Nutt, Rebels Try to Handle Pressure of Expectations

Ole Miss’ Houston Nutt: The Rebels and their head coach have been riding the wave of optimism since their Cotton Bowl win over Texas Tech. Ole Miss is a preseason top 10 pick in most polls and is being touted as the team to beat in the SEC West. Winning the West and perhaps the SEC crown — although Florida is an overwhelming pick to repeat as SEC and national champions — is a possibility, but making that happen is often more difficult as the favorite. Last year, Nutt and the Rebels made their move a bit under the radar. This year, that won’t be the case. It will be interesting to see how they both respond. – Mobile Press-Register

Dantonio: MSU is “last coaching job”

Michigan State coach Mark Dantonio completed another off-season radio interview over the weekend, this time with a station in Lakewood, Ohio, outside of Cleveland. No major news came from the session, but a few interesting tidbits resulted from the questions Dantonio received from Glenn Moore and Dan Brock on “The Dugout Sports Show.” When asked if he had any interest in other coaching jobs, Dantonio cut off the end of the question to say MSU was his last stop. “This is our last coaching job as a family,” he said. “This is where I want to be. I’m 53 years old, so … Michigan State’s a great place, I was here for six years prior to coming back here. I try to keep my eyes and focus on what we’re doing here, so I’m here for the long term.” – Detroit Free-Press

Cincy Extends Kelly

Cincinnati has given football coach Brian Kelly a contract extension, adding a year at nearly $1.5 million. The school said Monday that Kelly is guaranteed $1.475 million to coach the Bearcats through the 2013 season. He had been signed through 2012. – AP