Bowl Previews

I know everyone likes to make fun of the college football bowl season. I for one, find this time of the year very enjoyable. I always try to make time to watch every single bowl game available. This year, there are more bowl games than ever with 34. While everyone agrees a playoff system would be great for determining the college football champ, we have to enjoy what we have. As the old saying goes, "It is what it is."

Here's a little snap shot of this year's bowl games.

Thanks to The Helmet Project for the helmets. Make sure you have a few hours to spare before checking his site out, because you will be on it for a while. Trust me.....

I have listed the bowls in order from the "absolute shittiest that no one but me cares about" to "you will have your man card revoked if you miss this one."


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Independence Bowl - Shreveport, LA
Northern Illinois vs. Louisiana Tech

Shreveport is quite possibly the most boring city in America. This may be one of the most boring bowl match-ups in modern history. So it fits. Usually this game would go to a couple of middle of the road SEC and Big XII teams. Often times, this game is pretty interesting. The lack of bowl eligible Big XII and SEC teams leads to this shit fest of a match up. La Tech has home field advantage, as well as a better team. CFB 365 pick: Louisiana Tech.
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New Mexico Bowl - Albuquerque, NM
Colorado St. vs. Fresno St.

This game is traditionally one of my least favorite. At least, the Lobos aren't playing a home game this year. I said coming into the season not to buy into the hype of Fresno St. I knew they were being overrated by all the publications. On the other hand, I had no idea Steve Fairchild would get this Colorado St. team bowl eligible in his first season. I'm still a 'lil down on the Rams though. CFB 365 pick: Fresno St.
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Eagle Bank Bowl - Washington, DC
Wake Forest vs. Navy

This bowl game is ranked so low because we've already seen this match-up this year. Navy handed Wake Forest it's first defeat of the season. That loss seemed to send the Demon Deacons on a downward spiral. Now, Jim Grobe's bunch gets it's shot at redemption. Unfortunately, the story may end the same way for Wake. Navy's rushing attack may be just too much for the Deacs. CFB 365 pick: Navy.
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Motor City Bowl - Detroit, MI
Florida Atlantic vs. Central Michigan

The MAC champs Buffalo were swept up by a better bowl, and the lack of bowl eligible Big Eleven teams gives the Owls the chance to play the MAC's third place Chippewas. Central Michigan has home field advantage in this one. They also have the taken advantage over FAU. Plus, the last time Florida Atlantic traveled to Michigan, they left with an ugly loss to Michigan St. CFB 365 pick: Central Michigan.
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St. Petersburg Bowl - St. Petersburg, FL
Memphis vs. South Florida

This bowl game was created specifically for the Bulls when they have down years. How fortunate for the folks in St. Pete that the bad year happened to come in year one. South Florida opens the St. Petersburg Bowl with unbelievable home field advantage against Memphis. George Selvie and company should make life a little difficult for Tommy West's Tigers. If this game weren't a bowl game, would anyone watch? Really? CFB 365 pick: South Florida
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New Orleans Bowl - New Orleans, LA
Southern Miss vs. Troy

Southern Miss really came on strong at the end of Larry Fedora's first year as head coach. A weak schedule could also be attributed to this. Unfortunately for Southern Miss, Troy is one of the hottest non-BCS teams in the nation. Larry Blakeney is still producing some quality football teams down in Troy. Mark this one up for the Sun Belt! CFB 365 pick: Troy.
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Humanitarian Bowl - Boise, ID
Maryland vs. Nevada

Maryland has been the definition of a true schizo team all year long. They knocked off California and remained in the hunt for the ACC crown until the end. Then again, they lost at home to Middle Tennessee and they managed to not show up against Florida St. with said ACC crown on the line. Nevada is lead by the dynamic rushing duo of QB Colin Kaepernick and RB Luke Lippincott. Maryland's rushing D can be stingy when it shows up, so this should be an interesting match-up on the blue turf. CFB 365 pick: Nevada.
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Armed Forces Bowl - Ft. Worth, TX
Houston vs. Air Force

