Around the SEC Week 9: Butch Jones has lost control of Tennessee

Ed Orgeron is 3-0 as LSU’s interim head coach, and should the Tigers remain on that upward trajectory, it’s difficult not to make the case that he should become the full-time man in charge down on the Bayou. Especially if he pulls out a win over an undefeated No. 1 Alabama this Saturday.

Steven Godfrey has the goods on LSU’s top four choices for head football coach in the event LSU athletic director Joe Alleva takes a pass on promoting DA COACH O. FSU’s Jimbo Fisher and Houston’s Tom Herman are early clubhouse favorites, while West Virginia’s Dana Holgorsen and UCLA’s Jim Mora are also being bandied about. Whoever it will be, consensus in Baton Rouge agrees that an offensive mind is the proper direction to move in.

That’s good news for Tiger fans, since the LSU gig commands one of the best salaries in FBS, and anyway their program moxie would allow them to entertain any number of options on their shopping list. Plus, the prospect of Dana Holgorsen plopping down in the SEC West’s backyard is hilariously entertaining.

Let’s check in on other news and notes from around the conference this week.

Tennessee is hemorrhaging players from its vaunted 2014 recruiting class.

Here’s Every Time I Die’s Keith Buckley screaming “I’LL MEET YOU OVERBOARD,” which is totally in reference to Rocky Top’s very bad week.

Following an atrocious showing against Will Muschamp’s South Carolina Gamecocks — a win that puts Coach RageFace at 5-0 all time against the Vols — Tennessee fans were undoubtedly shocked to find out that star running back Jalen Hurd decided to transfer on Monday. Reports were sketchy throughout Monday morning, with beat writers and Barrett Sallee alternately tweeting that Hurd was, then wasn’t, then was again in fact transferring. Finally, Butch Jones confirmed the announcement in his weekly coaches presser.

Hurd apparently fancies himself a skill player that’s NOT running back, and if he feels that leaving Knoxville is what’s best for him, then he needs to do that. Is there anyway this could sting even more?

Classic.

Anyway, the day before Hurd announced his departure, big-time Ole Miss target who eventually signed with Tennessee Jonathan Kongbo posted a fairly cryptic message to the social media service Twitter.

Read a certain way, Kongbo could’ve been saying that his time with the Vols was coming to an end. Indeed, it’s rumored that he’s largely unhappy with playing defensive tackle rather than his preferred defensive end position. So, it was probably refreshing to Vols Nation when Butch Jones clarified what the tweet was in reference to. Via Rocky Top Talk:

Jones also shut down the rumors surrounding DE Jonathan Kongbo following this tweet, saying it was related to a game of FIFA and that Kongbo is still a part of the program, while also saying he thought team chemistry might improve following this weekend’s drama.

Everything’s JUST FINE in Knoxville. Nothing to see here.

Nick Saban turned 65 years old on Monday.

Yes, Nick Saban was born on Halloween. Lord Deathstar shares a birthday with your yearly excuse to wear funny clothes and hopefully not embarrass yourself and your loved ones on social media. What do you buy Nick Saban for his birthday?

Finally, an automated device with which to conduct every conversation with Lane Kiffin. Here are some other gift ideas for SEC Darth.

• Slow cooker
• One lump of coal
• Fuzzy handcuffs
• Make the Bear Bryant statue outside Bryant-Denny four inches shorter
• NFL job with winning team
• Deep-pocketed Devoted boosters
• Linemen being allowed downfield
• Vacate Ole Miss’ 2014-2015 wins

Regarding that NFL job, Monday also saw the confirmation of a report that Saban was more than somewhat interested in the New York Giants head coaching position last year after Tom Coughlin was let go mid-season. The Giants of course hired Ben “Large Windbreaker Man” McAdoo, but not before agents and friends-of-friends communicated Saban’s apparent interest in returning to the pros. What a strange, odd world the SEC West would be without that diminutive genius.

Elsewhere around the SEC ...

Good Bull Hunting asks the very important question: what if Wikileaks hacked SEC coaches’ email accounts? Also, there’s something off about how normal Dan Mullen is.

Rock M Nation has started their annual SEC basketball previews, and they’re rather high on Ole Miss.

Alabama opened as a touchdown favorite over LSU, the first time they’ve been favored by single digits all season.