Nov 29, 2015 6 min read

Les Miles looked to his right, beyond a crowd of reporters to where his wife, Kathy, and their four children had been waiting anxiously for the 62-year-old coach to emerge from LSU’s locker room. He smiled and gave them a reassuring wink.

After coaching the Tigers to a 19-7 triumph over Texas A&M Saturday night, Miles learned that he’d survived an apparent behind-the-scenes campaign to oust him at least for now.

If Miles wants to see his current contract through to its 2019 expiration, LSU likely will have to be better than it was this season. The Tigers (8-3, 5-3 Southeastern Conference) were eliminated from contention for an SEC crown with two games left in the regular season and endured the first three-game skid of Miles’ 11 seasons at LSU. Those results had led to speculation that Miles could be out of job after this weekend’s home finale.

”We’re a talented football team. We seemed to undershoot our mark this year,” Miles said shortly after LSU athletic director Joe Alleva announced that there are in fact no plans to make a coaching change. “Winning championships is something Joe wants to work toward fully and I’m right with him. It’s not enough to win occasionally. You have to win all the time. I get that.”

LSU has not played in an SEC championship game since winning the league in 2011.

The Tigers also have struggled to develop quarterbacks since Miles arrived in 2005, when he inherited JaMarcus Russell and Matt Flynn. Miles was able to bring in Zach Mettenberger, who is now a backup in the NFL with Tennessee, but Mettenberger only came to LSU after being kicked out of Georgia and spending a season in junior college.

Rutgers fires coach, AD: Rutgers fired football coach Kyle Flood and athletic director Julie Hermann Sunday, stripping the athletic department of its most prominent employees after a season that was a failure on and off the field.

University President Robert Barchi announced that Patrick Hobbs, Dean Emeritus of the Seton Hall University School of Law, will take over for Hermann.

Barchi decided last week to make a change in leadership, he said in a statement, and told the football team of the change at about 2 p.m. Sunday. As players left the team meeting room about 45 minutes later, everyone declined to comment except senior Quentin Gause, who was team captain.

”Just business decisions,” Gause said was the message from Barchi. “Everyone cares for Flood, but decisions have to be made.”

Virginia Tech hires coach: Virginia Tech has hired Memphis’ Justin Fuente to be its next football coach.

The school made the announcement Sunday, bringing a quick end to its search to replace the retiring Frank Beamer after 29 seasons. The school also said longtime Hokies defensive coordinator Bud Foster, thought to be a candidate for the job, will remain in that position at Fuente’s request.

Fuente, 39, has spent the past four seasons at Memphis, turning a struggling program into a winner. The Tigers, who compete in the American Athletic Conference, were 10-3 last season, including a 55-48, double-overtime victory against BYU in the Miami Beach Bowl.

Richt will leave Georgia: Georgia coach Mark Richt is stepping down after 15 seasons in what is being called a “mutual” decision.

Georgia athletic director Greg McGarity says he met with Richt Sunday morning “to discuss the status of our football program” and “mutually agreed that he would step down as head coach and would have the opportunity to accept other duties and responsibilities at UGA following the bowl game.”

The decision was announced in a statement released by Georgia.

Georgia (9-3) concluded its regular season with Saturday’s 13-7 win over Georgia Tech.

Richt was 145-51 with two SEC championships.

Virginia coach resigns: Mike London has resigned as the football coach at Virginia after six seasons.

Athletic director Craig Littlepage says in a release from the school that he met with London on Sunday morning and both agreed that a change was in the best interest of the program.

The move comes one day after Virginia lost 23-20 to state rival Virginia Tech, its 12th consecutive loss in the series. It left London with a 27-46 record at the school.

Source: Iowa State settles on coach: A person briefed on the decision tells the Associated Press that Toledo coach Matt Campbell will be Iowa State’s new football coach.

The person spoke on condition of anonymity because an announcement was still in the works, though one was expected Sunday. At Iowa State, Campbell will replace Paul Rhoads.

The anticipated announcement would come on Campbell’s 36th birthday, making him one of the youngest head coaches in FBS. In four seasons with the Rockets, he is 35-15.