have a bunch of plays and how quickly you score.”

Spurrier said a big part of the Gamecocks’ success last season was tied into their time of possession. They finished third in the SEC (31:34), behind Georgia and Alabama, and were also third in third-down conversions and second in fourth-down conversions.

South Carolina was 24-of-31 on fourth down, which Spurrier said was the best of his career. And in 42 red-zone chances, the Gamecocks scored 32 touchdowns.

“We’re going to keep doing what we do best, which is why we’ve been able to accomplish a bunch of firsts around here,” Spurrier said.

And, yes, we’re still going to see a few new ball plays, too. That’s a Spurrier staple.

“We’ll still hit some balls. We hit some last year,” Spurrier said. “We finished fourth in the conference in total offense, which is the highest we ever have here.

“It just may look a little different.”

Texas A&M added a familiar face to its staff Tuesday by hiring former Aggie defensive lineman Terry Price (1986-89) to coach Texas A&M's defensive line.

Price isn't just familiar with Texas A&M but he's very familiar with the SEC. Price returns to College Station, Texas, after spending 16 years as an assistant coach in the SEC.

After brief stints with Texas A&M and Western Kentucky in the early 90s, Price joined Tommy Tuberville's staff at Ole Miss, where he coached the Rebels' defensive line from 1995-98. He then left with Tuberville to Auburn, where he coached from 1999-2008. In 2009, Price returned to Oxford, Miss., and joined former Ole Miss coach Houston Nutt's staff until Nutt was fired in 2011.

He then temporarily reunited with Tuberville at Texas Tech in December of 2011, before accepting an offer from new Aggie coach Kevin Sumlin.

"I am extremely pleased to name Terry Price as our defensive line coach," Sumlin said. "He is an Aggie, an SEC coaching veteran, a terrific recruiter and an even better person."

Price's defensive lines are known for having a very aggressive style with a point of putting continuous pressure on opposing quarterbacks. The 2005 Auburn defensive line was tied for first in the SEC in sacks (38) and also recorded an 11-sack performance in the 28-18 win over Alabama.

With Price's history inside the SEC, he'll be a very welcomed addition to Sumlin's coaching staff. Sumlin has said he wants to get bigger, stronger and mentally tougher on the defense line, and what better way than to hire someone with vast experience coaching SEC defensive linemen?

To improve in an area that is so important in the SEC, Sumlin went out and got someone who knows exactly what it takes to be successful up front in this league.

What a ride it’s been on the Plains the last couple of years.

If it can happen in college football, chances are it’s happened at Auburn.

“It’s been a little crazy at times, and it hasn’t always been easy. But we like where we’re headed,” Auburn junior receiver Emory Blake said.

One thing’s for sure: It hasn’t been dull.

Starting with Tommy Tuberville’s unceremonious exit as coach following the 2008 season, the roller coaster hasn’t slowed down.

Rewind back to Gene Chizik coming in to replace Tuberville after Chizik had gone 5-19 in two seasons as Iowa State’s head coach.

Granted, not all Auburn fans were voicing their displeasure as vehemently as that obnoxious fan at the airport when Auburn athletic director Jay Jacobs returned from finalizing the deal with Chizik, but just about everybody on the Plains was asking himself the same question: We just hired a coach that was 5-19?

Turns out that coach would go on to hire one of the best recruiting staffs in college football, as evidenced by the Tigers pulling in top 5 classes nationally each of the past two years.

And in his second season, that same coach would lead the Tigers to a 14-0 record and a national championship.

But even that ride was a bumpy one.

Allegations involving star quarterback Cam Newton’s recruitment rocked the program the last part of the season, and Newton was ruled ineligible for a day after the NCAA determined that Newton’s father, Cecil, tried to shop his son to Mississippi State for as much as $180,000.

Newton said he knew nothing about his father’s pay-for-play scheme and was allowed to play without missing any games.

The Tigers were the essence of resilience on the field, coming back time and time again in the second half to win games. Their comeback 28-27 victory against Alabama last season was one for the ages after being down 24-0 at Bryant-Denny Stadium.

Not long after their 22-19 win against Oregon in the BCS National Championship Game, more allegations of wrongdoing in the program surfaced.

There were various media reports about the NCAA looking into different matters, and HBO Real Sports talked to four former players who said they received money while playing at Auburn, albeit before Chizik arrived as head coach.