The Falcons are a mainstay in Ft. Worth. I guess that makes sense. These two teams both have prolific offenses in their own right. Houston's Case Keenum can chuck the ball all over the field. Kevin Sumlin has not missed a beat after Art Briles' departure to Baylor. On the other side of the ball, Air Force can run for days. It will be interesting to see which team can impose it's will offensively on the other. Usually, you go with the rushing team. Usually. CFB 365 pick: Houston.
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International Bowl - Toronto, ON
Buffalo vs. Connecticut

Buffalo bypassed the Motor City bowl to travel to nearby Toronto. Hopefully they'll have more luck than their NFL counterparts in that city. This game could be renamed the Who's Gonna be Syracuse's next head coach Bowl. I know Randy Edsall has taken his name out of the race, but ask Nick Saban how much that means. Now it seems Buffalo's coach, Turner Gill, is interviewing for the Auburn head coaching position. I think all this uncertainty will hurt the Bulls, as they are already faced with playing a superior opponent in the Huskies. Donald Brown should absolutely go off against Buffalo. CFB 365 pick: Connecticut
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Hawaii Bowl - Honolulu, HI
Hawaii vs. Notre Dame

This game would be rated a lot lower if not for the fact that there's a good chance that Notre Dame's gonna lose. That alone moves this bowl game up. It's hard for teams east of the Mississippi to travel to Hawaii and come away with the victory. It's even hard when your team sucks ass as much as Notre Dame does. The real question will be how many buffets will Charlie Weis put out of business before the game. CFB 365 pick: Hawaii.
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Music City Bowl - Nashville, TN
Boston College vs. Vanderbilt.

At first glance, this game looks like an easy victory for Boston College. They have more talent and better coaching than Vandy, However, there are a few things that are working in Vandy's favor. First off, this is a home game. Secondly, Vanderbilt will be extra juiced, as this is their first bowl game since the old testament. And finally, they're from the SEC and BC is from the ACC. Going with the upset! CFB 365 pick: Vanderbilt.
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Texas Bowl - Houston, TX
Rice vs. Western Michigan

Now we're finally getting to the bowl games that I'm actually excited about. Chase Clement and Jarret Dillard have become one of the better aerial duos in the nation at Rice. Head Coach David Bailiff has made the most of the talent Todd Graham left him. On the other side, the Broncos were the MAC team overlooked by everyone. While Ball St., Buffalo and Central Michigan gobbled all the highlights, Western Michigan quietly put together a great season. CFB 365 pick: Rice.
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Liberty Bowl - Memphis, TN
Kentucky vs. East Carolina

ECU started out the season hotter than anyone in the country. They then proceeded to fall completely off the face of the Earth. A win in the C-USA championship does salavage the season for the Pirates. Head coach Skip Holtz is a hot commodity coming into this game. This can be nothing but bad news for the Pirates. Kentucky also had a roller coaster season. This game is usually kind to the SEC team, and with the dual threat ability of Randall Cobb, the Cats should continue that tradition. CFB 365 pick: Kentucky.
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Papajohns.com Bowl - Birmingham, AL
North Carolina St. vs. Rutgers

Both of these teams are extremely hot right now. NC State won it's last 4 games to become bowl eligible. That streak looks like crap compared to Rutgers' 7 game winning streak. It took the Scarlet Knights a while, but they finally started to put it together. Wolfpack QB Russell Wilson may be playing better than any other QB not in the Big XII or SEC. The difference in this game should be the speed of Rutgers. We'll see if NC State can keep up with them. CFB 365 pick: Rutgers.
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Emerald Bowl - San Francisco, CA
Miami(FL) vs. California

The Hurricanes were just your run of the mill mediocre ACC team this season. At teams, they looked like a real contender for the ACC title. At others, they looked like Larry Coker was still roaming the sidelines. They'll get a tough test as they have to face the Golden Bears in their home territory. Jeff Tedford got about as much as he could out of his Cal team this season. They're one of the few West Coast teams that has the team speed to keep up with the Canes. This should be a pretty good cross country match-up. CFB 365 pick: California.
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Insight Bowl - Tempe, AZ
Kansas vs. Minnesota

