Florida-LSU Preview

After a much needed bye week the Gators are ready to get back into action on Saturday night. As you all know the LSU Tigers will be awaiting Florida at what will be a very hostile Tiger Stadium. Of course the question that is on everybody's mind right now is: Will Tebow play?

Personally, I think Tebow is going to play. I'm not expecting a vintage Tebow out there though. I think the coaching staff will finally deliver on it' promise to play Johnny Brantley during meaningful minutes. We also could finally see some wildcat this week. Anything to take some of the load off of Tebow would be great.

The one thing that really concerns me in this game is the fact that LSU has been battle tested this season. If this game were to be close, LSU has the advantage because they have already played in, and won, close games this season. Granted their close games were against teams with not nearly the same amount of talent as the Gators, but it still helps to have been there before.

Now on to the good stuff. Or should I say, the better stuff?

5 Keys to the Game


1. Stop Charles Scott - Jordan Jefferson and the LSU passing "attack" has no chance whatsoever to move the ball against the Gators' D. I feel very confident in that statement. The only way the Tiger offense can successfully move the ball against Florida will be through the run. The main threat in the Tigers rushing attack: Charles Scott. Stop Scott and you have a cake walk.


2. Maintain Composure - Saturday night at Tiger Stadium is truly something to behold. That is as long as you're not the opposing team. If LSU jumps out early and the fans start going crazy, it will be real easy for a team to lose it's composure. The Gators will need to keep their cool in this hostile atmosphere.

3. Protect the QB - Whoever the QB is, the Gators O-Line needs to protect him. This could probably be best down by making sure everyone on the opposite side of the ball is accounted for before the snap. You know, that way a DE doesn't have a free shot at the QB while the DT gets double teamed. The LSU defense is infinite times better than any defense the Gators have faced all season.


4. Avoid Turnovers - One sure way to ignite an already raucous LSU crowd is to turn the ball over. This is more of a concern when Brantley is in the game as he is not as fluid with the triple option read plays as Tebow is. Also, protecting the ball eliminates any short field scenarios for a struggling LSU offense.


5. Win Field Position Battle - Speaking of short field scenarios. Giving a struggling offense a short field to work with is like giving a struggling jump shooter a pair of free throws in basketball. It's unnecessary and its something that you don't want to do. Make the Tiger offense go 70-80 yards every time they touch the ball. And don't pick up any excessive celebration penalties!


5 Players That Need to Step Up


1. John Brantley - As I mentioned earlier, even if Tebow plays, Brantley will have a much larger role in this contest than any other game he's been a part of at Florida. He needs to be ready to go. Once he's in the game, he needs to be confident enough to make some plays. I believe Johnny is better than Jordan Jefferson. He'll get the chance to prove it.


2. Aaron Hernandez - A young QB's best friend is his tight end. He's usually sure handed, runs good routes and is a great check-down target. Hernandez is all of the above. He will be pivotal to Brantley's success. Hernandez is also becoming a favorite target of Timmy. So look for him to produce while G.O.A.T. is in there as well. If you believe what you hear from the UF coaching staff, we could also see some of Hernandez in the Wildcat. I feel sorry for opposing defenses...


3. Brandon James - I've already mentioned the crowd noise and atmosphere a few times. One good way to shut up even the rowdiest of fans; run a kick or punt back for a TD. BJ is perfectly capable of doing this as we all know. Also, if Deonte Thompson still isn't 100%, James will once again convert to the nation's tiniest slot receiver.


4. Caleb Sturgis - Sturgis will be important for two reasons. 1. His kick-offs can help the Gators win the position battle. 2. The game may come down to a field goal. Plus, If I see one more kick-off go out of bounds I may drive to Gainesville and wait for the team to return. Then, while Caleb is walking to class on Monday, I'll jump from behind the fries at Turlington and kick him straight in the God Damn nuts!


5. Major Wright - Wright will have to really assert himself in the run defense Saturday night. With no passing threat, Wright should be able to cheat up and attack the line to help slow Charles Scott, Keiland Williams, Trindon Holliday, Kevin Faulk, LaBrandon Toefield, and whoever else LSU has to tote the rock.