All the while, the NCAA’s investigation has remained open, something that has irked Chizik and everybody else in the Auburn family.

At the SEC spring meetings in Destin, Fla., in June, Chizik quizzed Julie Roe Lach, the NCAA’s vice president for enforcement, about why the NCAA had not publicly announced that the investigation into the Newton matter was over.

There were football coaches, basketball coaches and athletic directors in the room, and after Chizik followed up with Roe Lach at least two more times, Roe Lach told Chizik, “You’ll know when we’re finished … and we’re not finished.”

For his part, Chizik says the exchange wasn’t testy, and he’s repeated several times that he sleeps well at night in knowing that Auburn has gone about things in the right way on his watch.

Besides, he has a football team to get ready, a team that’s missing all but six starters from last season’s national championship club. More than 35 players who were on the roster out in Glendale, Ariz., for the title game are gone.

Everywhere you look this season on Auburn’s team, there will be new faces.

“We’ll be an inexperienced football team, but we’ll be a talented football team,” Chizik said. “What we’re building is a foundation, and this is another step in that process. The goals stay the same.”

Nosa Eguae, a third-year sophomore defensive end, bristles at the notion that the Tigers were a one-year wonder last season.

“We have a bunch of guys who are hungry, and just because they don’t have a bunch of starts, that doesn’t mean they can’t play,” Eguae said. “We know what everybody is saying about us, and that’s fine.

“We’re an underdog. We were last year, too. Auburn has always been an underdog. We might not have the big name and all the commercials like Alabama does, but we’re going to be there every day grinding it out.

“If that’s what you call being an underdog, so be it. We’re just going to keep on winning football games.”

Eguae said any talk about the NCAA investigation hasn’t filtered down to the players and hasn’t been a distraction in what the Tigers are trying to accomplish this season.

While conceding that some of the younger players will have to grow up in a hurry, Eguae said the only thing on anybody’s mind is what happens this season.

In other words, last season is a distant memory.

“I hear people asking if we have what it takes to live up to the 14-0 season,” Eguae said. “There’s no living up to anything. We plan on being a great football team this year, next year and the year after that.

“Coach Chizik talks about it every day, what we’re trying to do here at Auburn. And just because you won a national championship, it doesn’t stop. It never stops. The only thing we talk about is winning more.

“We’re here to win national championships. It’s always plural with us.”

Championships are won and lost on the field. That is, if you get a chance to play for one.

Auburn never got a chance to play for the BCS national championship in 2004 despite going unbeaten, taking down four top-10 teams that season and producing four first-round NFL draft picks.

It’s hard to fathom now how that could happen when you see the SEC’s streak of national championships at five years and counting -- by four different teams.

Nonetheless, the news Monday that the 2004 BCS national championship won by USC would be officially vacated in light of the NCAA’s denial of USC’s appeal was another frustrating reminder on the Plains of how the team that deserved to play for the title that year never got that chance.

How would Auburn have stacked up that season against USC or Oklahoma?

We’ll never know.

What we do know is that USC shellacked Oklahoma that evening in Miami, 55-19, and looked dominant in doing so.

And while it would have been intriguing to at least see Auburn get a shot at the Trojans, it doesn’t make sense to think that the 2004 national title should now be automatically handed over to the Tigers simply because they finished No. 2 in the Associated Press poll that season.

As much as Tommy Tuberville, Cadillac Williams, Ronnie Brown and Co. would love to be sporting those 2004 national championship rings, something tells me they wouldn’t want to acquire them this way.

It was a controversial run to the 2010 BCS national championship for Auburn, and now this ...

On Wednesday night, an HBO Real Sports special will detail stories by four former Auburn players who say they were paid during their time at Auburn. All of the players were recruited and played under Tommy Tuberville -- Stanley McClover (2003-05), Troy Reddick (2002-05), Chaz Ramsey (2007) and Raven Gray (2008).

It should be noted that Gray was a highly recruited junior college player, but never played during his year at Auburn. Ramsey was obviously disgruntled when he left. He filed a lawsuit against former Auburn offensive line coach Hugh Nall and former Auburn trainer Arnold Gamber in federal court in 2009 alleging that the two men's actions caused Ramsey, a freshman All-SEC offensive lineman, to suffer a career-ending injury during his rehabilitation from back surgery. Nall was later dismissed from the suit.

