Is Florida really the No. 1 team?
Thursday night, the Florida Gators staked their claim as the best college football team.
The Gators did it in impressive fashion. They compiled a 13-1 record in what some consider the toughest conference in college football -- the SEC. They also did it with an exciting playmaker at quarterback in Tim Tebow.
In the BCS championship game, only the Oklahoma Sooners stood in Florida's way of its second title in three seasons. The Gators took care of business with a 24-14 win and hoisted their second crystal football as college football's national championship.
Credit Florida coach Urban Meyer for quickly guiding the Gators back to the top of the college football world.
But one has to ponder one questions. Are the Gators really the best team from the 2008 season?
The media and coaches polls consider the Gators the top team in the land. Florida also got the nod from the computers that helped designate the top teams in the BCS poll.
Until a college football playoff system is in place, a champion will always be determined by computers and a panel of voters.
That's unfortunate because a champion should be determined by what happens on the playing field.
Florida is deserving of the championship. With the exception of a one-point loss to Ole Miss, the Gators took care of businesses every week.
But there are other teams that can make a strong case to be No. 1.
What about the Utah Utes?
The Utes finished as the only undefeated team in major college football at 13-0. They also beat three teams from BCS conferences, including a 31-17 win over Alabama in the Sugar Bowl.
But the biggest negative for Utah was the conference it played in -- the Mountain West Conference. Non-BCS teams don’t get the respect they deserve throughout the season, and that hurt the Utes in the long run.
What about the USC Trojans?
USC had another impressive season with a 12-1 record, another Pac-10 championship and one of the most talented teams in college football.
But for USC to play for a national title, it must go undefeated. Of all major BCS teams, it has the smallest margin for error, especially playing in what is considered a weaker conference. One conference loss could basically shatter the Trojans' championship dreams.
What about the Texas Longhorns?
Texas had an equally impressive season with a 12-1 record and beat four teams ranked 11th or higher during the season. The Longhorns also competed in one of the toughest conferences and finished in a three-way tie for the Big 12 championship.
But the biggest negative for the Longhorns was that they didn't win their conference championship game. In fact, they lost out on the tiebreaker to a team they beat -- Oklahoma.
The Longhorns were left out of the mix in the end.
So where does that leave the 2008 college football season?
It leaves it with an undisputed champion in Florida and several teams arguing that they deserved a chance to play for the championship.
Utah, USC and Texas may have had what it took to beat Florida in the BCS championship game, but it's something we will never know.
Unless a playoff system is implemented, all we can do is accept the system that's in place now and congratulate the team that comes out on top.
Copyright (c) 2009 HoumaToday.com
Utah's Win Echoes WVU's 2006, 2008 BCS Bowl Victories
Because I live in a Mountaineer-centric universe, I can draw a comparison between nearly any current sporting event and a WVU sporting event in the past.
But I don't have to stretch too far to see shades of WVU's 2006 Sugar Bowl win over Georgia and WVU's 2008 Fiesta Bowl win over Oklahoma in Utah's win last night over Alabama.
The second comparison is more obvious to make: Utah, like WVU in 2006, was a heavy underdog coming from a poor-mouthed conference headed to play a traditional SEC powerhouse in the Sugar Bowl.
Last night, Utah jumped out to a 21-0 win before 'bama started to claw back into it. The Utes built their lead on letter-perfect offensive execution.
In 2006, WVU exploded to a 28-0 lead by the early second quarter before Georgia even appeared to take the field. WVU used its clockwork-precise, lightning-fast zone-read option running game, misdirection, strategic passing and superior speed to overwhelm Georgia before the Bulldogs began clawing back. To Utah's credit, WVU had to pull out a fake punt late in the fourth quarter to hold onto its win; Utah's victory over 'bama last night was never in doubt.
The comparison was eerily similar, right down to the stunned fans wearing red (or crimson) holding their arms aloft in disbelief as WVU/Utah rolled to yet another score over Georgia/Alabama.
But Utah also beat 'bama last night by employing a faster and unpredictably blitzing defense, just like WVU did against Sam Bradford and Oklahoma in the 2008 Fiesta Bowl. In that game, the Mountaineers brought blitzes from everywhere in their unusual 3-3-5 stack defense, sending linebackers. cornerbacks and safeties. Oklahoma's lauded offensive line had no answer for WVU's faster three-man rush, either giving up sacks or committing holding penalties. The mighty 'bama offensive line could not stop Utah's speedier rushers and let quarterback John Parker Wilson get sacked an amazing eight times.
