The joke's over at Kentucky. After being out-coached and having his team out-played in all but one game this season, Big Blue ousted Joker Phillips as head coach following a 40-0 embarrassment at the hands of Vanderbilt.

One of the least desirable coaching spots in the SEC is now up for grabs, however, just because it is a stepping stone coaching destination does not mean that it's a coaching graveyard. Phillips predecessor, Rich Brooks, had Big Blue heading in the right direction with four consecutive bowl appearances in his last years with the team.

Phillips performed well in his first year by bringing the Wildcats to a bowl game but the wheels started to misalign in his second year and fell off completely in his third and final year. He will be allowed to coach in Kentucky's final two games of the season (Samford and Tennessee) but the coaching search should be in full swing by the time their season comes to an inglorious end.

So, who should replace Phillips and try to right the ship in Lexington? Below are five candidates that should be on Kentucky's radar. And before you ask, no, Bobby Petrino is not on the list. I feel that he will land at Auburn after they fire Gene Chizik which I'll address in another article. Now on to the list:

LSU was up against a pretty tough battle on Saturday in College Station.  First, the Tigers were coming off an emotional, hard fought win the previous week against South Carolina.  Combined with the early kickoff, it screamed "let down game".   Then, you had the reality that the 20th ranked Aggies have a pretty good football team with a solid home field advantage.  The Aggie program had the LSU game circled on the calendar as their biggest game in their inaugural SEC season.  They wanted this one bad.  So for LSU to win this game on the road was no small feat and one that should be celebrated rather than nitpicked.   In those circumstances, you take victory any way you can get it.  

LSU got off to an alarmingly slow start.   After some adjustments by the Chief, the defense started to figure out A&M's offense.  Then, they went one step further and completely controlled them.  The offense took some time but eventually got the running game going a bit, again with Jeremy Hill leading the way.  As we know and have said many times here, nothing else LSU tries to do on offense works unless they're running the football.  After falling behind 12-0 early, LSU went on a 24-0 run before A&M scored very late against a soft, prevent-style LSU defense.  At the end of the day, LSU had racked up 219 yards rushing and the defense came up big with several turnovers.    

More movers and shakers this week in the SNS Top 25. The Ol' Ball Coach was another victim of playing Saturday night in Death Valley as the LSU offense awoke out of its' slumber. The revamped offensive line held the potent South Carolina defensive line at bay while the Tiger's running back by committee just battered, bruised, and beat down the Gamecocks defense. The loss was enough to topple South Carolina out of the top 10 and was enough for LSU to move back into it.

The Tuberville magic in Lubbock was in full effect as West Virginia was left seeing stars after the beat down at the hand of the Red Raiders. Welcome to the big boy league, Mountaineers. It will only become more difficult as three of their next four opponents are ranked, however, each ranked opponent gets to come to Morgantown. Kansas State, TCU, and Oklahoma all get to visit the “friendly” confines of Milan-Pusker Stadium. A key Big 12 showdown between Optimus Klein and the Kansas State Wildcats are West Virginia's next test.

Speaking of the Big 12, Mack Brown's seat is sizzling as the Red River Rivalry became the Red River Rout as Oklahoma opened up a can of good, old-fashioned whoop-ass on Texas. It all depends on how things play out the rest of the season but the Longhorns could be looking to replace Brown after this year.

Now, that's more like it. 

It was not perfect by any means, but LSU played a lot like the team we were all expecting to see in 2012.  The most obvious and important take away from the game is that LSU re-established its identity on offense as a power running team.   LSU ran for 258 yards and nearly five yards per attempt against what used to be one of the top run defenses in college football.  As I mentioned in last week's write-up, this entire offense was built around the premise that LSU would run the ball effectively.  Everything they try to accomplish on offense is a by-product of the running game.   So when it looked like this team might not be able to run the football worth a damn, things were looking pretty bleak.  By showing the college football world that LSU can still run the football down your throat, they made it clear that they don't intend to go away quietly this season.  

I can tell you....I'm just so excited to be putting together thoughts about this game.  
 

Big Picture
What is pretty clear at this point is that this team is not good offensively.  At least not right now.  Not even close.  The team wasn't just "sleep walking" through the Auburn and Towson games.  Those games were not the anomaly.  The game against Washington is the anomaly.   What we saw in that game is what most of us were looking forward to all summer.  A devastating run game combined with an efficient quarterback that could make all the throws.  However that game seems like forever ago now, doesn't it? 