The SportsByBrooks website received an advance copy of the show, which will air from 10-11 p.m. ET on Wednesday.

McClover said he once received $4,000 after collecting four sacks against Alabama. He also said he received sexual favors at Ohio State during the recruiting process. McClover initially committed to Ohio State, but said he switched to Auburn after receiving money.

Auburn declined to comment on the report, telling HBO, "Auburn athletics respectfully declines to comment on these alleged claims apparently made by a few former football players. Compliance with all NCAA and Southeastern Conference rules is a major emphasis and top priority for all of our athletic programs at Auburn University."

• Can Alabama repeat as champions?
• Here's a ranking of the SEC's 12 coaches.
• Former Auburn coach Tommy Tuberville's newest hire is causing some controversy.
• USA Today takes notice of Dan Mullen's efforts at Mississippi State.
• Tony Barnhart at the Atlanta Journal-Constitution has a suggested candidate to become Georgia's athletic director.
• Kentucky coach Joker Phillips' wife, Leslie, answers a few questions.
• Ranking the SEC's overall football programs.
• Steve Spurrier has hired his son, Scott Spurrier, as a graduate assistant.
• Derek Dooley's rebuilding job is just as hard as it sounds.

What kind of fit has Gene Chizik been at Auburn?

I’d say it’s been a lot better than some on the Plains might have thought when they first heard his name as a real possibility for the job back in December 2008.

As Chizik says himself, “He gets Auburn.”

Well, his players get him.

With 24 seniors returning, this is a team that believes deeply that it can make a run for the SEC championship next season. It’s a team that also believes deeply in its head coach, and more specifically, the way he goes about his business on the field.

Just listen to senior linebacker Josh Bynes, who even references former Auburn coach Tommy Tuberville.

“What we love the most about Coach Chizik is that he gets in our behinds every single play -- defense, offense and special teams,” Bynes said. “He’s a competitor, and we see that in him. I’m not saying that Coach Tuberville wasn’t a great coach. He was a very good coach. But Coach Chizik is more into you.

“He’s a players’ coach. He’s in the drills. He’s in our faces. He’s getting in our behinds. He’s pushy, but he’s only going to make us a better team and better players.

“We see a coach who’s always working to get better.”

There’s only one coach in college football in the AP poll era (since 1936) who’s won national championships at two different schools.

And he did it in the SEC.

It’s safe to say that coach -- Nick Saban -- is our coach of the decade. Here’s how the top 10 came out:

1. Nick Saban, Alabama/LSU: He’s rebuilt two proud programs in the SEC into national championship teams. He did it at LSU in 2003 and Alabama in 2009. Saban also won a third SEC title in 2001 during his second season at LSU. He’s an easy choice to top this list and is really just getting started at Alabama.

2. Urban Meyer, Florida: Meyer looked a like a cinch to top this list until Saban ran the table this season and won the national title. Still, Meyer has won two national titles in his five seasons with the Gators, who reeled off a 22-game winning streak over the last two seasons. He also revolutionized the league to a degree with his spread offense.

3. Mark Richt, Georgia: Despite some of the grumbling this past season in Athens, Richt’s consistency has been what sets him apart. He won SEC titles in 2002 and 2005 and has finished in the top 10 in the final polls in six of his nine seasons. He’s also won 10 or more games in six of his nine seasons.

4. Les Miles, LSU: The last two seasons are what dropped Miles to fourth. His three-year run from 2005-07 was spectacular. He won 34 games, including the 2007 national championship and the Sugar Bowl at the end of the 2006 season. But to be fair, he was playing predominantly with players Nick Saban recruited those first three years. Miles has lost nine games the last two seasons.

5. Tommy Tuberville, Auburn: Recently hired as Texas Tech’s coach, Tuberville was pushed out at Auburn following a 5-7 season in 2008. That was the exception, though. He was a stellar big-game coach and led the Tigers to a 13-0 season and SEC championship in 2004, although they were squeezed out of the BCS equation. Tuberville also beat Alabama six straight times during his time on the Plains.

6. Steve Spurrier, South Carolina/Florida: The Head Ball Coach has been average at best during his time at South Carolina. The Gamecocks are just 18-22 against SEC foes on his watch, but he has beaten Florida, Georgia and Tennessee during his five seasons in Columbia. And we can’t forget about his final two seasons at Florida. The 2000 Gators won the SEC title.