What does Utah's victory last night mean?
First, it means they should get a chance to play for a national championship, which they won't, which is sad.
Second, it's just one more demonstration of the parity that has crossed Division I college football these days. Thanks to the scholarship limit (70) being put in place in the early '90s, the fact that kids know they can go to a Utah or a Ball State and play right away and play on TV and the amazing growth of youth football -- particularly the seven-on-seven competition in Texas and elsewhere that breeds passing quarterbacks and speed position players -- everyone can have a shot at being competitive these days.
There was no doubt: Utah did not gimmick or surprise their way to victory last night. They were a better team than Alabama.
And, even though Nick Saban is a native West Virginian, it was particularly delightful to see him so peeved on the sideline as the game wore on, giving his prickly and megalomaniacal personality.
Did you *see* him screaming at one of his defensive players as he tackled a Ute on the sideline right in front of Saban? That's the guy you want your son playing for, right?
Just sayin'.
Copyright (c) 2008 Bleacher Report, Inc.
Camden WR DeAngelo Smith has never wavered on South Carolina
Camden County's DeAngelo Smith, who has committed to South Carolina, has a flair for the dramatics.
The 6-foot-3 senior wide receiver provided a pair of game-changing plays during the march to his team's Class AAAAA championship. But when it comes to recruiting, Smith is rather non-dramatic: He picked the Gamecocks in August, and despite heavy interest from other schools such as Florida and Georgia, has remained loyal.
"I haven't heard from any college coaches recently, except for Coach [Steve] Spurrier and South Carolina," said Smith, who will play in Monday's Georgia Athletic Coaches Association North-South All-Star Football Classic in Columbus.
"That's where I'm going no matter what. I hope to get up there and start school this summer."
Smith, who is from South Carolina, earned a scholarship from the Gamecocks at camp last summer. He was invited by Florida and Georgia to also attend their respective camps, with the opportunity to again earn scholarships. However, Smith decided to commit to South Carolina and end his recruiting. Florida and Georgia stayed in touch with Smith during the season, but never offered.
Copyright(c) 2008 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Emerald Bowl to be a deeper shade of green
Here in the States, it's college football bowl season and - even though petrol is cheaper than it's been in years - sporting event organisers still sense a good PR opportunity in going green. And so it's fitting that Florida Power and Light (FPL) Energy has opted to help make this weekend's Emerald Bowl a deeper shade of green with renewable energy certificates (RECs).
The Dec. 27 matchup between the University of California and the University of Miami football teams will be matched with enough wind-energy credits to make the game 100-percent clean-energy-powered, according to FPL Energy.
"College bowl games provide a platform to educate fans on climate initiatives, and we feel that the best way we can educate is to lead by example," said Gary Cavalli, executive director of the Emerald Bowl. "With FPL Energy, we will lessen the environmental impact of the game as well as promote environmental awareness to a broad audience of sports enthusiasts."
First played in 2002, the Emerald Bowl will be held at AT&T Park in San Francisco. And, not only will this mark the first time Miami has played in this match, the appearance will be especially appropriate, as the team is called the Hurricanes.
Copyright (c) 2008 Greenbang.com
One loss Tebow can handle
This should go down as the most acceptable loss of Tim Tebow's career. The University of Florida quarterback may have walked away from the Nokia Theatre in New York City empty-handed, but there was no reason to have an empty feeling.
Failure should never be connected to not winning a second Heisman Trophy. Still, after Tebow watched Oklahoma quarterback Sam Bradford accept the coveted bronze statue Saturday night, the former Nease High star admitted it gnawed at him to not again be lifting the 25-pound hardware.
"I'm so competitive. ... Still upset about it, yeah, but at the same time, I'm happy for [Bradford]," Tebow said.
It would have been great to join Archie Griffin as the only two-time Heisman recipient, but it's hard to imagine Tebow being truly crushed over the outcome.
Rebounding from this setback ought to be a snap, certainly easier for Tebow than fulfilling the emotional promise after that 31-30 loss to Ole Miss on Sept. 27 to bring the Gators back to championship caliber.
