Report: Florida not considering Rich Rodriguez, Dan Mullen as next coach

Arizona coach Rich Rodriguez and Mississippi State coach Dan Mullen will not be candidates to replace Florida coach Will Muschamp. Florida fired Muschamp on Sunday, the day after a 23-20 overtime loss to South Carolina dropped the Gators to 5-4 on the season.

Arizona coach Rich Rodriguez and Mississippi State coach Dan Mullen will not be candidates to replace Florida coach Will Muschamp, ESPN's Brett McMurphy reports.

Florida fired Muschamp on Sunday, a day after a 23-20 overtime loss to South Carolina dropped the Gators to 5-4 on the season. Muschamp will coach the team for the rest of the season before leaving. He has gone 27-20 in nearly four years at Florida.

Mullen's Bulldogs opened the season 9-0 and were the No. 1 ranked team in the country before losing to Alabama on Saturday. The 42-year-old Mullen is in his sixth season as head coach and has a 45-29 record at Mississippi State. Prior to joining Mississippi State, Mullen was Florida's offensive coordinator for four seasons under Urban Meyer, winning two national championships.

• STAPLES: Where does Florida go from here?

Rodriguez, 51, has led the No. 15 Wildcats to an 8-2 record and has gone 24-12 during nearly three seasons as the team's head coach. In three seasons at Michigan, Rodriguez went 15-22 and did not win a bowl game. He had his most successful run with West Virginia, where he went 61-26. Rodriguez finished his tenure with West Virginia with three straight bowl victories, including two BCS games.

The Gators host Eastern Kentucky on Saturday and close the regular season at home against No. 1 Florida State on Nov. 29.

• ELLIS: FSU back to No. 1 in AP poll, Mississippi State to 4

- Paul Palladino