7. Phillip Fulmer, Tennessee: The dean of SEC coaches when he was fired following the 2008 season, Fulmer enjoyed his greatest success in the 1990s when he won a national title. He still managed to get to the SEC championship game three times last decade, but the Vols never won. What got him were too many lopsided losses to Alabama and Florida and losing seasons in 2005 and 2008.

8. Houston Nutt, Ole Miss/Arkansas: Nutt’s divorce from Arkansas was a messy one. The fans were over him, and he was over some of the unrealistic expectations. He did take the Hogs to two SEC championship games, and he’s won nine games -- including a pair of Cotton Bowls -- each of the past two years at Ole Miss. His challenge now will be winning with his own players.

9. Rich Brooks, Kentucky: There’s nothing real impressive about Brooks’ SEC record, but he took over a program reeling from NCAA sanctions and restored it to respectability before retiring following last season. The Wildcats went to four straight bowls last decade and won three in a row. He also upgraded their talent and depth significantly, which has shown up in recent seasons.

10. Bobby Johnson, Vanderbilt: There may be a few eyebrows raised to see Johnson’s name on this list, but he belongs. Despite the disappointing season this past year, Johnson has dramatically improved the program across the board. The Commodores won their first bowl game in 53 years in 2008 when they defeated Boston College in the Music City Bowl. No longer are they an easy out for anybody.

Alabama coach Nick Saban was able to hold onto Kirby Smart, but James Willis got away.

Willis, who coached the linebackers on Alabama's national championship team, has taken a job on Texas Tech's staff to be Tommy Tuberville's defensive coordinator. Willis reunites with Tuberville after working under him at Auburn. But more importantly, Willis gets a shot at being a defensive coordinator.

Otherwise, he wouldn't have left Alabama, where he spent just one season.

Granted, Alabama's linebackers were talented last season, but Willis also did an excellent job in shuffling people around and getting top production even after Dont'a Hightower went down with a knee injury. Willis is also an outstanding recruiter.

Making the rounds in the SEC:

• Newly hired Texas Tech coach Tommy Tuberville is trying to pry James Willis away from Alabama to be his defensive coordinator in Lubbock.
• South Carolina defensive end Clifton Geathers is leaning toward declaring for the NFL draft, reports Joe Person of The State newspaper.
• LSU's 2009 offensive line never lived up to Les Miles' lofty preseason billing.
• With LSU's Chad Jones deciding to turn pro early, Craig Loston will get a chance next season to show that all of the recruiting hype was justified.
• Rick Minter is a new name to watch as Mississippi State's Dan Mullen continues his search for a defensive coordinator.
• Vanderbilt safety Ryan Hamilton had his request for a sixth year of eligibility denied by the NCAA.
• Minnesota's Terrell Combs transfers back closer to home and will play at Kentucky next season.

Taking a stroll around the SEC:

• Florida's Tim Tebow shares a special day with a special fan at the College Football Awards Show.
• Alabama expects business as usual after the break, writes Gentry Estes of The Mobile Press-Register.
• Tennessee coach Lane Kiffin warns that people are "going to come after us," but that there's no wrongdoing by the Vols' staff.
• In a clear indication that he won't be back for his senior season, Tennessee safety Eric Berry says he's going to miss the fans after winning the Jim Thorpe Award on Thursday night.
• South Carolina coach Steve Spurrier zings Connecticut coach Randy Edsall with a Notre Dame reference.
• Evan Woodbery of The Mobile Press-Register writes that the window might be closing on Tommy Tuberville's coaching opportunities.
• LSU is keeping mum on possible NCAA rules violations, writes Jordan Blum of The Baton Rouge Advocate.

This time a year ago, the bottom was about to fall out for Tommy Tuberville and the Auburn football program.

After so many highs under Tuberville, the Tigers experienced the lowest of lows in a humiliating 36-0 loss at Alabama -- the most lopsided Iron Bowl in 46 years -- to cap the first losing season on the Plains since Tuberville’s first season in 1999.

Just like that, the Tigers’ six-game winning streak in this bitter rivalry was gone.

And four days later, so was Tuberville.

Where has Auburn’s program gone since that turbulent end to the Tuberville era and an even more turbulent coach search that ultimately produced Gene Chizik?

