College football has always been a what-have-you-done-lately business, but these days — fueled by nonstop hot-seat coverage and constant social-media scrutiny —- a coach’s stock rises and falls like a roller coaster.

Florida's football program is under NCAA investigation a year after a failed name, image and likeness deal worth more than $13 million with former signee Jaden Rashada.

Florida coach Billy Napier opened fall practice talking to his team about expectations — internal ones, anyway.

Urban Meyer is returning to Fox’s “Big Noon Saturday” college football pregame show after his NFL coaching career lasted less than one full season.

Life at the top of the Southeastern Conference can be difficult, especially when anything short of a national championship in football is considered unsatisfactory.

Isaiah Bowser ran for 155 yards and two touchdowns, Ryan O’Keefe had 85 yards on seven receptions, and Central Florida earned Sunshine State bragging rights by beating Florida 29-17 in the Gasparilla Bowl on Thursday night.

A person familiar with negotiations says new Florida coach Billy Napier agreed to a seven-year, $51.8 million contract that makes him the fifth-highest-paid coach in the Southeastern Conference.

Florida has hired Louisiana-Lafayette's Billy Napier to be its next football coach.

It's rivalry week across the Southeastern Conference, with plenty of stakes beyond bragging rights.

Florida has fired coach Dan Mullen a day after his sixth loss in nine games.

Is Dan Mullen really on the hot seat at Florida.

Georgia and Alabama could be heading for another showdown in the Southeastern Conference championship game.

Emory Jones had two touchdown passes to go along with a career-high 144 yards rushing, leading No. 11 Florida to a 38-14 victory over Tennessee on Saturday night and extending nearly two decades of dominance in the series.

Alabama looked beatable.

Bryce Young’s first collegiate road start was a rousing success, a three-touchdown performance that helped top-ranked Alabama hold off No. 11 Florida 31-29 in the Southeastern Conference opener for both teams.

It didn’t take Tim Tebow very long to realize Florida quarterback Anthony Richardson was different.

Some Southeastern Conference defenses are flexing their muscles after 2020 being a defensive coordinator’s nightmare.

No. 13 Florida tuned up for the start of Southeastern Conference play with a 42-20 rout of overmatched South Florida that did little to answer the question of whether starter Emory Jones or backup Anthony Richardson is best suited to run the Gators offense.

The Southeastern Conference is moving away from early season cupcakes.

In what was otherwise a rough two weeks in Tokyo for NBC Universal, viewers perked up a bit in the second week of the games when the U.S. team's performance did the same.

Southeastern Conference Commissioner Greg Sankey is echoing a call for potential changes in how college athletics are governed.

Florida football coach Dan Mullen received a three-year contract extension worth an additional $1.5 million annually following a disappointing season that closed with a three-game losing streak and included several public relations missteps and NCAA sanctions.

Florida coach Dan Mullen, center, watches play against Oklahoma during the first half of the Cotton Bowl NCAA college football game in Arlington, Texas, Wednesday, Dec. 30, 2020. (AP Photo/Ron Jenkins)GAINESVILLE, Fla. – A person familiar with the situation says Florida coach Dan Mullen has fired two defensive assistants in the wake of the unit’s worst season in more than a hundred years. The Sooners racked up a whopping 684 yards — the most any team has ever gained against Florida — in the Cotton Bowl on Wednesday night. The Gators played without three defensive starters in the Cotton Bowl. Even with those give guys, Florida’s defense was mostly a debacle.

(AP Photo/Ron Jenkins)GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Florida quarterback Kyle Trask made his future plans official Thursday, formally announcing he’s declining an opportunity to return to school and entering the NFL draft. No one thought Trask would stick around following a record-breaking season that included being named a Heisman Trophy finalist. He led the nation in passing yards and TD passes. He broke the previous school record (39) for TD passes (39) set by 1996 Heisman Trophy winner Danny Wuerffel. Fellow defensive tackle Zachary Carter, meanwhile, announced plans to return to school for his senior season.

8 Oklahoma beat 10th-ranked SEC runner-up Florida 55-20 on Wednesday night in the Cotton Bowl. Back in the same NFL stadium where 11 days earlier they won their sixth consecutive Big 12 title, the Sooners (9-2, No. The 55 points were their most ever in a bowl game, while piling up a Cotton Bowl-record 684 total yards. 1 Alabama in the SEC title game, and had averaged nearly 42 points a game. Oklahoma: With Rattler and Mims among the young standouts coming back, the Sooners could again be favored to win another Big 12 title.

