CFB notebook: TT's Kingsbury, UNC's Fedora fired

Texas Tech has fired coach Kliff Kingsbury following a third straight losing season. "I'd like to thank Kliff Kingsbury for his six years of dedication leading our football program," athletic director Kirby Hocutt said in a statement. "He's worked very hard and represented us in a first-class manner." Kingsbury has posted a 35-40 overall record (19-35 in Big 12) over six seasons with the Red Raiders, who dropped a 35-24 decision to Baylor on Saturday. He still had two years remaining on his contract with a $4.2 million buyout. Kingsbury served as the offensive coordinator at Houston and Texas A&M prior to taking over at Texas Tech. --North Carolina fired coach Larry Fedora following a second straight nine-loss season. Fedora posted a 45-43 mark and guided the Tar Heels to four consecutive bowl appearances in his seven seasons with the school. The team, however, resided in the cellar of the ACC Coastal Division for the second straight campaign following a 2-9 mark (1-7 in conference play) in 2018. North Carolina's only wins this season came versus Pittsburgh on Sept. 22 and Western Carolina on Nov. 17. "We appreciate all that Larry Fedora has done for us over the last seven years -- coming to Carolina in the midst of an NCAA case and bringing stability to our football program when we most needed it," athletic director Bubba Cunningham said in a statement. --Illinois handed coach Lovie Smith a two-year contract extension, the school announced Sunday. The new deal pushed Smith's agreement with the Fighting Illini through the 2023 season. Smith, who signed a six-year contract worth $21 million in 2016, has posted a 9-27 record in three seasons with Illinois. The Fighting Illini concluded a 4-8 season with a 24-16 loss to No. 20 Northwestern on Saturday, one week after a disastrous 63-0 setback to Iowa. "We recognize that our work is far from finished, with improvement needed in every phase of our program's development, but our plan is sound and our resolve is stronger than ever," Illinois athletic director Josh Whitman said in a release Sunday. "As I have said on many occasions, stability and continuity are key to building a foundation that will yield long-term success." --Coach Clay Helton will return for a fourth season with USC, athletic director Lynn Swann announced Sunday. Under Helton's watch, the Trojans recorded their first losing season since 2000 following a 5-7 campaign. "It is my firm belief that we have a good team returning next year and a solid foundation in place, and that Clay Helton is a good coach," Swann said in a statement. Helton guided USC to the Pac-12 Championship Game during his first season in 2015, the Rose Bowl title the following year and the Pac-12 championship in 2017. He owns a 26-13 mark in three full seasons as coach.