Houston's Herman says coaching rumors don't affect team

HOUSTON (AP) - Houston coach Tom Herman says he is annoyed about reports that he has been contacted for the LSU job and insists the chatter does not affect his sixth-ranked team.

"It's really a non-issue," Herman said Monday. "We are so very open and honest in our program that if it was I would know about it. It's not an issue because our guys have been educated to know that whatever they need to hear about me is going to come from me and it's going to be the truth."

Herman has become a hot commodity for coaching vacancies after leading the Cougars to a 13-1 record and a win over Florida State in the Peach Bowl in his first season before helping Houston to a 4-0 start this year.

On Sunday, Herman talked to reporters after practice and refuted a report that said his agent had been contacted by LSU after coach Les Miles was fired this weekend.

"You know my stance," he told reporters. "I'm never going to comment about another job during the season. It's not fair to our players. It's not fair to whatever university these reports are about. It's not fair to anybody."

He said on Monday that he wasn't going to waste more time and energy talking about false reports regarding his future.

"Me ranting and raving about it's not going to change it," he said. "I still think irresponsible journalism is more and more prevalent than it ever has been and it stinks because it affects people's lives and livelihood and there's no recourse or repercussions ... instead of me ranting and raving, I have to spend my energy focused on a lot more productive things because I'm not going to change it. I don't know what will or if it ever will."