GUS MALZAHN

Auburn is retaining coach Bryan Harsin after an investigation into his program.

Sarkisian is the new head football coach at the University of Texas. (AP Photo/Vasha Hunt, File)Steve Sarkisian was out of college football five years ago, having lost a dream job because of his struggles with alcoholism. Now Sarkisian is a head coach again, landing the job at Texas after helping Alabama win a national championship as offensive coordinator. Plus, Urban Meyer's first misstep as an NFL coach and Gus Malzahn lands at UCF. Ad___Follow Ralph D. Russo at https://twitter.com/ralphDrussoAP and listen at https://westwoodonepodcasts.com/pods/ap-top-25-college-football-podcast/___More AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/college-football and https://twitter.com/AP_Top25

FILE - Auburn head coach Gus Malzahn argues a call during the first half of an NCAA college football game against Alabama in Auburn, Ala., in this Saturday, Nov. 30, 2019, file photo. Central Florida hired Gus Malzahn as its football coach Monday, Feb. 15, 2021, a little more than two months after he was fired by Auburn. “I truly believe that this is a program of the future in college football,” Malzahn said. Arkansas State won a conference title that season before Malzahn returned to Auburn as head coach. Ad“This is one of the top 25 coaching jobs in all of college football,” Malzahn said.

15 Northwestern’s defense made it stand up in a 35-19 victory over Auburn in the Citrus Bowl on Friday. Ramsey, a graduate transfer, totaled 291 yards passing and 50 yards rushing for Northwestern (7-2), which won its fourth straight bowl game. Auburn was led by interim coach Kevin Steele following the Dec. 13 firing of Gus Malzahn and was missing several key players. The Tigers got within 14-13 when Nix hit Elijah Canion for a 57-yard touchdown midway through the third quarter. Ramsey put Northwestern ahead 14-0 on first-quarter TD passes of 35 yards to Chiaokhiao-Brown and 6 yards to Raine.

25 San Jose State will face perennial conference powerhouse Boise State in the Mountain West championship on Saturday, Dec. 19, 2020 in Las Vegas. “I’m incredibly excited and humbled for the opportunity to be at a place like Auburn University,” Harsin said in a statement. Malzahn led Auburn to the Southeastern Conference championship and into the national championship game in his first season, 2013. Harsin has a proven track record as a head coach, more so than any Auburn coach in recent memory. Boise State won at least nine games in each of his first six seasons.

Auburn head coach Gus Malzahn listens to an official's call during the second half of the team's NCAA college football game against Mississippi State, Saturday, Dec. 12, 2020, in Starkville, Miss. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis)Auburn fired football coach Gus Malzahn, ending an eight-year run that began with a trip to the national championship game. The Tigers also were upset by a struggling South Carolina, which wound up firing coach Will Muschamp during the season. “After evaluating the state of the Auburn football program, we’ve decided that it was time to make a change in leadership," Greene said in a statement. Auburn will owe Malzahn a $21.45 million buyout for the remaining four years of a seven-year, $49 million deal.

A Sept. 30 memo after the opening weekend of the SEC season included a reminder to coaches to be mindful of masking up and following other sideline protocols. According to the latest memo, going forward SEC schools will be “assessed a $100,000 reduction in Conference revenue” for failure to adhere to requirements. Repeat offenders will face an increase in lost revenue by $100,000 per offense and even suspensions, the memo said. The NFL has fined several coaches $100,000 for improper use of face coverings and docked their teams $250,000. Georgia coach Kirby Smart acknowledged this week he had been talked to by the commissioner and others about keeping his mask on.

Stetson Bennett threw for 240 yards and a touchdown, solidifying his hold on the quarterback job as No. Postal Service cap in an effort to get noticed, Bennett was never viewed as a starting candidate for the Bulldogs. No matter the time of year, Georgia kept the upper hand with a fourth straight victory over Auburn. Georgia star Richard LeCounte got the boot in the second period for a helmet-to-helmet collision with Auburn receiver Shedrick Jackson. His work can be found at https://apnews.com/search/paulnewberry___More AP college football: https://apnews.com/Collegefootball and https://twitter.com/AP_Top25

Texas A&M coach Jimbo Fisher, left, talks with quarterback Kellen Mond (11) during the first half of an NCAA college football game against Vanderbilt Saturday, Sept. 26, 2020, in College Station, Texas. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)

including the Deep South's Oldest Rivalry, highlights the fifth week of the college football season. 4 Georgia on Saturday night as the second month of the season starts, but only the second week of SEC play. The first of three games that decide the Commander-in-Chief's Trophy might have sneaked up on college football fans. The Falcons will play six conference games to go along with Navy and Army. ___Follow Ralph D. Russo at https://twitter.com/ralphDrussoAP and listen at http://www.westwoodonepodcasts.com/pods/ap-top-25-college-football-podcast/___More AP college football: https://apnews.com/Collegefootball and https://twitter.com/AP_Top25

8 Auburn scored twice in the fourth quarter to pull away from No. 23 Kentucky for a 29-13 victory Saturday in the season opener. Nix delivered some big plays to start an encore to a promising freshman season, especially to Williams. He completed 24 of 37 passes for 239 yards and ran for 42 yards. Auburn: Has to get better on third-down defense, giving up eight first downs on 10 Wildcats attempts in the first half.

There are 130 major college football teams, spread across 41 states and competing in 10 conferences, save for a handful of independents. The Friday announcements are the latest signs that a college football season will be launched in some form this fall. The NCAA updated that ruling Friday by saying voluntary activities would be allowed in all sports starting June 1. Greg Abbott said Friday he thinks college football will return on schedule with at least some spectators. Once we get to college football season, our goal right now is to have college football season start as planned, with fans in stands, Abbott said in an interview with Austin television station KXAN.