The Insight Bowl always provides a thrilling football game. I don't see this year being any different. Kansas is your typical pass happy, no defense playing offense that will attack the Gophers all game long. Minnesota has surprisingly been rather efficient offensively this season. Kansas QB Todd Reesing's ability to scramble when the play breaks down will be the difference in this one. Also, the last time Minny made the trip to the Insight Bowl, they gave up a huge fourth quarter lead to Texas Tech that cost then coach Glenn Mason his job. CFB 365 pick: Kansas.
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Outback Bowl - Tampa, FL
South Carolina vs. Iowa

Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz should just make a second home in Tampa. His Hawkeyes always seem to end up in the Outback Bowl. Also, Iowa always seems to play pretty well in this ball game. This time of year, running games matter even more than in August. Iowa's Shonn Greene is clearly the best player in this game. It will be pretty intersting to see what happens the first time Greene runs into Eric Norwood up the middle. CFB 365 pick: Iowa.
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Las Vegas Bowl - Las Vegas, NV
BYU vs. Arizona

This game appears to have mismatch written all over it. Max Hall, Harvey Unga and Austin Collie should have a field day. To quote an old, turd bag, wannabe analyst, "Not so fast my friend." 'Zona is a pretty good football team. Mike Stoops is no longer on the hot seast, but he's still on the pretty damn warm seat. Also, I gotta think the Wildcats are a little more excited to be in this bowl game than the Cougs are. This will be about the 26th year in a row that BYU has playe din this game. All that being said, it will still be pretty tough for the Cats to knock off BYU. CFB 365 pick: BYU.
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Champs Sports Bowl - Orlando, FL
Wisconsin vs. Florida St.

The Badgers completely fell off the face of the earth this season. Wisconsin was supposed to be one of the teams competing to unseat Ohio St. as Big Eleven champs. Not so much. There are tiny rumblings in Madison these days. This is due to the fact that Wisconsin's win total has diminished every year under Brett Bielema. If the rumblings in Madison are tiny, the ones in Tallahassee are monstrous. Could this be Bobby Bowden's last game on FSU's sideline. Just the mere thought should have the Seminoles all kinds of fired up. CFB 365 pick: Florida St.
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Gator Bowl - Jacksonville, FL
Clemson vs. Nebraska

This game is the tale of two worlds. Nebraska is happy to be in Jacksonville. Bo Pelini has lead the Cornhuskers to a surprising bowl berth. On the other sideline, Clemson fans can't help but be disappointed with this trip to Jax. With the likes of James Davis, C.J. Spiller, Cullen Harper and Aaron Kelly on offense, the Tigers were picked by many (including myslef) to be in a BCS game right about now. Dabo Swinney has the Tigers fired up, and I still think they have a great offense hidden within them. Maybe it will come out in Jacksonville. CFB 365 pick: Clemson.
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GMAC Bowl - Mobile, AL
Tulsa vs. Ball St.

Both these teams flirting with going undefeated this season. However, both teams completely shit on themselevs down the stretch. This game is brought down a notch due to the fact that both squad lost in their respective conference championship games. All that bad crap being said, this should still be a very entertaining game. Both David Johnson and Nate Davis can really chuck the ball. Both teams also have very underrated running games. CFB 365 pick: Tulsa.
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Meineke Car Care Bowl - Charlotte, NC
West Virginia vs. North Carolina

This is one of my favorite match-ups of the bowl season. It's also one of the more overlooked games on the slate. I still like to watch West Virginia's rushing attack with Pat White and Noel Devine. Even though Bill Stewart's first season hasn't been that successful, it's still been fun to watch the Mountaineers. Every North Carolina game I've watched this season has been interesting. So it seems that UNC likes to keep things close, which is always good in bowl games. I know the Tar Heels have home field advantage in this one, but it's Pat White's last game in a Mountaineer uniform. Look fro him to absolutely go off! CFB 365 pick: West Virginia.
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Alamo Bowl - San Antonio, TX
Missouri vs. Northwestern

