ATLANTA - Georgia started feeling good about its chances when the scoreboard flashed the Tennessee-Kentucky score.
Still, the Bulldogs could not celebrate like they wanted after beating Georgia Tech. They had to wait until Florida lost to Florida State, which occurred on the bus ride back to Athens on Saturday.
Georgia's spot in the SEC Championship Game wasn't official until Sunday, when the conference announced that, yes, the Bulldogs won the East in a three-way tiebreaker and would face West champ LSU on Saturday.
What a ride it was.
First, a hasty change in the SEC's tiebreaker formula three weeks ago, avoiding the embarrassment of a winner decided by a vote of athletic directors. Then three decisive games on the last day of the regular season - two involving nonconference opponents. Finally, a sneak peak at the BCS standings Sunday, a day before the list is released publicly, to determine the winner.
Georgia beat out Tennessee and Florida under the convoluted tiebreaker, which combined BCS standings and head-to-head results. While the SEC didn't release the BCS numbers, this was clear: Georgia and Tennessee were ahead of Florida and within five places of each other, which gave the title to the Bulldogs by virtue of their 41-14 win over the Vols.
COACHING CHANGES: Nebraska fired coach Frank Solich because athletic director Steve Pederson believed the program was slipping in stature compared to its Big 12 rivals. "I refuse to let the program gravitate into mediocrity," Pederson said. "We won't surrender the Big 12 to Oklahoma and Texas."
Despite firing a coach with a 9-3 record this season and a 58-19 career mark, Pederson said he is not running a "win at all costs" program. He said he did not like the direction the program was taking. Since starting 11-0 in 2001, the Cornhuskers have been 16-12.
At Nevada, Chris Tormey was fired after failing to guide his team to a winning record in four seasons. The Wolf Pack finished the season 6-6. Athletic director Chris Ault cited Tormey's overall record of 16-31 and failure to beat in-state rival UNLV as factors in the firing.
BCS PICTURE: Hawaii's 37-29 win over Alabama on Saturday likely helped USC's strength of schedule ranking in the BCS poll, due out today. An Alabama loss hurt LSU's strength of schedule. USC likely will reach the Sugar Bowl vs. Oklahoma with a win over Oregon State in Saturday's regular-season finale. But BCS analyst Jerry Palm figured a way LSU could pass USC. The Tigers lead USC in two of the major computer rankings considered, according to last week's BCS rankings. If LSU defeats Georgia in the SEC championship, the Tigers may flip-flop with USC in several more computer polls, then the overall average would swing in LSU's favor.
ACC HONOR: N.C. State senior quarterback Philip Rivers was unanimously named conference player of the year. He completed 311-of-438 for 4,016 yards and 29 TDs this season.
AUBURN: Coach Tommy Tuberville will meet with his bosses to evaluate the program today, but a new recruiting process already has begun. And it doesn't involve trying to lure another coach. The university is trying to put closure on a turbulent week in which Auburn president William Walker and athletic director David Housel admitted to a secret meeting with Louisville coach Bobby Petrino two days before the Iron Bowl on Nov.22. The search firm Walker indicated "arranged" the meeting with Petrino was actually an unpaid individual who assisted in arranging the interview about possibly replacing Tuberville, an Auburn spokesman said.
UCF: Linebacker Antoine Poe was moved out of an Orlando ICU, two days after injuring his spinal cord against Miami of Ohio. Poe stood for the first time since the injury, school officials said. Poe was hurt while defending a screen pass in the second quarter of UCF's 56-21 loss.
