JOHN ZENOR
Alabama wide receiver Jaylen Waddle, center, celebrates with teammates DeVonta Smith, left, and John Metchie III, right, after scoring a touchdown during the first quarter of an NCAA college football game against Missouri, Saturday, Sept. 26, 2020, in Columbia, Mo. (AP Photo/L.G. Patterson)
No. 2 Alabama's electric WR Waddle taking on bigger role

By John Zenor Sep. 28, 2020 03:59 PM EDT
Jaylen Waddle has been one of the nation's most dangerous return men, and a big

Kentucky quarterback Terry Wilson (3) throws a pass against Auburn during the first quarter of an NCAA college football game on Saturday, Sept. 26, 2020 in Auburn, Ala. (AP Photo/Butch Dill)
Nix, No. 8 Auburn pull away from No. 23 Kentucky, 29-13

By John Zenor Sep. 26, 2020 03:32 PM EDT
AUBURN, Ala. (AP) — The first half ended with both teams feeling as if they

FILE - In this Sept. 7, 2019, file photo, Kentucky quarterback Terry Wilson (3) throws the ball during the first half of an NCAA college football game againstr Eastern Michigan, in Lexington, Ky. Terry Wilson has waited for football's return even longer than most of his Southeastern Conference brethren. No. 23 Kentucky's quarterback will take the field again Saturday, Sept. 26, 2020, at No. 8 Auburn, returning from a knee injury that cost him almost all of last season. His Tigers' counterpart in the SEC's opening weekend is Bo Nix, coming off a strong freshman season.(AP Photo/Bryan Woolston, File)
Wilson leading No. 23 Kentucky into opener at No. 8 Auburn

By John Zenor Sep. 24, 2020 12:58 PM EDT
AUBURN, Ala. (AP) — Kentucky quarterback Terry Wilson has waited for football's

FILE - In this Nov. 9, 2019, file photo, Alabama coach Nick Saban reacts during the first half of the team's NCAA college football game against LSU in Tuscaloosa, Ala. Alabama allowed 18.6 points per game nationally last season, good enough for 13th nationally. But it’s still the most the Tide has given up since 2007, Saban’s first year in Tuscaloosa. (AP Photo/Vasha Hunt, File)
SEC football opens minus big crowds, tailgating, some stars

By John Zenor Sep. 23, 2020 02:35 PM EDT
Southeastern Conference football games won’t have their normal scenes of packed

FILE - In this Jan. 10, 2020, file photo, the video board at Dudy Noble Field at Mississippi State University in Starkville, Miss., welcomes new NCAA college football head coach Mike Leach.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. 6 LSU and the Rebels hosting No. 5 Florida. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis, FIie)
New Magnolia State coaches prepare for challenging debuts

By John Zenor Sep. 22, 2020 04:20 PM EDT
Lane Kiffin’s Mississippi home debut was supposed to come against Southeast

FILE - In this Nov. 9, 2019, file photo, Alabama coach Nick Saban reacts during the first half of the team's NCAA college football game against LSU in Tuscaloosa, Ala. Alabama allowed 18.6 points per game nationally last season, good enough for 13th nationally. But it’s still the most the Tide has given up since 2007, Saban’s first year in Tuscaloosa. (AP Photo/Vasha Hunt, File)
Alabama coordinator expects better from Crimson Tide defense

By John Zenor Sep. 20, 2020 12:08 PM EDT
Pete Golding doesn’t make excuses for Alabama’s uncharacteristic defensive

FILE - In this Dec. 9, 2019, file photo, Lane Kiffin responds to reporters questions at a news conference, after being introduced to Mississippi fans as their new NCAA college football coach in Oxford, Miss. Kiffin is trying to lead Ole Miss to a rebound from a 4-8 season. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis, File)
Kiffin not promising instant turnaround at Mississippi

By John Zenor Sep. 01, 2020 05:58 PM EDT
New Mississippi coach Lane Kiffin isn't promising a repeat of his near-instant

FILE - In this Nov. 10, 2018, file photo, Mississippi State quarterback Nick Fitzgerald (7) is sacked by Alabama linebacker Dylan Moses (32) and linebacker Anfernee Jennings (33) during the second half of an NCAA college football game, in Tuscaloosa, Ala. Moses was selected to The Associated Press preseason All-America first-team, Tuesday, Aug. 25, 2020. (AP Photo/Butch Dill, File)
Roll redemption: No. 3 Alabama aims to restore dominance

By John Zenor Sep. 01, 2020 11:01 AM EDT
Alabama coach Nick Saban stressed the importance of humility to his players in

FILE - In this Jan. 12, 2020, file photo, LSU head coach Ed Orgeron speaks during a news conference for the NCAA College Football Playoff national championship game in New Orleans. LSU coach Ed Orgeron is looking to add a defensive back to the 2020 Tigers at a time when uncertainty caused by the coronavirus pandemic could theoretically help him land an established player from another major conference. “We’re a little short” at cornerback,” Orgeron said during a video media conference Tuesday, Aug. 25, 2020. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip, FIle)
SEC remains loaded in season when little else is normal

By John Zenor Sep. 01, 2020 10:57 AM EDT
The Southeastern Conference is trying to carry its football season on amid the

Auburn coach Gus Malzahn talks to players during the first team meeting of the season for the NCAA college football team, Sunday, Aug. 16, 2020, in Auburn, Ala. (AP Photo/Todd Van Emst via AP)
No. 11 Auburn banking on Nix, successful overhaul on lines