In fact, Tebow finishing third in the Heisman balloting behind Bradford and Texas quarterback Colt McCoy could actually be a good thing for the Gators.
Owning that bronze statue isn't why Tebow plays the game. It's the other trophy - the one with the crystal ball, given to the winner of the BCS national championship game - that drives college football's rock star.
And on Jan. 8 at Dolphin Stadium, a quarterback who always looks for ways to feed his competitive drive will meet Bradford again for stakes slightly bigger than a Heisman.
Saturday night's Oklahoma-Florida showdown was merely an appetizer. Losing to Bradford now is not the biggest deal in the world. Losing to Bradford in 25 days at the BCS national championship game? Now that would be Tebow's ultimate downer.
"We still get to play on Jan. 8 to decide something a little bit better [than a Heisman], so I'm kind of excited about that," Tebow said.
Despite earning the most first-place votes (309) among 875 voters, Tebow fell short of a Heisman repeat. When the announcement came down, all he could do was give Bradford a congratulatory hug and applaud the trigger man of an offense that put up an NCAA-record 702 points.
Given the shaky history of Heisman-winning quarterbacks in the postseason, maybe it's a good thing for the Gators that Bradford must now deal with all the extra attention.
It's not like Tebow needs any more awards. He already has enough hardware to start his own museum.
Besides, the sequel to Tebow vs. Bradford promises to be just as interesting. For only the second time in college football history, two Heisman-winning quarterbacks will oppose each other.
If Tebow is clutching the crystal trophy from a BCS title game, that ought to soothe any hurt over losing a Heisman.
(c) Copyright The Florida Times-Union
OSU gives Gundy raise, contract extension
MIAMI, Okla. (AP) Mike Gundy was rewarded by the regents who oversee Oklahoma State on Friday with a new seven-year contract that will pay him $15.7 million.
The OSU/A&M Board of Regents, meeting at Northeastern Oklahoma A&M College, agreed to a contract with Gundy that will take effect Jan. 1 and run through December 2015. Gundy's annual salary will go from about $1 million to an average of more than $2.2 million.
Gundy is 27-22 in four seasons at his alma mater. His first contract at Oklahoma State paid him $700,000 in 2005, and his current six-year contract would have taken him through 2013.
Details of the new deal weren't immediately disclosed by Oklahoma State.
The No. 14 Cowboys (9-3, 5-3 Big 12) would finish with 10 wins in a season for only the fourth time in school history with a bowl win. All their losses this season came against teams that were ranked in the top three at the time of the game.
''The OSU Board and administration are extremely pleased with the job Coach Gundy has done in moving our football program forward,'' university president Burns Hargis said in a statement. ''With the caliber of student-athletes he and his staff are recruiting, and with our new facilities, the future is very bright.''
Athletic director Mike Holder said Gundy ''has earned this increase'' based on the Cowboys' success on and off the field.
''I have always appreciated the opportunity to coach at my alma mater,'' Gundy said. ''This is the best job in the country. We have great fans, we are building tremendous facilities, we have great support from the administration and I have a terrific staff.''
(c) MMVIII, CBS Corporation. All rights reserved.
Miss. State's Croom quits after 5 seasons
Jackson, Miss. -- Sylvester Croom came to Mississippi State with fanfare, the first black man hired to be head coach of an SEC football team.
After five seasons he's out, for the most basic reason: His record was 21-38.
Croom resigned Saturday, less than 24 hours after a 45-0 loss to Mississippi. He announced the decision in a statement released by the school after meeting with athletics director Greg Byrne.
"We talked about a lot of different ideas, and Coach Croom was open to a lot of different ideas," Byrne said at a news conference. "The final idea was where we landed."
With Croom gone, there are now only three black coaches at the 119 major college football programs -- Miami's Randy Shannon, Buffalo's Turner Gill and Houston's Kevin Sumlin.
Ty Willingham at Washington and Ron Prince at Kansas State have both already been fired.
Croom, who took over the Bulldogs while they were under NCAA sanctions, was the 2007 SEC coach of the year.
Running backs coach Rockey Felker will run the team while Croom's replacement is sought.
Copyright(c) 2008 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
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