College football: Jim Harbaugh fined for criticizing officials; Tommy Tuberville resigns

Jim Harbaugh is not backpedaling on his recent criticism of officials.

Harbaugh said he’s instead ready to agree to disagree with the Big Ten. The conference reprimanded the Michigan coach and fined his school $10,000 for violating the conference’s sportsmanship policy by criticizing officials after a loss to Ohio State.

Harbaugh made his comments after the Wolverines were chosen to play Florida State in the Orange Bowl on Dec. 30.

Harbaugh said he hasn’t talked with Big Ten Commissioner Jim Delaney since being reprimanded. The punishment came after Harbaugh blasted the officiating in a 30-27 double-overtime loss to Ohio State in Michigan’s regular-season finale.

::

Tommy Tuberville resigned as Cincinnati’s coach after his first losing season in four years with the Bearcats.

Cincinnati ended the season with five straight losses and a 4-8 record, missing out on a bowl appearance for the first time in Tuberville’s tenure. Before the season, the Bearcats gave Tuberville a two-year extension that took him through 2019.

“I am not done coaching, and I look forward to my next challenge,” he said in a statement.

It would have cost the school $2.4 million to fire Tuberville. The coaching change comes at the end of a season that was disappointing in many ways, including the Big 12’s decision not to expand. The Bearcats are hoping to move out of the American Athletic Conference.

The 62-year-old Tuberville left Texas Tech in December 2012 to take over a Cincinnati program that had reached its high mark under previous coaches Brian Kelly and Butch Jones. Tuberville led Cincinnati to 9-4 finishes in each of his first two seasons, sharing the American Athletic championship with a 7-1 mark in 2014.

During Tuberville’s tenure, the Bearcats lost all three of their bowl games in blowouts — 39-17 to North Carolina in the Belk Bowl, 33-17 to Virginia Tech in the Military Bowl and 42-7 to San Diego State in the Hawaii Bowl. Tuberville also has been coach at Mississippi and Auburn.

::

Former South Carolina starting quarterback Lorenzo Nunez is leaving the Gamecocks. South Carolina coach Will Muschamp said Sunday that Nunez wants to transfer somewhere he can play quarterback.

Nunez started two games at quarterback his freshman season in 2015, but left the second one against Missouri with a shoulder injury. He played sparingly after that, then was shifted to wide receiver after Muschamp took over as coach.