BOCA RATON, Fla. -- Lane Kiffin was only 31 when the Oakland Raiders provided his first opportunity to become a head coach, and he insisted that he was ready.He was wrong.And he probably wasnt ready to coach Tennessee at 32 or USC at 34, either.Now 41, and freely acknowledging that hes made more than a few mistakes along the way, Kiffin thinks hes truly ready this time to lead a program -- and Florida Atlantic is betting hes right. Kiffin signed his five-year contract to become the Owls new coach on Tuesday, a deal paying him $950,000 annually and coming with a stiff buyout if he wants to leave anytime soon.The things you go through, if you look at them the right way and you learn from them, they make you stronger, Kiffin said. I know that sounds like a line, but they do. Ive got a unique life with a lot of unique experiences, but that makes me so much better prepared and so confident about doing this. Probably 10 years ago, I wouldnt have gone about this the right way. But you change.Hell live a double life for the next few weeks. Kiffin is still the offensive coordinator No. 1 Alabama -- hes going to be there for Tide coach Nick Sabans 7:30 a.m. staff meeting in Tuscaloosa on Wednesday -- preparing for a College Football Playoff semifinal against Washington on Dec. 31 while trying to build a staff at FAU.Some major changes await. Kiffin once counted 48 people at an Alabama staff meeting; there is no way to get 48 people into what will be his staff room at FAU. But in three years under Saban, Kiffin learned from one of the best in the college game and plans to incorporate those lessons in sunny Boca Raton.People grow up, FAU athletic director Patrick Chun said. Its a small enough industry where you can call people, we have mutual friends who would tell me what they think. We spent two three-hour settings together and the good thing with Lane, you dont have to spend a minute evaluating the football piece. This was about fits, values, who are you ... thats where he won me over.Kiffin poked plenty of fun at himself Tuesday, referencing some of his well-known past squabbles with coaches such as Urban Meyer and how Saban seemed to have a penchant for giving him a number of ass-chewins during his three years with the Tide.Chun said hes certain FAU is getting a more humble, less brash Kiffin -- who has family in Florida, including his father, longtime coach Monte Kiffin.He simply wanted to be the next head coach of FAU more than anyone else we talked to, Chun said.At Alabama, Kiffin was part of a program that has been ranked every week and no lower than No. 3 in any of the last 21 installments of the AP Top 25. At FAU, he inherits a program that has won 15 games in the last four years and has never received a single vote in the AP poll.FAUs last home game this season drew less than 6,000 fans. With Kiffin, the Owls expect plenty of extra eyeballs.The school in the world that is trending most on Twitter in the last 24 hours is FAU, school president John Kelly said.Kiffin becomes the fifth coach in FAU history, after Howard Schnellenberger, Carl Pelini, Brian Wright and Charlie Partridge. The Owls are giving Kiffin $1.7 million for assistant coach salaries, and his buyout starts at $2.5 million in the first year and decreases by $500,000 in each subsequent year.Kiffin went 5-15 with the Raiders in 2007 and 2008. He was 7-6 at Tennessee in 2009, then bolted for USC -- where he went 28-15 in parts of four seasons. The Owls hope both sides can revive the other; FAU went 3-9 in each of the last three seasons and hasnt been to a bowl since 2008.It was very obvious that Florida Atlantic is committed to winning and committed to doing it together, Kiffin said. At Florida Atlantic, we will see great things happen. For us to do the impossible, we have to see the invisible.Kiffin met with the FAU players on Monday night, about two weeks after Chun met with them to tell them why he fired Partridge and promised hed deliver the best coach to lead FAU forward.He felt that was a promise kept.I was able to present to our team the best coach possible, Chun said.---More AP college football: www.collegefootball.ap.org and https://twitter.com/AP-Top25Vegas Golden Knights Shirts . -- The Bishops Gaiters are showing they belong among the countrys top varsity football teams. Golden Knights Jerseys China . "Theyve both been real good," said Babcock. "Havent changed our minds." A decision has seemingly been made - Sundays Group B-deciding tilt against Finland ahead - but it could not have been an easy one. Price opened the tournament with a sturdy 19-save performance against the Norwegians, yielding just one goal. https://www.cheapgoldenknights.com/ .J. -- New York Giants wide receiver Victor Cruz will miss the rest of the season after having surgery on his left knee. Custom Vegas Golden Knights Jerseys . - The Oakland Raiders re-signed offensive lineman Khalif Barnes on Friday. Cheap Golden Knights Jerseys . Ferrer, trying to win his fourth title on Mexican soil, will next play South Africas Kevin Anderson, who eliminated American Sam Querrey,7-6 (2), 6-4. Also Wednesday, Gilles Simon (6) of France beat Donald Young of the United States 6-4, 6-3, Ukraines Alexandr Dolgopolov downed Frenchman Jeremy Chardy 6-3, 6-4 and Croatias Ivo Karlovic defeated Dudi Sela of Israel 7-6 (4), 6-2. Perhaps the most remarkable statistic of Tim Duncans Hall of Fame career, which ended when he announced his retirement Monday morning, was this: Duncan never won Defensive Player of the Year.In fact, despite making the All-Defensive First or Second Team 15 times -- far and away the most since the NBA introduced the All-Defensive teams in 19688-69 -- Duncan never even finished second in the voting for Defensive Player of the Year.dddddddddddd.Nonetheless, as Duncan heads into retirement, its worth pondering whether hes the best defender in NBA history. ' ' '