We should find out a few answers on Friday afternoon when the Tigers get a chance to turn the Crimson Tide’s world upside-down at what’s sure to be an emotional Jordan-Hare Stadium.

Alabama is playing to stay in the national championship race. Auburn is playing to regain a little pride.

The Tigers (7-4, 3-4) have had a week off to get ready for this game. They needed it, too, after playing 11 straight weeks and enduring through a thin roster and a processional of injuries that started back in the offseason.

When you consider the lack of depth on this team and how strapped the Tigers were in certain areas, it’s obvious that Chizik has done a nice job of maximizing what he has.

It’s not surprising that Auburn has lost four of its last five SEC games. That’s what happens when you play so many games in a row in this league and do so shorthanded.

There’s also the issue of defense, which hasn’t been particularly good this season on the Plains, and at times, has been pretty awful.

Auburn heads into the Alabama game last in the SEC in scoring defense and 10^th in total defense. The Tigers have given up 36 touchdowns on defense, which is the most in the league.

If Chizik is going to make it and get Auburn back to elite status in the SEC (the two go hand-in-hand), it’s going to begin and end on defense. He knows that as well as anyone. He’s a defensive guy and saw firsthand what a swarming, fast defense can do in this league when he was heading up Auburn’s stellar defensive unit on the 2004 SEC championship team.

Simply, the Tigers don’t have the talent or the depth on defense to be a championship contender in this league, which is where the coaching staff Chizik hired comes in.

This is an excellent recruiting staff, and the Tigers are already seeing some of the benefits. Several of their commitments will be on campus Friday, including highly rated running back Michael Dyer of Little Rock, Ark. Dyer is the country’s No. 7-rated prospect by ESPN’s Scouts Inc.

Locking up those kind of prospects on the defensive side will be crucial as the Tigers finish up their 2010 class and start working on their 2011 class.

All in all, seven wins isn’t a bad way to start the Chizik era. Eight would be a lot better, especially if the Tigers could knock off the Crimson Tide.

Either way, it’s been a solid debut season for Chizik, who was anything but a popular hire when Jay Jacobs introduced him last December.

His players bought in early to his approach. He’s surrounded himself with a quality staff, and the offense seems to be well on its way under coordinator Gus Malzahn.

But they measure you in the state of Alabama on how you do in the Iron Bowl, a game that divides families and is played 365 days a year … somewhere.

Chizik knows the stakes well and also knows that he needs to be winning his share against the Crimson Tide -- on the field and on the recruiting trail -- sooner rather than later.

Posted by ESPN.com's Chris Low

The upcoming move "The Blind Side" will feature more than a few familiar faces from the SEC, past and present.

Here's a look at the trailer for the movie that includes former Auburn coach Tommy Tuberville and Alabama coach Nick Saban (who's still the LSU coach in the movie) in brief speaking roles. You also catch a glimpse of former Tennessee coach Phillip Fulmer and former South Carolina coach Lou Holtz.

In the trailer, check out what Sandra Bullock's character says about Saban at the end.

The movie, which is the story of former Ole Miss offensive tackle Michael Oher's life, will be out in theaters on Nov. 20.

Posted by ESPN.com's Chris Low

Taking a look at what all's out there in the SEC:

• For the sake of motivation, Florida's coaches have turned the Gators' locker room into a high school gossip corner, writes Jeremy Fowler of The Orlando Sentinel.
• Georgia's Mark Richt is starting to look like the second coming (and going) of Tommy Tuberville, writes Kevin Scarbinksy of The Birmingham News.
• Kentucky's Taylor Wyndham wants his game to match his fame, writes Chip Cosby of The Lexington Herald-Leader.
• Alabama senior linebacker Cory Reamer dismisses the doubters and finds his role on the Crimson Tide's football team.
• South Carolina starting offensive lineman Heath Batchelor has left the team, reports Joe Person of The State newspaper.
• Anthony Dixon bears down on a friend's rushing record at Mississippi State. Dixon and Jerious Norwood share a bond that goes back to their days in the Jackson metro area.
• Arkansas' special teams finally "steal" a few big plays, writes Robbie Neiswanger of The Morning News.
• Despite mounting criticism, Georgia's coaches plow forward, writes David Hale of The Macon Telegraph.