TENNESSEE FIRES JONES; HOKE INTERIM COACH
Tennessee began the season in the top 25 and is ending it with a coaching change. The Volunteers fired Butch Jones on Sunday as they enter their final two regular-season games searching for their first Southeastern Conference victory, a stunning fall for a team that had won a bowl game each of the last three seasons.
Tennessee athletic director John Currie said defensive line coach Brady Hoke would serve as the Vols’ interim head coach for the remainder of the season. Jones’ firing came one day after Tennessee (4-6, 0-6) was blown out 50-17 at Missouri for its fifth loss in its last six games. Jones went 34-27 overall and 14-24 in the SEC in five seasons.
“Late last night it was evident this was probably the direction we needed to go for the best of all concerned,” Currie said Sunday at a news conference in Knoxville.
Hurricanes jump to No. 2.
Miami is No. 2 in The Associated Press college football poll this week, the Hurricanes’ best ranking since 2003.
The undefeated Hurricanes leaped five slots from No. 7 after routing Notre Dame on Saturday night. Alabama remained No. 1, where it has been since the preseason, getting 57 first-place votes. Miami received the other four first-place votes.
Oklahoma moved up two slots to No. 3, jumping ahead of Clemson, which remained No. 4. Unbeaten Wisconsin moved up one slot to No. 5.
Three matchups of top-10 teams Saturday produced lopsided victories for the home teams, including Miami over Notre Dame. The Fighting Irish dropped six slots to No. 9 after losing 41-8.
Auburn moved up to No. 6 after pounding Georgia 40-17. The Bulldogs fell from second to seventh, and TCU dropped out of the top 10 after losing 38-20 at Oklahoma.
Saturday’s late show.
Arizona quarterback Khalil Tate ran his streak of 100-yard rushing games to six, finishing with 206 yards and two touchdowns on 16 carries as the Wildcats (7-3, 5-2 Pac-12) routed Oregon State (1-9, 0-7) 49-28.
• Josh Rosen threw for 381 yards and one touchdown as UCLA (5-5, 3-4 Pac-12) beat Arizona State (5-5, 4-3) 44-37.
• Marcus McMaryion threw four touchdown passes, including two to KeeSean Johnson, to help Fresno State (7-3, 5-1 Mountain West) beat Hawaii (3-7, 1-6) 31-21.
CSU-Pueblo gets lone RMAC bid.
CSU-Pueblo earned a No. 7 seed in Super Region Four and will play at No. 2-seeded Minnesota State on Saturday in the first round of the NCAA Division II playoffs.