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Illini Bringing Back Bill Cubit; Despite 5-7 Illini Could Still Make Bowl Game; NCAA Foobtall Notes

Bill Cubit has agreed to be the coach at Illinois for the next two years.

The appointment awaits the expected approval by the school's board of trustees.

 width=Cubit was promoted from offensive coordinator to interim coach after Tim Beckman was fired just before the start of the season. The Illini are 5-6, 2-5 Big Ten heading into Saturday's regular-season finale against No. 17 Northwestern (9-2, 5-2) at Soldier Field.

Interim athletic director Paul Kowalczyk says Cubit "has stepped in during an extremely difficult period and done an outstanding job."

Cubit will make $1.2 million per year.

Cubit joined the Illinois staff as offensive coordinator in 2013. He has a head coaching record of 90-70-1, including stints at Widener and Western Michigan.

>>Despite Losing Record, Illini Could Play in Bowl Game

With osses by Kentucky, Minnesota, Illinois and others on Saturday meant there will not be enough six-win teams with .500 records to fill a record 40 bowls.

At least two teams with a 5-7 record will be in the postseason, and maybe as many as five.

Indiana and Virginia Tech did get their sixth victories of the season Saturday, upping the total number of bowl-eligible teams to 75.

South Alabama, Kansas State and Georgia State could still get to six next week. But that's it.

With all that considered, it may be time to discuss the possibility there are just too many bowl games.

>>Oklahoma Jumps Iowa in Top 25 in AP Poll; Big Ten Dominates Coaches Poll

After a huge win on the road in Bedlam against Oklahoma State, Oklahoma moves up from No. 5 to No. 3 in this week's AP Top 25 poll. The Sooners jumped Iowa this week, despite the Hawkeyes' win over Nebraska on Friday to remain undefeated.

Other winners in this week's AP Top 25 are Ohio State (No. 8 to No. 6), North Carolina (No. 11 to No. 8), Stanford (No. 13 to No. 7) and Florida State (No. 14 to No. 10).

This week's biggest losers are Notre Dame (No. 4 to No. 9), Oklahoma State (No. 9 to No. 14), Baylor (No. 7 to No. 12), Michigan (No. 12 to No. 19), Navy (No. 16 to No. 22) and Florida (No. 10 to No. 18).

Entering the poll this week are LSU (No. 23), USC (No. 24) and Wisconsin (No. 25).

Dropping out of the AP Top 25 this week are UCLA, Mississippi State, Toledo and Washington State.

The final Coaches Poll of the regular season is out, and the Big Ten dominates the top of the rankings.

Three of the top six teams come from the Big Ten with Iowa (No. 3), Michigan State (No. 5) and Ohio State (No. 6) all lurking near the top after wins over the weekend.

Clemson maintains the No. 1 ranking in the Coaches Poll, but it did lose some first-place votes after struggling with South Carolina this weekend. Alabama, Iowa and Oklahoma all won convincingly this week and each saw an increase in first-place votes because of it.

Oklahoma moves up from No. 5 to No. 4 after dominating in Bedlam. Other winners this week are Ohio State (No. 8 to No. 6), North Carolina (No. 11 to No. 8), Stanford (No. 12 to No. 7) and Florida State (No. 14 to No. 9).

This week's biggest losers are Notre Dame (No. 4 to No. 10), Oklahoma State (No. 10 to No. 14), Baylor (No. 7 to No. 12), Michigan (No. 12 to No. 19), Navy (No. 15 to No. 22) and Florida (No. 9 to No. 15).

Entering the poll this week are LSU (No. 23), USC (No. 24) and Wisconsin (No. 25).

Dropping out of the Coaches Poll this week are UCLA, Mississippi State and Washington State.

>>Georgia Fires Mark Richt

Georgia has fired coach Mark Richt after 15 seasons at the helm of the Bulldogs, the school confirmed to CBS Sports' Dennis Dodd and later announced. Georgia finished 2015 with a 9-3 record after beating rival Georgia Tech on Saturday in Atlanta.

The Bulldogs have referred to Richt's departure as a mutual parting of ways with athletic director Greg McGarity saying Richt will be given the "opportunity to accept other duties and responsibilities at UGA following the bowl game."

Richt for his part did not immediately accept Georgia's offer, which likely puts to rest the notion that retirement is an option for the veteran coach. "I appreciate the opportunity of serving the University as well as considering other options that may present themselves," Richt said in the statement.

Richt led the Bulldogs to a 145-51 record (83-37 SEC) in his 15 seasons in Athens and took Georgia to a bowl game every year since taking over in 2001.

He won six SEC East division titles (2002, 2003, 2005, 2007, 2011, 2012), two SEC Championships (2002, 2005) and was a two-time SEC Coach of the Year (2002, 2005) in his time at Georgia.

The Bulldogs did not live up to lofty expectations the last few seasons as the preseason SEC East favorite, failing to win the division the last three years. After finishing with four straight wins to end the year with a 9-3 record despite injuries to key players -- most notably star running back Nick Chubb -- many of the rumors that were swirling after Georgia's loss to Florida had subsided.

That finish to the year was not enough to keep Richt around, however, as the Bulldogs have decided to make a coaching change.

>>LSU Says Miles Staying

If Les Miles' tenure at LSU was to be over, his players gave him a farewell to remember. But notions of Miles leaving the Tigers changed moments after LSU's 19-7 victory over Texas A&M on Saturday as athletic director Joe Alleva made it known that the team's football leadership would not be changing.

Alleva said quote-"I want to make it very clear and positive that Les Miles is our football coach and he will continue to be our football coach. Les and I have talked about this program. We are committed together to working to win to compete at highest level."

"We're going to go forward together and win championships here at LSU."

Prior to Alleva's comments, LSU players carried Miles off the field on their shoulders.

>>Reports Indicate Former Miami Coach Butch Davis Interviewing for School's Vacancy

Whether Butch Davis returns as Miami's football coach remains very much up in the air, but it appears the architect of the Hurricanes' early-Aughts juggernauts at least has his foot in the door.

FootballScoop reported Sunday that Davis "met with UM representatives yesterday." That report was quickly confirmed by the Palm Beach Post.

The Miami Herald reported in late October that Davis had been included in the Hurricanes' initial pool of candidates to replace Al Golden, and that school administrators were "taking a hard look at him."

The 63-year-old Davis' age and controversial 2011 departure from North Carolina amid the cloud of an academic scandal mean he might not be the top candidate on the Hurricanes' list. But Davis has made no secret of his desire to return to the post he held from 1995 to 2000, when he took over a sanction-hampered Hurricanes program, built it into the 2000 Sugar Bowl champion, and set the table for the legendary 2001 national champions coached by Larry Coker.

In an October radio interview, Davis said quote-“Obviously, I'd love to be considered for that opportunity. Age is just a number. I've been the biggest kid on my block the entire life. I've got all the energy. I love recruiting. It's something I've loved my entire career.”

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