Here's some highlights from last year's romping



I'll leave it to you guys to find the highlights from the last time the Gators were in Baton Rouge. Just type in Jacob Hester becomes a man in any search engine.

Here's what the LSU faithful are saying about the game.

My Prediction:

Florida - 27


LSU - 16

Conference Outlook

As the season is drawing ever closer. I decided to make my conference picks.

As you all know, I don't like to bet, but if I did, I would be a millionaire because these picks are freaking golden.

Kirk Herbstreit (aka The Viceroy of Cock) recently completed his list. I will not post a link to it however because the WWL will relentlessly hunt me down and kill all my future children. So I'll just tell you to go check it out. You know the address.

Here's the CORRECT picks:

Note: If I feel another team might have a decent shot, I'll put them in these bad boys, (....).

ACC Atlantic - Clemson, (Wake Forest)
ACC Coastal - Virginia Tech, (North Carolina)
ACC Champ - Clemson, (Wake Forest)

Big East - West Virginia, (Rutgers)

Big Eleven - Ohio St., (Illinois)

Big 12 North - Missouri, (Colorado)
Big 12 South - Oklahoma, (Texas Tech)
Big 12 Champ - Oklahoma, (Missouri)

PAC 10 - USC, (Arizona St.)

SEC West - Auburn, (LSU)
SEC East - Florida, (Georgia)
SEC Champ - Florida, (Georgia)

Conference USA East - UCF, (Memphis)
Conference USA West - Tulsa, (SMU)
Conference USA Champ - Tulsa, (UCF)

MAC East - Temple, (Bowling Green)
MAC West - Central Michigan, (Ball St.)
MAC Champ - Central Michigan, (Ball St.)

Mountain West - BYU, (Utah)

Sun Belt - Florida Atlantic, (UL-Monroe)

WAC - Boise St., (Fresno St.)

The top 25 players: C-USA

Now we delve into the lower levels of D-1 football. It's time to take a look at the top players from the non-BCS conferences.

First off, I'll start with Conference USA.

Since no one really gives a damn about these schools, I'll only provide a synopsis of the top 10. If you would like more info on a player in the 11-25 range, then I suggest you e-mail said player and tell him to start kicking ass so I will talk about him.

1. Jarret Dillard - Rice WR - Not only is Dillard by far the best receiver in C-USA, he is among the best receivers in the nation. It's a shame this guy plays for such a shitty team. Todd Bailiff has a lot to work with in Dillard and QB Chase Clement.

2. Damion Fletcher - Southern Miss RB - Some people have said that Fletcher is the best player at any position in the non-BCS conferences. I don't know about all that, but Fletcher is definitely something special. He's one of a few weapons new HC Larry Fedora will have at his disposal.

3. Joe Burnett - Central Florida DB - Burnett is the top defensive player in C-USA. He was often overlooked last season due to the play of teammate Kevin Smith. Now Burnett is the star of this Knights team and he's ready to have a breakout year.

4. Brennan Marion - Tulsa WR - This guy had some pretty gaudy numbers at the receiver position last year. His talent should allow him to continue to play at a high level despite the departure of QB Paul Smith.

5. Gerald McGrath - Southern Miss LB - McGrath might be the most feared defender in the conference. He brings a big mean streak to a position that really needs it.

6. Trae Johnson - Tulsa WR - Johnson, along with Marion, gives the Golden Hurricane one of the most dynamic receiving tandems in the country. Tulsa should once again make it to the C-USA championship game. This season, they should win it.

7. Joe Henderson - UAB LB - Henderson is one of the few bright spots on a very bad Blazer team. UAB should once again be at the bottom of the conference. Which is a shame because no one will get a chance to see this kid play.

8. Duke Calhoun - Memphis WR - I've mentioned before that Calhoun is somewhat of an enigma. Tommy West never knows which Calhoun he's going to get. If he gets the one that plays to his potential, he has perhaps a top 10 receiver in the nation.

9. Chase Clement - Rice QB - The Owls suffered through a pretty horrible season last year. Todd Bailiff was able to put together some wins towards the end of the season. It will be up to Clement to carry the momentum over to this year.

