Reports of a 10 a.m. CT press conference in Oxford, Mississippi, to announce, well, anything regarding the future of Ole Miss' football program are untrue. However, rumors swirl that Rebels head coach Houston Nutt has or will be fired following Ole Miss' 30-13 loss to Kentucky on Saturday.
Nutt's future might actually be of secondary concern in Oxford: The rise of "Forward Rebels," a group of self-described concerned fans and alumni, has put pressure on University of Mississippi athletic director Pete Boone to step down, with multiple newspaper advertisements and media appearances beginning after the 2010-'11 athletic season yielded no postseason appearances in the Rebels' three largest revenue generating sports, football, basketball and baseball.
"If [Boone's] job wasn't in question as well, we would probably have seen a decision on Nutt made by now," said one source inside the University of Mississippi Athletic Department.
The loss to the Wildcats Saturday was the program's 12th consecutive in the conference dating back to last season, when Nutt followed two nine-win seasons at Ole Miss by with an overtime loss at home to FCS opponent Jacksonville State in the season opener. Ole Miss is currently 2-7 (0-6 SEC). In the program's 120 year history, Ole Miss has never suffered ten losses in a single season.
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