Northwestern was a bit of a surprise to me this season. I knew they would be better than last year, but what Pat Fitzgerald and his coaching staff did this season was incredible. Missouri is coming off of an embarassing performance in the Big XII championship game. Chase Daniel and Jeremy Maclin should have pretty solid games against the Wildcats D. Or at least they should. CFB 365 pick: Missouri.
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Sun Bowl - El Paso, TX
Oregon St. vs. Pittsburgh

I still don't like the Panthers very much this season. LeSean McCoy is a top flight back. Other than that, nothing else really impresses me about Pitt. Oregon St. managed to stumble over their vaginas down the stretch. Costing them the Pac-10 championship and a trip to the rose bowl. Last year, the Beavers in-state rival demolished a Big East team in this bowl game. It could be more of the same this time around. CFB 365 pick: Oregon St.
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Chick-Fil-A Bowl - Atlanta, GA
LSU vs. Georgia Tech

My southern bias may be showing through on this one. This game probably shouldn't be ranked so high. To say that LSU has been a disappointment would be an understatement. I knew the Tigers would have some trouble finding a QB this season, but I had no idea they would have this much trouble. Georgia Tech has thrived in the triple option offense under Paul Johnson. Granted, LSU should pose a stiffer test than the schools in the SEC. However, I think the Yellow Jackets can still get the job done. CFB 365 pick: Georgia Tech.
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Capital One Bowl - Orlando, FL
Georgia vs. Michigan St.

This game probably features the best rushing match-up of any bowl game this season. The Bulldogs boast the incredible Knowshon Moreno coming out of the backfield. While this season has had it's down moments for Moreno, for the most part, he's been productive once again. Michigan St.'s Javon Ringer is still the best back in the nation. He has carried the Spartans on his back all season long. I think he has enough to carry Michigan St. for one more game. CFB 365 pick: Michigan St.
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Cotton Bowl - Dallas, TX
Ole Miss vs. Texas Tech

I think this game is going to be a lot closer than many people think. Graham Harrell and Michael Crabtree shredded everyone they faced this season. Ole Miss may have the toughest defense the Red Raiders have seen all season. Greg Hardy will give Tech's O-line fits all season long. I think Harrell cries all game long, but Tech still manages to outscore Houston Nutt's ballclub. CFB 365 pick: Texas Tech.
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Holiday Bowl - San Diego, CA
Oklahoma St. vs. Oregon

The Holiday bowl always provides an intriguing match-up. However, it doesn't always live up to it's billing. Look no farther than Texas' drubbing of Arizona St. last year. I think this may be one of the more entertaining games of the bowl season. Eventually, I think Zac Robinson, Dez Bryant and Kendall Hunter will take care of business against the Ducks. CFB 365 pick: Oklahoma St.
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Poinsettia Bowl - San Diego, CA
Boise St. vs. TCU

Man, San Diego has a couple of great games this year. This game is easily the best non-BCS match-up. Boise St. comes in with a serious gripe about not making a BCS game. I think this will work against them. Another thing that will work against the Broncos will be the extremely tough TCU defense. Gary Patterson will have all kinds of schemes drawn up to combat Kellen Moore and Boise St. CFB 365 pick: TCU.
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Orange Bowl - Miami, FL
Cincinnati vs. Virginia Tech

This will most likely be the most boring of all the BCS games this year. As usual, the Big East and the ACC have failed in their promise to produce a quality conference champion. Well, mostly the ACC, because Cincinnati is a great football team. The Bearcats are superior to the Hokie in all facets of the game. I like Cinicnnati big. CFB 365 pick: Cincinnati.
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Sugar Bowl - New Orleans, LA
Alabama vs. Utah

I think this game will be a lot closer than most people think. Utah is a very good football team with a great QB in Brian Johnson. Also, Utah's D should be able to at least slow down Glenn Coffee and Mark Ingram. I still think Bama will win this one, just not as big as people think. CFB 365 pick: Alabama.
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Fiesta Bowl - Tempe, AZ
Ohio St. vs. Texas

Everyone hide your children! The Buckeyes are in another bowl game. Yes. I do believe Jim Tressel will completely whiff once again and get manhandled in this one. Plus, Texas could be playing for a possible split national championship. The only thing that could slow down the Longhorns will be if Colt McCoy wins the Heisman adn completely blows his load before the game. CFB 365 pick: Texas.
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Rose Bowl - Pasadena, CA
USC vs. Penn St.