10. Justin Willis - SMU QB - Willis' status on this Mustang team is up in the air right now. If he is available to play, he will thrive under the tutelage of new head coach June Jones. 5 of 6 wins is not out of reach for SMU this season.

The rest:

11. Tarrion Adams Tulsa RB
12. Cody Slate Marshall TE
13.Albert McClellan Marshall DL
14. Phillip Hunt Houston DL
15. Emmanuel Sanders SMU WR
16. Will Dunbar UAB DB
17. Darius Marshall Marshall RB
18. Trevor Vittatoe UTEP QB
19. Ell Ash Houston DL
20. Shawn Nelson Southern Miss TE
21. Johnell Neal Central Florida DB
22. Jeff Moturi UTEP WR
23. Ryan McKee Southern Miss OL
24. Zack Slate East Carolina DL
25. Quentin Cotton East Carolina LB

Big East Expansion?

Big East commissioner Mike Tranghese announced that he is retiring from his position after the season. Tranghese saw the Big East make tremendous strides during his tenure despite the departure of Miami, Virginia Tech and Boston College to the ACC. The Big East also added South Florida, Cincinnati, Louisville and Connecticut as well as booted out Temple in recent years.

I got to thinking, Why doesn't the Big East expand to 12 teams so they can have a championship game? The big East catches a lot of heat because they're champion isn't decided through a conference title game.

Their situation is different than that of the Big Ten and PAC-10 because their teams do no have the name recognition and tradition as those programs.

I believe I have selected four schools that would make good additions to the conference. They are listed below along with their record since 2005 (when USF, Louisville and Cincy were added.)

1. Central Florida- Their record since 2005 is 22-17. They have a big name coach in George O'Leary and are located in a recruiting hot bed. If the Knights were elevated to a bigger conference they could see a similar success as their rival South Florida has seen in recent years.

2.Memphis- Their record since 2005 is 16-21. That number is somewhat skewed by an out of character 2-10 season 2 years ago. Memphis has always been able to get top talent recruits that slip through the cracks or don't qualify academically elsewhere. Memphis' induction into the football conference could be boosted by their basketball program which is looking to join the Big East.

3.Southern Miss- Their record since 2005 is 23-18. The Golden Eagles have always been well respected as a non-BCS school. With a recent stadium upgrade, Southern Miss could have one of the premiere facilities in the Big East.

4.Navy- Their record since 2005 is 25-13. Army made a disastrous attempt to play in a conference when they spent 3 years in C-USA. This would be different. Navy has clearly shown that they are the class of the service academies. Air Force is in the Mountain West, so I see no reason why Navy can't join a conference.

While I'm on the subject, I feel there should be no more independents. Notre Dame should join the Big Eleven, Army should join back with C-USA (especially since I'm proposing the Big East take 3 of their teams) and Western Kentucky is actually already committed to join the Sun Belt.

To see how these teams would stack up against the current Big East, here are the teams' records since 2005.

1. West Virginia 33-5
2. Louisville 27-10
3. Rutgers 26-12
4. South Florida 24-14
5. Cincinnati 22-15
6. Connecticut 18-18
7. Pittsburgh 16-19
8. Syracuse 7-28

So, in the past five years, Central Florida would have been the 6th best team, Memphis would be 8th, Southern Miss would be 5th and Navy would be 4th.

Another reason for the expansion would be the fact that the Big East now has 7 bowl tie-ins. That is a ridiculous amount for a conference that only has 8 teams. Only 6 teams qualified last year with 5 of them receiving bids.

With this expansion, the conference would have to be split into two divisions. Here's how it could look

North

1. Rutgers
2. Navy
3. Cincinnati
4. Connecticut
5. Pittsburgh
6. Syracuse

SOUTH

1. West Virginia
2. Louisville
3. South Florida
4. Southern Miss
5. Central Florida
6. Memphis

That seems like a pretty decent conference to me.

Also, imagine where the championship games could be played. I don't think any other conference could play their title game in cities like New York, Philadelphia, Boston or Baltimore. They also would be able to pick form the usual hot spots of title games like Tampa, Charlotte or Miami.