Monday, December 8, 2008

"The BCS game is sold out, but we do have Orange Bowl tickets for sale... hello? Hello?"

This was a weekend that showed off the best and worst of college football all at once. UF played a tremendous football game with Alabama and earned their way into the national championship game. Oklahoma kept Sam Bradford throwing into the end zone late in a blowout just to make sure they had nothing to worry about. Texas, USC, Utah, even Alabama and Penn State have every right to wake up this morning feeling like they got ripped off. I do think it's ridiculous when people like Pete Carroll start trying to compare teams losses while ignoring the value of their respective wins. By the way, this will be an extra long post because I don't expect to be free to do one for tomorrow (although you're welcome to check in and see if I was able to).

I was at UF's press conference last night and spoke with Percy Harvin. He says he'll be back healthy in two weeks. People watching touchdown catches by Carl Moore, David Nelson and Riley Cooper against Bama had to be asking "who the hell are these guys?" UF's got amazing receiver depth, but they don't beat Oklahoma without the special x-factor that only Harvin brings.

Lots of Gator fans seem upset about Steve Spurrier's vote in the coaches poll, where he put Oklahoma first and Florida second. I don't know why he voted that way, but it's not like OU is a ridiculous choice. It's no secret that Steve's close to Stoops, so why get worked up about it? The poll is an enormous conflict of interest and should be abolished anyway.

Unfortunately the Harris Poll, while not as laden with conflicts of interest as the coaches poll, still has its share of idiots like Larry Keech. Keech is a writer from the Greensboro, NC paper who retired in 2004 yet has had a Harris Poll vote for three years now. Keech is notorious for always voting undefeated teams first, strength of schedule and common sense be damned. The stupidity doesn't stop there, though. Here, because there's no way to link it that I've found, is Keech's top 25:

1: Utah
2: Boise State
3: Texas
4: Oklahoma
5: Florida
6: USC
7: Penn State
8: Alabama
9: Texas Tech
10: Ball State
11: TCU
12: BYU
13: Ohio State
14: Cincinnati
15: Oklahoma State
16: Oregon
17: Michigan State
18: Rice
19: Northwestern
20: Georgia Tech
21: Georgia
22: Pittsburgh
23: Western Michigan
24: East Carolina
25: Tulsa

If looking at that final poll vote (Ball State at number 10 after LOSING the MAC title game!) makes you think this man should no longer be a member of the Harris Poll, you're smarter than everyone involved with the BCS apparently is. Here's the rest of the roll call of college football experts that make up the Harris Poll. Apparently having not been involved with the game in two decades or more is a mandatory qualification for at least half the voters.

Urban Meyer acknowledged that he's got assistant coaches who are being sought after for other jobs. Dan McCarney wants to be a head coach again, and I imagine if New Mexico offers him their job he will take it. Their AD is the one who hired Meyer for the Bowling Green job originally, and you may remember Dan Mullen was originally the UF coach linked to that job. The fact he's no longer mentioned and McCarney is tells me Mullen has decided to wait on a better gig. I assume that's why McCarney has the Meyer recommendation (and he deserves credit for the job he did in making a horrible Iowa State program relevant for a while). Mullen's got the luxury of time that a 55 year old does not, and I suspect Mississippi State is not the right job for him either.

In an item in his Miami Herald notebook, Barry Jackson suggests UF would be interested in Robert Marve should he want to transfer away from the Canes. Let's see... Marve has three years left and would have to sit out one for transferring, meaning he would only be available for two seasons for UF. They already have commitments from QBs in each of the next two classes and a hot prospect they've developed for two years in John Brantley (who's expected to start in those exact two years Marve would be available). Marve also has character questions and wasn't recruited heavily by UF coming out of high school. Well OF COURSE Florida wants him - isn't it obvious?

Auburn continues looking for their next football coach, with indications that they will interview Buffalo head coach Turner Gill sometime today. ESPN reported Ball State's Brady Hoke would interview as well but he's denied that he's even been contacted much less scheduled an interview. Jimbo Fisher claims he has no interest, which may be true but would seem a lot more believable if this exact same story hadn't played out with him for the West Virginia job less than a year ago. Gill's the best of this lot, but as amazing as the job he's done at Buffalo is he'd be a hire that's not going to scare anyone in the SEC.

There is nothing amusing about mental illness, which is at the root of the problems a former Wisconsin football player has been having. The bizarre quality of the story revolves around his twin targets/obsessions: ex-Wisconsin football coach Barry Alvarez and Maria Sharapova. That's a couple that doesn't quickly spring to mind. When a guy's so off the rails he's calling his former football coach and leaving voicemails about wanting to "marry (Sharapova) and kill her and her family", hopefully he gets help quickly.

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