This game could possibly be JoePa's last. That makes it definite must see.Unfortunately for JoePa, I dont think he's gonna fare well against the Trojans. USC's defense should have no trouble dealing with Penn St.'s offense. On the other side of the ball, Penn St.'s D matches up pretty well with USC's O. A few big plays from Damien Williams and Vidal Hazelton could be the key to this game. CFB 365 pick: USC.
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BCS National Championship - Miami, FL
Florida vs. Oklahoma

I'll have plenty more on this game later, so no need for a brief capsule here. Just know this: The Gators are the greatest thing to hit the gridiron since Janet Jackson's Super Bowl wardrobe. CFB 365 pick: Florida.

We going to the 'Chip!!!!

I was basking in the glory of an SEC title all day yesterday. So forgive me for not doing my usual post-game review for the UF-Bama game. All I can say is, Florida vs. Oklahoma will be a great game. In fact, Florida vs. anybody other than Ohio St. would have been a great game. There will be plenty more on this game in the near future.

For now, enjoy the highlights from Saturday.

SEC Championship Preview

I feel like a kid again. I have so many memories of watching Florida and Alabama playing each other for the SEC Championship. Back in those days I wasn't the awe-inspiring die hard Gator fan that I am today. I would route for my Gators, but it wasn't the end of the world if they lost. All I cared about was that for three hours, I got to see the Gators play. Plus, I was up past my bedtime!

Now, of course, things are different. I am a deranged Gator fan that watches every second of every game three times. Now, a Gators loss really does feel like the end of the world. Whenever the Orange and Blue fall, I shut myself off from everybody until the next game.

And I hate 'Bama now. I hate Nick Saban. I hate their stupid chants. I hate their boring uniforms. I hate the fact that their mascot is a god damn elephant. Granted my hatred for the Tide is not as large as my hatred for Georgia, Tennessee or Florida State, but it's pretty close. The only good thing about Bama is that the SEC Championship always seems better when it's Florida v. Alabama. This year should be no different.



5 Keys to a Gator victory

1. Stop Alabama's running game.

You know Nick Saban is going to try to eat as much clock as possible. The only way to slow down this Gator attack is to keep them off the field. It seems that in the past, when the Gators have fallen in big time games, it was mainly due to their inability to stop the running game. Mark Ingram, Glenn Coffee and Terry Grant don't need to become Travis Henry, Warrick Dunn and Jamaal Lewis reincarnated on Saturday. If the Gators can stop Bama's rushing attack early, they should be able to cruise to a victory. However, that is a very big IF.




2. Improve kick-off coverage.

The Gators kick off team has been porous at best lately. This is a frustrating aspect of the team to me. Our special teams dominate in every way possible EXCEPT for kick off coverage. Last week, the lone bright spot for the Seminoles was the play of kick returner Michael Ray Garvin. Even the Citadel put together a couple of decent returns against the Gators. I can tell you one thing, Alabama's Javier Arenas is on a whole other level when it comes to the return game. The Gators are going to have to step it up big time if they want to slow down my fellow Robinson High School grad.





3. Win the field position battle.

This goes hand in hand with my previous two points. Alabama's whole game plan relies heavily on winning the field position battle. If they can establish the run this may be a lost cause. Also, the Gators will definitely need to improve their kick off coverage if they want to take this one. Luckily for Florida, they have the best punter in the league to reverse the field position if need be. It wouldn't hurt if Brandon James could return to early season form either.







4. Play Percy Harvin.

I don't care if Percy Harvin really is hurt. Florida needs to dress him and play him. I figure there are three different levels in which Percy could be hurt. The Gators can find a way to play him at all three levels.

Level one- Not hurt at all. Percy is as good as usual. The head coaching staff finds a way to get him the ball whenever possible.

Level two- Bothered by the injury, but not severe. At this level, the Gators could still find ways to get Percy the ball. Just put extra tape on his ankle and run him on a sweep, or a go route.

