It's UF-South Carolina week, which will be a curious one for me this year to say the least. Saturday, I'll be hosting the Gator Nation Tailgate from 1-3 on the Star 99.5 in Gainesville and then on the air for 107.5 the Game in Columbia around an hour and half after the game wraps up. Somewhere in between I'll write a column for fightingators.com as well. UF is a 21 point favorite for good reason - I'll get into more detail about the game later in the week, but there's no way South Carolina will win without being at least plus two in turnovers for the day and likely more than that. Florida is winning the first quarter 80-0 in the past five games - if they put that average of sixteen up on the Gamecocks in that quarter the game will be over.
Thanks to Penn State's loss, UF is now assured of playing in the BCS title game if they can take care of their final four games. Even though they're currently fourth in the BCS, there's no scenario where they wouldn't make the big game should they win the SEC. Not appearing in the BCS standings? Illinois, who managed to lose to Western Michigan this weekend. I called this one on the air Thursday, because Zook teams and noon kicks against teams they should beat don't mix well. If UF gets to the title game again, maybe the national media will grasp that Meyer did a hell of a coaching job in 2006 rather than claiming Zook left him a ready made championship team.
Just for fun, here's a quote from the 2005 archives. It's from Dan Pompei writing in the Sporting News:
"Notre Dame will be better off with Charlie Weis as its head coach than it would have been with Urban Meyer. Based on his work in New England, Weis should have one of the most prominent offenses in college football with the talent he'll get at Notre Dame. And he will get talent. In my dealings with Weis, I've found him to be a natural salesman. His charm will serve him well in recruiting. His toughness will serve him well in motivating. This is an excellent hire."
Good call, Dan! (In fairness to Pompei, who now writes for the Chicago Tribune, he was far from the only guy to float this nonsense out there in 2005 but he was the first one I found in a google search.) Weis has apparently decided to start calling plays again, as offensive coordinator Mike Haywood becomes the latest scapegoat in South Bend. Three defensive schemes in four years, lots of underqualified cronies on the coaching staff and unfulfilled boasts of a "decided schematic advantage" over other schools thanks to the Super Genius head coach - that is the Charlie Weis leagacy at Notre Dame thus far.
Michael Phelps hangs out in Columbia periodically, evidently because he has some friends here. He was on the sidelines for the Gamecock game with Arkansas and was naturally asked by a few reporters if he could give them a comment on his gameday experience. His response: anyone who wants an interview with him should call his publicist and try to arrange one. It probably tok him longer to avoid the question than it would have to just be cool and answer it. You're still a swimmer, Michael - the clock on that fifteen minutes is ticking faster than you think.
Keyshawn Johnson is getting his own show on A&E that involves him showing off his skills as an interior designer. A little Keyshawn on ESPN Sundays goes a long way with me. His Tampa restaurant Profusion tanked - I suspect this venture will do just as well.
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You know what will happen this Saturday with Illinois, right? I guarantee they will give Ohio State a good game this Saturday. I can't call the upset, because I think Ohio State is finally clicking on offense with a playmaker at QB and a healthy Beanie Wells, but I'm pretty certain it'll be close. I know the undeserved Rose Bowl bid bought Zook a year or two, but exactly how many inconsistent, undisciplined, play-up/down-to-its-opponent-every-time seasons is it going to take to get the people up there to realize Zook is as Zook does and it ain't changin'. Who is Illinois' AD, Mike Gottfried?
I found it interesting during the Alabama/LSU broadcast that no one (Verne Lundquist) was sharing their opinion about Phillip Fulmer's firing after the update of his team's loss to Wyoming. Last week, Verne proclaimed it "unfair". Doesn't look so unfair now, does it? Boy, if ever you wanted video evidence of a team mailing it in, it was Tennessee.
If Navy beats the Domers this Saturday, that'll probably lead to a 6-6 season against a schedule where they'll end up playing, at the most, four ranked teams and probably only one that will be in the Top 10 when the regular season ends. Their best win, in this scenario, would be against Stanford. Enjoy that Insight bowl berth, Notre Dame....you've come so far from the Ty Willingham days, when Weis inherited a team that ...played...in...the...Insight Bowl....in 2004. Nevermind.
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