If you are a red-blooded American man (or woman), yesterday was a great day for college football (unless you're a fan of LSU, Florida State, or Georgia). Saturday's in the fall remains unpredictably insane as it didn't take long for history to repeat itself as three of the Top 5 teams in the country lost yesterday. That same feat happened last year on November 18^th and 19^th. Because of that, there is considerable movement at the top of the SNS Top 25 this week.

Alabama is still ranked #1 but it was extremely difficult to not put South Carolina in the top spot. The Ol' Ball Coach is back, which is great for college football. LSU stumbles out of the top 25 following an offensively anemic performance against Florida and, as usual, Ohio State isn't ranked because they're banned from postseason play.

Five teams fell out of the Top 25 after losing Saturday – TCU, Nebraska, Washington, Northwestern, and UCLA. That being said, five new teams enter the rankings – an undefeated from the MAC, another undefeated from the WAC, and an academic elite that usually saves its best performances for the basketball court.

LSU Basketball Coach Johnny Jones has hit the ground running since he was named LSU's coach in April.  His first order of business was to beat the bushes and find some capable players for next year's basketball team.  

Jones held onto the commitment of star shooting guard Malik Morgan and then added two more guards in Shane Hammink and Corban Collins.  He also added junior college swing man Shavon Coleman and junior college forward Calvin Godfrey.  Unfortunately, Godfrey didn't make it academically so he won't be on the team.   But with such little time to work with, Jones did a great job of bringing in several players that can contribute at the SEC level.  And even though LSU's team might not be ready to win big in 2012/13, these new players will get plenty of experience, which will serve the program well in the very near future.  

Saturday, LSU put together one of the least inspiring efforts I have seen in Tiger Stadium in a very long time.  I'm not one to overreact on this site, whether good or bad, but I can honestly say that LSU's performance against Towson was total horse shit.  I'm not sure I have ever been angrier and more disappointed after a victory than I was on Saturday.  And that says a lot considering what happened a couple of years ago against Tennessee.  

Look...I get it.  The opponent was Towson.  The players knew all they had to do was show up, and they would win.  They probably treated the entire week like a bye week, and that's not really a bad thing to be honest.   It also rained all day, and there was no atmosphere whatsoever.  So when the game started, it was not that surprising that a maximum effort was not given.  And when that's the case, you'll see missed tackles, penalties, fumbles, holes not open when they should, missed blocking assignments and communication problems.   And that crap is frustrating as a fan because you want to see your team look sharp and build some momentum as they head towards the toughest stretch of the season.  I'm quite sure the coaches share that frustration.  

LSU went into Auburn and earned a victory, and that's only the second time since 1998 that we've been able to say that.  However, the general feeling among Tiger fans right now is one of "Uh-oh!" and that's certainly understandable considering the circumstances.   I'm certainly concerned, but after watching the game a second time, I'm less concerned than I was on Saturday night and less concerned than most others seem to be.  

LSU started this game out perfectly.  The defense forced a quick three and out and the offense took the ball straight down the field on a nice looking drive.  Even Mettenberger's fumble on the goal line did not prove costly.  The defense converted it into a safety, and the offense got the ball right back.  They finished the job the second time, scoring a touchdown and giving LSU a 9-0 advantage.   Mettenberger started the game 5 for 5.  LSU had a few nice runs, using different backs.  And the defense was suffocating.  After another Auburn punt, LSU got the ball again and was looking to add to their lead.  At that point, another LSU score would have likely taken the air completely out of that place.  Instead, Mettenberger fumbled the ball while being sacked.  In three short plays, Auburn was in the end zone, the stadium became electric, and LSU fans everywhere buckled down and let out a collective "Oh shit!  Here we go".   

Freak stuffs a 4th and 1 attempt

LSU's game against Idaho resembled their first game against North Texas.  The Tigers came firing out of the gates and jumped to a 14-0 lead.  Then, the team seemed to take the foot off the gas a bit and lost some focus.  Idaho responded with an interception near their goal line and turned it into a touchdown.  They also had a nice touchdown drive.   But, LSU woke up, stepped on the gas again and rolled to a 63-14 victory.