By John Zenor Sep. 01, 2020 08:10 AM EDT
The Auburn Tigers have played for a Southeastern Conference championship,

Austin Peay players warm up for the team's NCAA college football game against Central Arkansas on Saturday, Aug. 29, 2020, in Montgomery, Ala. (Jake Crandall/The Montgomery Advertiser via AP)
College football kicks off COVID-19 style in Alabama

By John Zenor Aug. 29, 2020 09:45 PM EDT
MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — With masks, social distancing and mostly empty stands,

FILE - In this Sept. 21, 2019, file photo, Central Arkansas head coach Nathan Brown walks on to the field before the start of an NCAA college football game against Hawaii in Honolulu. When Central Arkansas and Austin Peay signed up to play in the first game of the college football season, little did they know how notable it would become. The FCS schools will kick off the shortened season Saturday, Aug. 29, 2020, in the Guardian Classic before a limited number of fans amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Brown says “we are the show in Week Zero and the game to really kick off football, not just college football but also professional football." (AP Photo/Eugene Tanner, File)
COVID Kickoff: Central Arkansas-Austin Peay begin the season

By John Zenor Aug. 28, 2020 05:55 PM EDT
MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — When Central Arkansas and Austin Peay signed up to play

FILE - In this March 19, 2019, file photo, Georgia coach Kirby Smart speaks with the media on the first day of spring NCAA college football practice, in Athens, Ga. As he prepares to welcome his players back to campus, Georgia coach Kirby Smart says they'll be safer working out in supervised conditions but are free to stay away if they don't feel comfortable. He also urged fans to take necessary precautions against the coronavirus if they "want to have a football season." (Joshua L. Jones/Athens Banner-Herald via AP, File)
COVID-19, not championships, hot topic at SEC practices

By John Zenor Aug. 17, 2020 07:09 PM EDT
Southeastern Conference teams opened preseason camp Monday with the precarious

FILE - In this Dec. 5, 2014, file photo, the SEC logo is displayed on the field ahead of the Southeastern Conference championship football game between Alabama and Missouri in Atlanta. The Southeastern Conference will play only league games in 2020 to deal with potential COVID-19 disruptions, a decision that pushes major college football closer to a siloed regular season in which none of the power conferences cross paths(AP Photo/John Bazemore, File)
SEC contenders must navigate 10 games versus league foes

By John Zenor Aug. 01, 2020 07:25 PM EDT
MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — The Southeastern Conference has

FILE - In this March 12, 2020, file photo, Big Ten Commissioner Kevin Warren addresses the media in Indianapolis after it was announced that the remainder of the Big Ten Conference men's basketball tournament had been canceled. Warren, the first black commissioner of a Power Five conference, is creating a coalition to give the league's athletes a platform to voice their concerns about racism. Warren announced Monday, June 1, 2020, the formation of the Big Ten Anti-Hate and Anti-Racism Coalition, with athletes, coaches, athletic director and university chancellors and presidents. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy, File)
Big Ten scraps nonconference football games due to pandemic

By John Zenor Jul. 09, 2020 04:17 PM EDT
The Big Ten Conference announced Thursday it will not play nonconference games

FILE - In this Jan. 3, 1984, file photo, Auburn head coach Pat Dye, center, rushes onto the field after his team beat Michigan 9-7 in the Sugar Bowl at the Superdome in New Orleans. Former Auburn coach Pat Dye, who took over a downtrodden football program in 1981 and turned it into a Southeastern Conference power, has died. He was 80. Lee County Coroner Bill Harris said Dye passed away Monday, June 1, 2020, at the Compassus Bethany House in Auburn, Ala.(AP Photo, File)
Former Auburn football coach Pat Dye dies at 80

By John Zenor Jun. 01, 2020 02:59 PM EDT
College Football Hall of Famer Pat Dye, who took over a downtrodden Auburn

FILE - In this March 12, 2020, file photo, Greg Sankey, commissioner of the Southeastern Conference, talks about the decision to cancel the remaining games in the SEC NCAA college basketball tournament, in Nashville, Tenn. College sports leaders have repeatedly said there can be no college sports without campuses being open to students. And those decisions will be made with guidance from state and local public health and government officials. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey, File)
SEC schools expect campuses to be open in the fall

By John Zenor May. 06, 2020 06:33 PM EDT
All but one of the 14 schools in the Southeastern Conference have indicated

Alabama football coach Nick Saban attends the first half of an NCAA college basketball game between Alabama and LSU, Saturday, Feb. 15, 2020, in Tuscaloosa, Ala. (AP Photo/Vasha Hunt)
Nick Saban favors extra teaching time, not longer fall camp

By John Zenor Apr. 02, 2020 04:28 PM EDT
Alabama coach Nick Saban doesn’t believe extending preseason camp for college

Defensive end Marlon Davidson runs through defensive drills during Auburn NCAA college football Pro Day, Friday, March 6, 2020, in Auburn, Ala. (AP Photo/Julie Bennett)
Auburn's Brown, Davidson hoping to share first-round status

By John Zenor Mar. 06, 2020 05:45 PM EST
AUBURN, Ala. (AP) — Derrick Brown and Marlon Davidson came to Auburn together,

North quarterback Shea Patterson of Michigan (7) throws a pass during the first half of the Senior Bowl college football game Saturday, Jan. 25, 2020, in Mobile, Ala. (AP Photo/Butch Dill)
Washington State's Anthony Gordon leads North in Senior Bowl

By John Zenor Jan. 25, 2020 05:52 PM EST
MOBILE, Ala. (AP) — Washington State quarterback Anthony Gordon is used to