• Sark gets his bark on. No official announcement, but per ESPN's reporting Wednesday night, independent confirmations of USC offensive coordinator Steve Sarkisian followed quickly from most of the relevant places, including one from a Husky who notes wistfully, "They put up 56 on us." Expect a press conference Sunday or Monday, after the Huskies and Trojans close out their regular seasons in very different fashion on Saturday. Sarkisian's first task: Become the Anti-Ty.

Husky fans should be aware that Sarkisian's entire career track is one long, elaborately-conceived, beautifully-orchestrated opportunity to take sweet vengeance on Washington from the inside for dealing his beloved BYU Cougars their only loss in a 14-1 season in 1996. You know what they say: Revenge is a dish best served with a middling West Coast offense. I'll be interested to see how Jukin' Jake Locker and his erratic arm fit into Sarkisian's "pro style" system.

• It wasn't my idea, fellas, ya gotta believe me. Maybe because he's been taking so much heat about the apparent dismissal of a coach with Tommy Tuberville's track record, Auburn athletic director Jay Jacobs was emphatic Thursday that the decision was all Tuberville's:

Auburn coach Tommy Tuberville’s job was not in jeopardy when he decided to step down and he declined several requests from his bosses to reconsider, athletic director Jay Jacobs said Thursday.

Jacobs said Tuberville’s departure after 10 mostly successful seasons was "completely his decision" and that the coach would be leading the Tigers next season if he had not chosen to leave.

"To say the least, I was a little shocked," the AD said. "But after three times of asking him would he change his mind, he convinced me that the best thing for him and his family and for this football program was for him to possibly take a year off and take a step back.

"I asked him three times (to reconsider), and so did the president," he said.

Mother Tuberville definitely does not agree with that recollection, though Tuberville himself isn't saying murder or suicide. He's just saying he's going to get his $5.1 million buyout -- though it wasn't owed him because he wasn't fired, according to Jacobs, it was just "the right thing to do" -- and leave the intrigue to the press.

Jacobs can still get out of this OK if he lands Mike Leach. The other names floating around -- Jimbo Fisher and Houston Nutt, for example -- seem too absurd to take seriously given those coaches' current security. Leach is the only "big name" on the market, and Auburn the only top-20 job with a vacancy. The best reaction the Tigers are going to get with any other hire is "meh."

• Krags has the right people in his corner. Even before last night's unmerciful, 63-14 beatdown at Rutgers (actually, as it was 49-0 at the half, Rutgers may have demonstrated considerable mercy) I got a couple rumors in the inbox suggesting Thursday's game would be Steve Kragthorpe's last at Louisville. The loss was the Cardinals' fifth straight, dropped them to 5-7 overall and 1-6 in the Big East, good for dead last -- yes, even below Syracuse, courtesy the Orange's shocking head-to-head win on Nov. 1. That was one of only three conference wins Greg Robinson collected at the 'Cuse, and the second in two tries against Kragthorpe. Even with bowl-eligibility on the line, the Cardinals that showed up Piscataway were listless, hopeless and thoroughly outclassed by an outfit that had plenty of reasons of its own to give up in October: The Knights ran up 671 yards, Mike Teel threw seven touchdown passes (six in the first half) on 17 yards per throw and the same team that began the year 0-5 against I-A competition banked its sixth straight win, by an average of 25 points.

But Louisville AD Tom Jurich immediately defended Kragthorpe, who's 11-13 in two years after taking over a 13-1 Orange Bowl winner. According to Jurich: "He's fighting through it." According to one commenter at Card Chronicle during the game: "Maybe 'Coach' will leave for Michigan State at halftime." No such luck yet, guys.

Quickly ... Michigan wrapped up its season in a terse banquet, and potential transfer risk Sam McGuffie was conspicuously absent. ... Longtime Tennessee DC John Chavis is at the top of Dabo Swinney's defensive coordinator wish list at Clemson. ... Al Golden has rejected overtures from Syracuse, possibly to pursue the Penn State gig in the near future? ... You think the L.A. Times will go one way with USC-UCLA, and they switch it up on you: Rick Neuheisel's still smelling like roses, while USC football just isn't the same without Norm Chow. ... Miami's going to a bowl, but has no idea where. ... Percy Harvin is still questionable for the SEC Championship with a bum ankle. ... Sam Bradford will have surgery on his non-throwing hand the morning after the Big 12 Championship game. ... And serially troubled Tennessee safety Demetrice Morley was arrested Thursday on a warrant and a big misunderstanding.