WILL MUSCHAMP

Georgia's proud defense is seeking to redeem itself after the Bulldogs' ugly loss to Alabama in the Southeastern Conference championship game.

Caleb Farley was the first top prospect to make the decision that has added a whole new layer of uncertainty to the annual crapshoot that is the NFL draft.

Auburn head coach Gus Malzahn listens to an official's call during the second half of the team's NCAA college football game against Mississippi State, Saturday, Dec. 12, 2020, in Starkville, Miss. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis)Auburn has fired coach Gus Malzahn, who led the Tigers to the national championship game in his first season but could never replicate that success. “After evaluating the state of the Auburn football program, we’ve decided that it was time to make a change in leadership," Greene said in a statement. We will begin a search immediately for a coach that can help the Auburn program consistently compete at the highest level.””Defensive coordinator Kevin Steele will be interim coach. Auburn will owe Malzahn a $21.45 million buyout for the remaining four years of a seven-year, $49 million deal.

FILE - In this Feb. 11, 2020, file photo, NCAA President Mark Emmert testifies during a Senate Commerce subcommittee hearing on intercollegiate athlete compensation on Capitol Hill in Washington. And the sporting world hasn’t collapsed,” Emmert told AP. It recommended the creation of the National College Football Association, an independent body to oversee FBS. Major college football, the commission concluded, has created inequities across all NCAA sports and hinder the association's ability to govern equitably. Emmert called the recommendation “exactly the wrong thing to do.” He told AP he agrees football has "an outsized influence” over college sports.

COLUMBIA, S.C. – South Carolina has made it official, hiring ex-assistant Shane Beamer as its head football coach. The son of longtime Virginia Tech coach Frank Beamer takes over for Will Muschamp, who was fired last month with three games left in the season. Beamer spent four seasons as a South Carolina assistant under Steve Spurrier from 2007-10. Beamer also worked for his father at Virginia Tech, Kirby Smart at Georgia and, for the past three seasons, Lincoln Riley at Oklahoma. With the Sooners, Beamer worked with teams that have made the past three College Football Playoffs.

Lynchburg, VA. – Liberty is out to the best start in program history with a former power-5 coach at the helm. It shouldn’t surprise anyone that Hugh Freeze would immediately be on every speculative “short list” literally minutes after the South Carolina job became available. This isn’t new for the former Ole Miss coach. Freeze continues to lead Liberty to program firsts, like bowl bid, bowl victory, power five victory, and now, three consecutive weeks in the AP Poll. Will Muschamp was fired Sunday midway through his 5th season in Columbia, after the gamecocks lost to Ole Miss 59-42 on Saturday.

COLUMBIA, S.C. – South Carolina fired football coach Will Muschamp on Sunday, the second time he's been let go from a Southeastern Conference program in midseason. The school said in a release that Muschamp has been “relieved” of his duties with the football program. “There is no doubt about that.”Tanner said he did a thorough assessment of the football program and decided it was time for a change. At South Carolina, Muschamp became the first coach to reach bowl games in his first three seasons and went 9-4 in his second season. South Carolina pulled off a stunning 20-17 overtime victory at then-third-ranked Georgia in 2019.

___Senegal’s friendly soccer match against Mauritania has been canceled after eight members of the Mauritanian delegation tested positive for COVID-19. It says the results showed eight positive tests among the Mauritanian delegation. Mirotic says he is “well and following doctors’ instructions.”Barcelona head coach Sarunas Jasikevicius and assistant coach Darius Maskoliunas tested positive for the coronavirus earlier this month. ___Slovakia coach Pavel Hapal has tested positive for the coronavirus and will miss the Nations League game against Israel on Wednesday. ___One entire team and another overall contender have withdrawn from the Giro d’Italia following a series of positive tests for the coronavirus.

At the top of USA Today's most recent revenue rankings for college athletic departments are Texas and Texas A&M. Texas and Texas A&M have everything needed to put out a national championship-level football program. The Aggies and Longhorns refuse to play each other but combine to form an Axis of Underachievers in the Lone Star State. In three games against Alabama under Fisher, the Aggies are 0-3 by a combined 144-75. For now, though, Texas and Texas A&M continue to prove the adage that money can't buy happiness.

Kyle Trask and Kyle Pitts hooked up for two more touchdowns, continuing their hot start and leading Florida to a 38-24 victory over South Carolina on Saturday. But the Gators had their way with South Carolina for three quarters in front of 15,120 socially distant fans in the Swamp. BRIGHT SPOTHarris was one of the few bright spots for South Carolina. "I just did what I had to do.”DROPPED PASSESA big reason South Carolina couldn’t keep up was dropped passes. Florida takes its “Kyle to Kyle Show” to Kyle Field to play Texas A&M next Saturday.

Before Miami won easily last year, the ‘Canes and ’Noles played five straight games decided by five points or fewer. A pandemic-altered college football season has helped put FSU-Miami in the spotlight again this weekend. The Big Ten and Pac-12 are still at least a month away, but the college football menu is starting to fill up. 7-6 — Lane Kiffin's record in his one SEC season as coach at Tennessee. ___Follow Ralph D. Russo at https://twitter.com/ralphDrussoAP and listen at http://www.westwoodonepodcasts.com/pods/ap-top-25-college-football-podcast/___More AP college football: https://apnews.com/Collegefootball and https://twitter.com/AP_Top25

The Latest on the effects of the coronavirus outbreak on sports around the world:___South Carolinas highest paid head coaches are taking 10% salary cuts amid the coronavirus pandemic. Football coach Will Muschamp, mens basketball coach Frank Martin and womens basketball coach Dawn Staley are taking the cuts. Football coach Chris Creighton, mens basketball coach Rob Murphy, and womens basketball coach Fred Castro will be affected by the 7% cuts. ___The German basketball league plans to finish its season next month in a closed three-week tournament. The Premier League season was suspended in March with United fifth in the standings.