Embattled head coach Lake dismissed by Washington
Washington fired head coach Jimmy Lake on Sunday, less than two years after he was chosen to succeed Chris Petersen.
Lake’s firing concluded a stunningly fast fall with a team that began the season ranked in the AP Top 25 and stumbled through embarrassing losses that raised discontent amond fans.
Athletic director Jen Cohen said the school will honor the terms of Lake’s contract, which puts Washington on the hook for more than $9 million.
“No one wanted Jimmy to succeed more than I when I hired him in 2019, but ultimately, this change is necessary for a variety of reasons, both on the field and off,” Cohen said in a statement.
Lake was suspended without pay for Saturday’s 35-30 loss to Arizona State after a sideline incident the previous Saturday against Oregon, when Lake swatted at and then shoved one of his players. The incident added to the heat on Lake, who started the rivalry week by taking a shot at the academics of Oregon while talking about recruiting.
Including Saturday’s game, the Huskies went 7-6 under Lake.
Defensive coordinator Bob Gregory, a former defensive coordinator at Cal, will be interim coach the final two games, including the Apple Cup rivalry game against Washington State.
Alabama rising: Alabama jumped Cincinnati to No. 2 behind Georgia in the Associated Press poll and Oklahoma dropped eight spots to No. 12 after losing for the first time this season.
Georgia is a unanimous No. 1 in the AP Top 25 for the sixth consecutive week and the SEC has the top two teams in the poll for the sixth time this season.
Alabama (9-1) and Georgia (10-0) were flip-flopped at Nos. 1 and 2 for five weeks in September and early October.
The switch from Cincinnati to Alabama at No. 2 was more about the Bearcats than the Crimson Tide, whoclosed the gap on Cincinnati to four points last week. Alabama took care of business against New Mexico State, winning 59-3.
Cincinnati (10-0) stayed unbeaten after winning at South Florida 45-28 on Friday night. It was the fourth straight week the Bearcats played a team with a losing record and found themselves in a competitive game in the second half.
Behind the Bearcats, No. 4 Oregon, No. 5 Ohio State, No. 6 Notre Dame, No. 7 Michigan State, No. 8 Michigan and No. 9 Oklahoma State all moved up one spot after Oklahoma fell.
Auburn’s Nix out: Auburn quarterback Bo Nix will miss the final two games of the regular season with an ankle injury.
Nix, a three-year starter, was injured in a 43-34 loss to Mississippi State on Saturday. A team spokesman confirmed Sunday night that the Tigers’ quarterback is scheduled to have surgery Monday.
Auburn visits South Carolina on Saturday and closes the regular season against Alabama.