There is a lot of drama, as there always is, in college football’s SEC conference. We check in with three SEC teams after week 10 including Alabama, Kentucky, and Texas A&M.
The SEC Conference After Week 10
Alabama Crimson Tide
Happy days are back in Alabama as the Crimson Tide have won the SEC West with a victory over Kentucky and are now set for a fixture against an unranked Chattanooga outfit this coming Saturday.
The weekend’s outing saw sophomore quarterback Jalen Milroe fire Alabama to a 49-21 win over the Wildcats as he passed for three touchdowns and scrambled for another three to become the first Alabama player responsible for six touchdowns inclusive of three passing and three rushing.
“This team’s come a long way,” head coach Nick Saban said after the game. “These guys have worked hard. There’s great togetherness, good leadership on the team. A lot of guys have made significant improvements because they’ve stayed positive and stayed the course in terms of listening to what the coaches had to say about what they needed to do to improve and actually have really good relationships with each other on this team.”
The win leaves the Crimson Tide with a 7-0 conference record and 9-1 overall after they lost their opening game to Texas.
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Kentucky Wildcats
Meanwhile, the Wildcats are struggling with a 3-4 SEC Conference record and a 6-4 record overall. Their outlook seems bleak at the moment, but there’s still an opportunity for some joy as they’ve already gotten to six wins and are reportedly close to flipping running back Jason Patterson.
The RB is ranked No. 41 in the nation at his position and could have a tangible impact on the Wildcats’ future and the sports betting sites in Kentucky. With online sports betting being legalized in Sept 2023, punters can jump at the opportunity to become more invested in their local football team as more talent comes through.
“They are one of the top teams in the SEC Conference. They battle every year in their conference. And (Mark) Stoops, he’s known for running the ball, so that’s really why,” Patterson said about Kentucky back in July.
He eventually committed to Cincinnati, but many insiders predict he’s set to flip.
Texas A&M
Elsewhere in the SEC Conference, Texas A&M has fired Jimbo Fisher to create one of the most attractive vacancies in college football. The -year-old was handed his marching orders on Sunday morning in a move that will set the bar for contract buyouts in the NCAA.
The decision will cost the school over $76 million, almost three times more than the highest coaching buyout at a public school. Per the terms of the extension he signed after leading the university to its best-ever finish in 2021, the Aggies will have to pay Fisher $19.2 million in 60 days and then pay him $7.2 million a year until 2031.
“After very careful analysis of all the components related to Texas A&M football, I recommended to President [Mark] Welsh and then Chancellor [John] Sharp that a change in the leadership of the program was necessary in order for Aggie football to reach our full potential and they accepted my decision,” Texas A&M athletic director Ross Bjork said after the firing. “We appreciate Coach Fisher’s time here at Texas A&M and we wish him the best in his future endeavors.”
The coach went 45-25 in six seasons in charge of the Aggies. He signed a new 10-year deal with $95 million guaranteed two years ago.
His firing comes in the wake of a 51-10 blowout win over Mississippi State on Saturday that leaves Texas A&M with a 6-4 record after 10 games. Sources have revealed that the decision to fire Fisher came before Saturday’s win.
Associate head coach Elijah Robinson has been handed the reins in the meantime and will serve as the interim head coach.
Players have been given a 30-day window in which they could enter the transfer portal on the back of the coaching move. Freshman wide receiver Raymond Cottrell has announced he will be doing as much after making a single reception all season.
A few candidates have already been named as potential replacements, including Colorado Buffaloes HC Deion Sanders. The former NFL cornerback and Pro Football Hall of Famer has struggled since leading CU to a 3-0 start and has been urged to take the job if an offer comes his way.
“You can win it all with what’s here,” a university source said. “It’s all set up. There’s good kids and good players. This is a top-five job. They have all the resources and facilities.”
UTSA’s Jeff Traylor is also a possibility after he interviewed for the job last week.