Florida head coach Dan Mullen speaks with players before the first half of the Southeastern Conference championship NCAA college football game between Florida and Alabama, Saturday, Dec. 19, 2020, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/John Bazemore)GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Florida received a year of probation and football coach Dan Mullen was sanctioned Tuesday after the school and the NCAA agreed to resolve an infractions case involving impermissible contact with recruits last year. Mullen was hit with a one-year show cause order, during which he was prohibited from all off-campus recruiting activity this past fall. Because of the pandemic, the NCAA restricted off-campus recruiting for most of this year. Florida has banned Mullen from recruiting for the first 10 days of January.

ARLINGTON, Texas – Oklahoma is going right back to the stadium where the Sooners just won their sixth Big 12 championship in a row to play SEC runner-up Florida in the Cotton Bowl. During a Gators team meeting on Zoom to discuss their bowl destination, one of the first questions players asked Mullen was where the Cotton Bowl was played. Oklahoma is in the Cotton Bowl for only the third time, its first since a 41-13 loss to Texas A&M on Jan. 4, 2013. The Cotton Bowl will be played two days before Alabama faces No. Pitts announced is turning pro and won't play in the Cotton Bowl.

6 Florida 37-34 on a cool and foggy Saturday night in the Swamp. Florida didn’t help itself with three turnovers in the first half that led to 10 points and a 24-17 deficit. He fumbled trying to scramble with 10 seconds to play in the half, essentially handing LSU a field goal. Florida had first-and-10 at the LSU 15-yard line when Trask tried to connect with Kadarius Toney near the sideline. Florida: The Gators have all kinds of issues heading into the title game.

Arkansas acting head coach Barry Odom, center, watches a stadium video monitor after Florida scored a touchdown during the first half of an NCAA college football game, Saturday, Nov. 14, 2020, in Gainesville, Fla. (AP Photo/Phelan M. Ebenhack)

Trask repeatedly torched the Razorbacks (3-4), who were without coach Sam Pittman and without much of a chance by halftime. It was the second time this season Trask tossed six TDs in a game. “I think I did a great job of executing and being efficient,” said Trask, who now has an SEC-record 27 TD passes and just three interceptions in six games. He became the third player in school history with at least 25 touchdown passes in multiple years, joining Heisman Trophy winners Tim Tebow and Danny Wuerffel. Florida: The Gators have the offense to beat anyone and the defense to keep everyone in games.

8 Florida beat fifth-ranked and undermanned Georgia 44-28 on Saturday. The Bulldogs (4-2), who entered the game as 3½-point favorites, were likely eliminated from College Football Playoff consideration and probably have a quarterback competition moving forward. Trask and the Gators took advantage, burning Georgia repeatedly with wheel routes while overcoming a 14-0 deficit. POLL IMPLICATIONSGeorgia likely will fall out of top 10 of T he Associated Press' college football poll for the first time this season. ___More AP college football: https://apnews.com/Collegefootball and https://twitter.com/AP_Top25

He’s hard to block. … What he’s really good at is rushing the passer like all the Florida guys they’ve had over the past. …“He’s playing really well for them. He’s playing physical. He’s playing hard.

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – The Southeastern Conference fined Florida coach Dan Mullen $25,000 on Monday for his role in a benches-clearing brawl against Missouri. Each of them will sit out the first half of Missouri’s next game, against No. Missouri linebacker Tre Williams was ejected for a flagrant unsportsmanlike conduct foul and will not be punished further. “There is no place in college football for the kind of incident that took place at halftime of the Missouri at Florida game Saturday night," SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey said. Florida’s faithful dismissed Mullen’s strong and somewhat questionable stances as typical brashness for an outspoken coach who’s focused on winning.

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Florida coach Dan Mullen dressed as Darth Vader was fitting considering his last three weeks. Mullen showed up following a 41-17 victory over Missouri wearing a full “Star Wars” villain costume, complete with a red lightsaber. It was closer to perfect given the coach’s uneven October, which included eyebrow-raising comments about wanting to pack the Swamp — Florida Field, not Dagobah — during a pandemic and questioning an NCAA decision regarding practicing on Election Day. Mullen’s month concluded with a lopsided victory that was marred by a benches-clearing melee at halftime. “Never know with Coach Mullen,” safety Brad Stewart said.

