Yesterday evening Auburn’s Gene Chizik and Tennessee’s Derek Dooley lost their jobs.

At least if you believe everything you see on Twitter.  In reality, of course, neither man was officially jettisoned from his school on Sunday.

But that didn’t make Sunday evening any easier for a site that tries to cover 14 schools and 28 football and basketball teams.  We had to chase the rumors with calls and texts.  All to arrive right back where we’d begun.

My cell phone started ringing shortly after 5:00pm ET with word that Vol officials had just informed Dooley that he would not be back in 2013.  I called around until I had two Tennessee sources who said they had heard that UT’s embattled coach got the news about 5 o’clock or 10 after.

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1. Arkansas AD Jeff Long on replacing football coach Bobby Petrino: “The thought of changing the system that it took all spring practice to install has impacted my decision.”

2. When will the decision be made: ”I hope to make a decision in days, and it won’t be weeks before we have a decision.”

3. Record crowd for Razorbacks spring game.  The man in charge at Arkansas?  It’s quarterback Tyler Wilson.

4. Message the same at Mississippi State where it’s now Tyler Russell’s team.

5. Bulldogs wide receiver Jameon Lewis sparkles in the Maroon and White game.

6. Some answers from the Grove Bowl. Some questions as well – including one about former Kansas State quarterback Brock Berglund.

7. Ole Miss doesn’t name a starting quarterback after the spring game – which went into overtime. Both Bo Wallace and Barry Brunetti look sharp.

8. At the Orange and White game, Tennessee running back Marlin Lane is the star. A good day for the running backs. But what about QB Tyler Bray - is he ready to take his game to the next level?

9. Derek Dooley: “(M)aking a lot of critical mistakes in critical situations, that’s obviously something we’ve got to get better at before next fall.”

10. 2,300 non-renewals for season tickets at Neyland Stadium.

11. At Kentucky’s Blue-White game, did the Wildcats discover some play makers?

12. Joker Phillips: ”I’m really pleased with our tight ends right now.”

13. Can Kentucky football draw inspiration…from Kentucky baseball?

14. Former Maryland offensive lineman Max Garcia is now a Florida Gator.

15. It’s a wide-open competition at linebacker for the Auburn Tigers.

16. It’s looking like Jameill Showers will be Texas A&M’s quarterback this fall.

17. A potential first-round pick at one point, former Georgia tight end Orson Charles now expects to go much later.

18. Expect a lot of former LSU Tigers to get the call during the NFL draft. Cornerback Morris Claiborne expected to be a top-five pick.

19. Frank Martin, the son of Cuban immigrants, and the long road to South Carolina.

Extra

20. Bobby Petrino makes this list of Top 10 sports sex  scandals since 2000.

21. Best seat for a sporting event – your living room?

Former Tennessee player and defensive line coach Chuck Smith is returning to Knoxville today and will hold a press conference outside Neyland Stadium.  So why is that news?  Because Smith was fired from UT shortly after signing day amid rumors that he failed to get along with Vol defensive coordinator Justin Wilcox.

Smith is planning to tell his side of the story and — according to sources close to him — he wants to make it very clear that he did not quit on his alma mater.

As we pointed out at the time of his departure, there had been rumors swirling that Smith could not get along with at least two coaches on UT’s defensive staff, including his boss, Wilcox.  Wilcox had been a target of Mack Brown for Texas’ defensive coordinator position in December, but he elected to stay in Knoxville.  Many assumed that Wilcox stayed — in part — because Derek Dooley agreed to jettison Smith, who had actually been an old high school teammate of the Vols’ head coach.

How bad were things between Smith and Wilcox?  Some in the Knoxville media have heard that the two actually had a physical confrontation right around the time of Smith’s departure.  Questions about that alleged incident might just come up when Smith meets with the media today.

While many Vol fans praised the hiring of Smith, it was an unusual step for Dooley.  Smith had spent years in the media and running his own football camps prior to joining the UT staff.  He had also served for one season as a pass rush consultant for the New York Jets.  But he had never been an actual coach.

The lesson: Hiring a fiery ex-player might win over the fanbase, but it won’t mean much if the guy’s not cut out to be a college coach.

Of course, Smith probably sees things differently.  We’ll know more later today.

Tennessee completed its rally from 2-6 to bowl eligibility with a 24-14 win over Kentucky on Saturday at Neyland Stadium. UT has beaten the Wildcats for 26 consecutive years.
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After taking down Vanderbilt to gain bowl eligibility two weeks ago, the University of Kentucky football team returns to the field to take on the Tennessee Volunteers at Neyland Stadium in Knoxville, Tenn., in its regular-season finale Saturday.
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Tennessee wrapped up practice preparations Thursday for this weekend’s SEC showdown against Kentucky. Saturday’s home finale marks the final Neyland Stadium appearance for 15 departing senior players.
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1.  Florida running back Emmanuel Moody has been humbled by a disappointing senior season.

2.  Saturday’s game with Florida State has bowl and recruiting implications for the Gators.

3.  “Gators’ offense searching for answers.”  (We could have copied and pasted that headline on dozens of UF stories all fall.)

4.  Billy Donovan’s squad zipped past Florida Atlantic 79-66 last night.

5.  A number of juniors could be playing their final home game for Georgia on Saturday.

6.  UGA will be trying to avoid disaster against Georgia Tech.

7.  Aaron Murray has been “pain-free” and is ready to play.  “I don’t care if I had a broken leg, I’m gong to play in this game.”

8.  Kentucky receivers coach Tee Martin will head down Tee Martin Drive on his way to Neyland Stadium on Saturday.

9.  Randall Cobb will be making a homecoming, too.

10.  John Calipari’s team got through an earthquake and Washington’s basketball team on Maui yesterday.

11.  The NCAA will likely hear Kentucky’s appeal in the Enes Kanter eligibility case during the first week of December.

Tennessee beat Mississippi 52-14 on Homecoming at Neyland Stadium. Freshman Tyler Bray threw for 323 yards.
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Tennessee head coach Derek Dooley spent time with the media Monday during his weekly luncheon at Neyland Stadium.
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