Kiffin becomes coach at Ole Miss, steps down at FAU

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- There is not a ton of challenge in ranking the top college football teams. My Cousin Milan could do it.

Clemson. Alabama. Georgia. Toss in Ohio State to keep Big Ten readers engaged. Mention Notre Dame to get everybody writing nasty emails.

I've got a more entertaining way of ranking teams -- The Top Five/Bottom Five.

Five programs or coaches who had a delightful week. And five programs or coaches who didn't.

There will be a test at noon.

Top Five

1. Lane Kiffin, Ole Miss -- How good has Kiffin been in three weeks in Oxford? The record says his team is only 1-2, with the one being a gift overtime victory against Kentucky.

Wrong.

Kiffin's offense pushed Nick Saban's blood pressure to 210/115 Saturday night when the Rebels hung 48 dazzling points on the Crimson Tide. Saban was so hot after the game that he hinted Ole Miss was stealing Alabama's signs. Kiffin thought that was hilarious.

Ole Miss was so entertaining that the SEC Network TV crew calling the Kentucky-Mississippi State spent the last 15 minutes of that game encouraging viewers to change the channel to watch Ole Miss/Bama.

If you watched Ole Miss/UK and then Mississippi State, ask yourself this:

Which coach would you rather have rebuilding your program: Kiffin or Mike Leach of Mississippi State?

2. Louisville 2019 -- Things have been so ugly for the Cards the last three weekends that I figured it was appropriate to give one final shoutout to the same group of players for winning eight games last season. How'd they do it?

3. Jimbo Fisher, Texas A&M -- He rallied to beat Florida and no longer has to hear that the Aggies gave him a 10-year, $75 million contract with a complete buyout no matter if he never wins the SEC West. Until he loses his next recruit.

4. The Big Ten -- Neither the Big Ten nor the Pac-12 has started its season but Ryan Day's league has five unbeaten teams ranked in the AP Top 25 while the Pac-12 only has a pair.

5. Mack Brown, North Carolina -- The Tar Heels are ranked fifth in the latest poll in a sport that isn't played by Michael Jordan months after their basketball team went 14-19.

Oh, and Texas, the program that thought Brown, 69, was too old to take the Longhorns to the college football playoffs, just lost to Oklahoma again, slipping to 2-2 while allowing 36 points a game.

Bottom Five

5. Bo Pelini, LSU -- There is a reason Pelini was coaching at Youngstown State after he was fired by Nebraska.

LSU paid Dave Arranda $2.5 million last season to direct a defense that gave up an average of 344 yards per game. The Tigers won a national title.

LSU is paying Pelini $2.3 million this season to direct a defense that is giving up an average of nearly 495 yards a game. The Tigers could not beat Mississippi State or Missouri.

4. Mark Stoops, Kentucky -- Before SEC play began, Stoops fired a shot at the defense that he watching on TV in other leagues (it certainly sounded like the Atlantic Coast Conference), by saying:

"There's going to be nobody open. We have to create space. We have to get guys open … We play 10 SEC games, and I can promise you you're not going to see that stuff where there's green grass all over the place and easy throws and guys open. Because we're not going to see that."

Five SEC teams, including mighty Florida, mightier Alabama and once mighty LSU are allowing more than 450 yards per game.

People are open -- everywhere.

3. Louisville 2020 -- The Cardinals have gift-wrapped the football to their opponents 11 times. Only three of 76 FBS teams in the country have turned it over more. When you give up 46 points to Georgia Tech, the sirens go off.

What's going on, fellas?

2. Derek Mason, Vanderbilt -- Not only are the Commodores the last winless team in the Southeastern Conference, they have scored fewer points (26) in three games than eight SEC teams are averaging this season. Apparently, Vandy is still facing great SEC defense.

Who gets the Vandy job?

Not Bo Pelini or eve faux Bo Pelini.

1. (Fill in the blank with your favorite program) IS BACK!!!

Texas is not back.

Tennessee is not back.

Miami is not back.

And let me get ahead of the crowd by saying that Nebraska and USC aren't back either.

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