It could be costly for Florida (3-1), which plays rival and fifth-ranked Georgia next week in nearby Jacksonville. The referee huddled Missouri coach Eli Drinkwitz and Mullen near the goal line and then announced the ejections. Missouri defensive lineman Tre Williams, Florida defensive end Zach Carter and Florida linebacker Antwuan Powell were tossed. Florida forced a fumble on the ensuing play, and Toney was at it again. Florida plays Georgia in the World’s Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party, which will be limited to about 18,000 fans.

The Latest on the effects of the coronavirus outbreak on sports around the world:___The National Football League and the Players Association announced Tuesday that eight players and 11 other personnel tested positive in the latest round of screening for COVID-19. Coach Dan Mullen, at least two assistants and more than two dozen players tested positive following a road trip to Texas A&M earlier this month. FIU has seen more than 30 players miss time this season because of positive coronavirus tests or a need to quarantine after potential exposure. ___French soccer club Lens says 11 players and seven staff members have tested positive for the coronavirus in the latest round of testing. Last Sunday’s game between Lens and Nantes was postponed after 11 Lens players and two staff members tested positive for COVID-19.

Florida head coach Dan Mullen reacts during the second half of an NCAA college football game against Mississippi in Oxford, Miss., Saturday, Sept. 26, 2020. Mullen was given several more chances Monday, Oct. 12, 2020, to walk back bizarre comments about wanting to pack 90,000 screaming fans inside Florida Field during the coronavirus pandemic. 10 Florida is planning to start returning to its football facility Monday, nearly two weeks after the program shut down because of a COVID-19 outbreak. Coach Dan Mullen, one of more than two dozen Gators who tested positive for the coronavirus last week, sounded congested as he said the team had a new positive Wednesday. '”Mullen suggested Florida would look at potentially changing its road routine, especially in regards to the size of visiting locker rooms around the league.

Mullen made the announcement Saturday on Twitter, saying his initial positive result was confirmed by a second test. The 10th-ranked Gators had at least 21 players and coaches test positive earlier this week, an outbreak that prompted the Southeastern Conference to postpone Florida's next two games. Two assistant coaches also tested positive for the highly contagious virus. Florida has started administering daily tests since it first suspected an outbreak following last week's loss at Texas A&M. Mullen raised eyebrows after the loss to the Aggies by saying he wanted to pack the Swamp against LSU.

(AP Photo/Thomas Graning)The Southeastern Conference has had to postpone two games in the last three days because of positive COVID-19 tests. Vanderbilt coach Derek Mason is going through a similar situation. To play, the SEC requires at least 53 on game days. Timing is critical depending on the day of the week a positive test or tracing result returns. “Every time you’re taking a test," Mason said, “you're crossing your fingers ... you don't have anybody in harm's way."

(Brad McClenny/The Gainesville Sun via AP, Pool, File)GAINESVILLE, Fla. – The Southeastern Conference postponed Saturday’s game between No. 10 Florida and defending national champion LSU a day after the Gators had 19 players test positive for COVID-19. The game was tentatively rescheduled for Dec. 12, the league's built-in bye week before its title game. It's the second SEC game bumped this week, following Missouri-Vanderbilt. Florida paused team activities Tuesday after learning it had 19 positives and about a dozen more quarantined because of contact tracing results.

Florida head coach Dan Mullen reacts during the second half of an NCAA college football game against Mississippi in Oxford, Miss., Saturday, Sept. 26, 2020. 10 Florida paused all team activities Tuesday following “an increase in positive COVID tests among players," putting Saturday's home game against defending national champion LSU in jeopardy. The Gators had 19 positives following Tuesday morning testing, a person familiar with the situation told the Associated Press. He brushed aside criticism and praised his players for how well they have handled COVID safety protocols. The Gators test student-athletes three times a week, with football players getting tested Sunday at noon as well as Tuesday and Thursday mornings.

The Champions Hockey League was due to begin next month in an already-shortened format with a knockout bracket and no round-robin. ___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. ___Slovakia coach Pavel Hapal has tested positive for the coronavirus and will miss the Nations League game against Israel on Wednesday. Two players, Milan Skriniar and Jaroslav Mihalik, and a staff member tested positive before Sunday’s Nations League against Scotland that Slovakia lost in Glasgow 1-0.

