There was shocking news on Wednesday. Michigan fired its coach, Sherrone Moore, reportedly for cause — meaning for reasons other than performance on the field.
Confirmed details are still scarce as of this writing, but the one thing we know is that Michigan will be added to the list of high-profile job openings this year — which essentially cements this as the wildest coaching carousel in the sport’s history.
The timing seemingly couldn’t be worse for Michigan. It’ll be seeking a new coach after several top positions have already been filled. However, the pull of the Wolverines’ job will no doubt bring in some distinguished candidates.
Could this search impact the SEC? It’s certainly possible. You might have seen rumors connecting Alabama coach Kalen DeBoer to the opening. We don’t have any official confirmation of his interest. If anything, DeBoer, last week, proclaimed his happiness with the Crimson Tide.
But in a season that saw the Lane Kiffin fiasco play out in the manner it did involving three different programs, anything is possible.
The good news is that while other so-called “blue blood” programs are embroiled in drama, Georgia remains business as usual with its eyes on the College Football Playoff.
Check out the rest of our coverage below.
Trivia time
How many Sugar Bowl victories does Georgia have?
Answer is at the bottom of the newsletter.
Georgia defense aims to use College Football Playoff bye to improve
Few, if any, defenses are playing better than Georgia’s as we enter the College Football Playoff.
In the last four games, Georgia’s defense has given up just two touchdowns. The Bulldogs haven’t exactly played a bunch of nobodies either, as Texas, Georgia Tech and Alabama all finished ranked in the final College Football Playoff top 25.
Yet none of those teams scored more than 10 points.
It’s a dramatic turnaround for a defense that faced plenty of criticism early in the season. Georgia gave up 41 points in a win over Tennessee. Against Ole Miss, who Georgia could see in the CFP, the Rebels scored touchdowns on their first five possessions of the game.
“There was naysayers throughout the season, and, you know, and probably with good reason,” Georgia coach Kirby Smart said. “I mean, we had, you know, a couple of defensive games midseason and later that we didn’t play up to our standard, and a lot of that had to do with the team we’re playing. But I do think we’re getting better, but we have to continue that.”
The Bulldogs know that winning the SEC championship is only part of the journey and not the destination.
Georgia football in the Sugar Bowl
- 1947: Georgia 20, North Carolina 10
- 1969: Arkansas 16, Georgia 2
- 1977: Pittsburgh 27, Georgia 3
- 1981: Georgia 17, Notre Dame 10
- 1982: Pittsburgh 24, Georgia 20
- 1983: Penn State 27, Georgia 23
- 2003: Georgia 26, Florida State 13
- 2006: West Virginia 38, Georgia 35
- 2008: Georgia 41, Hawaii 10
- 2019: Texas 28, Georgia 21
- 2020: Georgia 26, Baylor 14
- 2025: Notre Dame 23, Georgia 10
The overlooked reason Georgia is peaking
Even for a team as talented as Georgia, the Bulldogs were placing a pretty heavy load on their youngest group of players this season.
That’s no surprise to Smart. He expects it to be the norm moving forward.
“Probably about the level we expect,” Smart said following Georgia’s 28-7 win over Alabama. “I mean, we wanted to speed it up early because we got some talented young guys coming along.”
Many of those freshmen shone on Saturday. Safety Rasean Dinkins made his first career start. Elijah Griffin, Dontrell Glover and Juan Gaston all earned valuable snaps on the line of scrimmage.
Zayden Walker came away with a sack in the win, while CJ Wiley was thrust into a bigger role because of a Noah Thomas injury. Wide receiver Talyn Taylor returned from injury as well, though he did not have a reception in the 28-7 win.
None of these players were with the team last year when it went down to New Orleans to play in the Sugar Bowl.
Whether the Bulldogs face Ole Miss or Tulane this time around, the expectation is they’ll play critically important roles.
Photo of the day
Quote of the day
Smart on the Sugar Bowl:
“A lot of respect for how much passion there is in this game … I’m looking forward to them going down there, this team, this Georgia Bulldog team, and having an opportunity to play whoever that opponent is, regardless of the circumstances of last year with a lot of stuff going on outside football.”
Pete Golding fires up Ole Miss for playoff run
Pete Golding has unapologetically taken the Ole Miss job, and he’s not your aunt or uncle’s Lane Kiffin.
The initials of the new Rebels’ head coach — “PG” — are an appropriate forewarning of Golding’s colorful football vernacular.
It’s doubtful any major college coach has cussed as much as Golding did in his first media availability, but the passion was undeniable.
Golding was promoted from defensive coordinator with the Rebels to head coach the same day (Nov. 30) Kiffin announced he was choosing LSU over returning to Ole Miss or taking the job at Florida after a much-publicized courtship.
Everyone wanted Kiffin, no one viewed Golding as a head coaching candidate, and so here we are, and Golding is just fine with that.
“The room got a little bigger, but nothing else changed. I’m not changing who I am. I ain’t changing what the hell I wear,” Golding said on a Zoom call with reporters this week.
“… I am who I am. We’re gonna roll, we’re gonna do this thing the right way.”
Trivia answer
Five
