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Virginia fired Al Groh after nine seasons as football coach at his alma mater Sunday, ending a tenure marked by his inability to beat rival Virginia Tech. His dismissal came less than 24 hours after the Cavaliers (3-9, 2-6 ACC) lost 42-13 at home to the No. 11 Hokies, finishing their worst season since 1982. It was Virginia's 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," athletics director Craig Littlepage said in a statement. "Football is his life and he dedicated himself to the university and to our football team."

Groh, 65, issued a statement Sunday night in which he said he felt "very fortunate" to have been given the opportunity to coach at Virginia.

"I am an ordinary guy who has been lucky to have been around some extraordinary players and coaches who put me in a position to enjoy many fulfilling games and seasons," he said.

MARSHALL: Coach Mark Snyder resigned Sunday, a day after the Thundering Herd lost 52-21 to UTEP to finish the regular season at 6-6. Snyder, who went 21-37 in five seasons, said he made the decision after meeting with athletics director Mike Hamrick.

AP POLL: For the second straight season, the Southeastern Conference championship game will be a No. 1 vs. No. 2 matchup. Again, it will be Florida against Alabama, but this time the Gators will be top-ranked.

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

Alabama received seven first-place votes to edge No. 3 Texas, which received seven first-place votes and 1,414 points. The top six was unchanged for the third consecutive week. North Carolina fell out of the poll from No. 23 after a 28-27 loss to N.C. State.