Mullen was given several more chances Monday, Oct. 12, 2020, to walk back bizarre comments about wanting to pack 90,000 screaming fans inside Florida Field during the coronavirus pandemic. He declined each of them, brushing aside criticism and insisting he's focused on defending national champion LSU. (AP Photo/Thomas Graning)GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Florida coach Dan Mullen was given several more chances Monday to clarify any confusion regarding his comments about wanting to pack 90,000 screaming fans inside Florida Field during the coronavirus pandemic. He declined each of them, brushing aside criticism and insisting he's focused on defending national champion LSU. “No, I’ve been worried about trying to beat LSU,” Mullen said.

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.

Florida tight end Kyle Pitts (84) breaks away from Mississippi linebacker Jacquez Jones (32) during the second half of an NCAA college football game in Oxford, Miss., Saturday, Sept. 26, 2020. 5 Florida won 51-35. (AP Photo/Thomas Graning)

– Kyle Pitts caught four of Kyle Trask's six touchdown passes and No. 5 Florida spoiled the head coaching debut of Mississippi’s Lane Kiffin with a 51-35 victory Saturday. Trask completed 30 of 42 passes for 416 yards including touchdown passes of 1, 16, 71 and 17 yards to Pitts. Ole Miss (0-1) tied it at 14 midway through the second quarter before yielding to the Trask-led Florida outburst. “As members of the Florida and Ole Miss football teams, we recognize the impact of our personal platforms and are choosing to amplify the issues that directly impact us.

FILE - In this Monday, Dec. 9, 2019, file photo, Lane Kiffin speaks to Mississippi fans after being announced as the new head football coach during a introductory press conference in Oxford, Miss. In attendance were his children, daughters Presley Kiffin, 13, left, Landry Kiffin, 15, second from left, and son Knox Kiffin, 10. Mississippi State's Mike Leach and Mississippi's Lane Kiffin brought big names and offensive pedigrees to the Magnolia State. But they drew huge challenges for their debuts, with the Bulldogs visiting defending national champion and No. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis, File)

Mississippi State's Mike Leach and Mississippi's Lane Kiffin brought big names and offensive pedigrees to the Magnolia State. Mike Leach expected to start his first season at Mississippi State versus New Mexico. Instead, both coaches — and their respective offenses — will encounter stiffer challenges in their Magnolia State debuts. 5 Florida and ex-Mississippi State coach Dan Mullen as two-touchdown underdogs. Before Deion Sanders made a prime-time splash when he was hired by Jackson State on Monday; Leach and Kiffin were splashy hires in the state.

"We're starting to peak at the right time," Auburn senior defensive end Marlon Davidson told reporters. Auburn has allowed 18.1 points per game since the start of 2016. The Tigers have made 299 consecutive extra points - an SEC record and the longest active streak in the FBS. The FBS record is 302 set by Florida State from 2012-16. PREDICTION: Auburn 28, Florida 17More college football scoresCopyright 2019 by WDIV ClickOnDetroit - All rights reserved.

LINE: Florida -33"We talked to the team this week," Florida head coach Dan Mullen said. But for us to even have an opportunity to win that game, we have got to improve this week." "This is one of the best football teams I have ever seen on film," Towson head coach Rob Ambrose told reporters. Florida has given up just seven points in the fourth quarter (a touchdown in the opener by Miami). PREDICTION: Florida 39, Towson 3More college football scoresCopyright 2019 by WDIV ClickOnDetroit - All rights reserved.

Now the challenge will be maintaining the momentum and not getting overconfident against a Tennessee team limping into Gainesville Saturday after a disastrous start to the 2019 season. "If you look at how the year has gone, they're a much better team than they're getting some credit for." "Some little different things we might try just to see as those guys grow and get comfortable," Mullen told reporters. Guarantano has completed 62.7 percent of his passes for his career, a school record just ahead of Peyton Manning (62.5). PREDICTION: Florida 30, Tennessee 17More college football scoresCopyright 2019 by WDIV ClickOnDetroit - All rights reserved.

Fred Johnson #74 of the Florida Gators prepares to enter the stadium prior to the game against the Charleston Southern Buccaneers at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium on September 1, 2018 in Gainesville, Florida. The Gators hung tough for a 24-20 victory, but the sloppy effort left a lot to be desired and they wound up dropping two spots to No. 10 heading into Saturday's home opener against first-time foe UT Martin. The last five minutes of the game, I must've aged like 10 years." PREDICTION: Florida 45, UT Martin 10More college football scoresCopyright 2019 by WDIV ClickOnDetroit - All rights reserved.