Groh's dismissal came less than 24 hours after the Cavaliers (3-9 overall, 2-6 Atlantic Coast Conference) lost, 42-13, at home to the 11th-ranked Hokies, finishing their worst season since they were 2-9 in 1982. It also was their eighth loss to the Hokies in Groh's nine tries.

"There is not a coach in the college game who has worked harder than Al Groh in trying to build a football program," athletic director Craig Littlepage said in a statement.

Groh, 65, had two years remaining on his contract and will receive a buyout of approximately $4.33 million, Littlepage said. The search for a replacement will begin immediately.

Groh went 59-53 with the Cavaliers and guided them to five bowl games, including four straight beginning with his second season. The team averaged eight wins over those four years, but managed just one more winning season in his last four, going 9-4 in 2007.

Groh, the ACC coach of the year in 2002 and '07, was 36-36 in conference games.

The Weis watch. Notre Dame coach Charlie Weis and his team returned home to South Bend, Ind., after another disappointing loss to finish the regular season.

Amid rampant speculation that Weis will be fired, all was quiet around the Notre Dame football offices yesterday.

Notre Dame (6-6) finished its regular season with its fourth straight loss, 45-38, at Stanford on Saturday night.

Athletic director Jack Swarbrick has said he will make a decision about Weis' future this week. Weis has six years left on his contract.

The Irish are eligible for a bowl, but must wait for all the tie-ins to be filled and then all of the teams with a winning record to get a shot before they would have a chance to fill an open slot.

Memphis picks Porter. LSU assistant coach Larry Porter, who has a reputation for being one of the nation's best recruiters, was hired to rebuild the team at Memphis.

Porter replaces Tommy West, who was fired Nov. 9 after nine seasons. West coached the Tigers (2-10) the rest of the season, which ended with a 33-30 overtime loss at Tulsa on Friday.

Coaching carousel. Marshall coach Mark Snyder is resigning after a 6-6 season that ended with a 52-21 loss at Texas-El Paso. Marshall went 21-37 during his tenure. . . . Maryland must decide on coach Ralph Friedgen's future. The Terrapins finished with a seven-game losing streak and a school-record 10 defeats. A 19-17 loss to Boston College on Saturday concluded Friedgen's ninth season at his alma mater. If he is dismissed, the school will have to fork over a $4 million buyout. Friedgen has taken Maryland to six bowl games and is 66-46 overall. . . . Bobby Bowden plans to meet with Florida State president T.K. Wetherell later in the week to discuss his future. Bowden said that he wants to coach another year, which would be his 35th in Tallahassee, but he's not sure whether he'll be given the chance. Bowden has 388 career wins, second only to Penn State's Joe Paterno among major college coaches.

SEC showdown. For the second straight season, the Southeastern Conference championship game will be a No. 1 vs. No. 2 matchup.

Again, it'll be Florida against Alabama, but this time the Gators will be top-ranked.

Florida extended its lead in the AP college football poll, receiving 46 first-place votes after routing rival Florida State, 37-10.

The Crimson Tide received seven first-place votes and 1,416 points to edge No. 3 Texas, which received seven first-place votes and 1,414 points.

The SEC title game Saturday in Atlanta will be a de facto national semifinal, with the winner earning a spot in the national title game in Pasadena, Calif., on Jan. 7.