Level three- Pretty damn hurt. Florida could still use Harvin at this level. He would be the ultimate decoy. As long as Percy is on the field, the Alabama defenders will be forced to focus on him.



5. Get Demps and Rainey the ball in space.

This could be a huge factor if Harvin falls into the level three category above. I know 'Bama has athletes on D. But there's no way they have anybody that can stop Demps or Rainey in the flats on a consistent basis. Rainey has perfected the spin and change direction move, and Demps is simply just faster than everybody. Run a couple screens or even reverses to get these guys out in the flats one on one with some d-linemen and linebackers. And don't give up if it doesn't work at first.





5 Gator players that need to step up

1.Chas Henry- I bet you though you'd never see a punter on this list. Henry may be the most underrated player on the Gators squad. His ability to reverse bad field position when need be will be huge on Saturday.

2. Tim Tebow- I just wanna see Tebow run across the middle and bulldoze Rashad Johnson like he did Jamie Robinson last week. It's funny how much vitriol is being spewed Tebow's way by the Tide faithful. Jealous much?

3. Chris Rainey- I think that out of the trio of Rainey, Demps and Harvin, Alabama may be the must unprepared for Rainey. I look for Chris to get the bulk of the carries (Sorry Manny....).

4. Javier Estopinan. It's gonna fall on the interior of the d-line to stop the 'Bama rushing attack. Unfortunately for the Gators, the injury bug has bit this position as of late. On the bright side, the last time I picked a DT in this segment(Terron Sanders) he went on to have a monster game.

5. Brandon Spikes- All-Everything linebacker Brandon Spikes will be their to clean up anything that gets beyond the line of scrimmage. Mr. Spikes has also become a threat in the interception department this season. JPW better keep his eyes on him.


Here's a glimpse at what the two teams have done against common opponents this season.

Alabama......Florida
Arkansas W 49-14...... W 38-7
Georgia W 41-30...... W 49-10
Kentucky W 17-14...... W 63-5
Ole Miss W 24-20...... L 31-30
Tennessee W 29-9....... W 30-6
LSU W 27-21...... W 51-21


Here's a video from the last time the Gators made an appearance in ATL.




Check out what's being said about the game at a Tide forum. It's funny how it's been hijacked by people rooting for Florida.



Time for my prediction. I was pretty damn close last week. Just needed a late Caleb Sturgis field goal. Where's Randy Shannon when you need him?

Florida 38

Alabama 24

Guest Blog: Gators First

Our good friends at Gators First have been kind enough to provide us with an interesting article as we gear up for a huge weekend.

This topic has been controversial and hotly contested as of late.

Just my two cents: Meyer is better at everything than Saban. Everything!
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The Meyer v. Saban Debate

A couple weeks ago, one of my Arkansas-fan friends asked me if I thought Urban Meyer or Nick Saban was the better coach. There are some similairites. Saban is a part of the 'Belichick coaching tree', while Meyer is turning into Bill Belichick. Meyer's "year-two" magic was well publicized at Utah, and then when UF won a National Title in 2006. Saban, of course, has Alabama the undisputed #1 team in the country, and in position for a National Title in year two. There are more, but that's not the point. The point is, who's better? My answer, of course was Meyer.

Consider Nick Saban's coaching record outside of powerhouse schools LSU and Alabama. Up until year 5 at Michigan State, they were really a .500 team. They also lost 3 consecutive bowl games to start his tenure (the only 3 they made). In fact, Nick Saban never won a bowl game while at Michigan State- when they beat Florida after the 1999 season, they were led by an interim coach. He lucked into an SEC title in 2001, as the best teams were most certainly Florida and Tennessee, but a 3-loss (all in-conference!) LSU was the West's representative in Atlanta, and benefitted from what is now considered the beginning of the end of Phil Fulmer.Urban Meyer has won everywhere. He went 17-6 at Bowling Green! BOWLING GREEN! He started Utah on a roll that hasn't stopped. And I thoroughly blame the players and their lack of maturity for last season. Even last year, which was probably his worst year (it certainly was, record-wise, though his year end rankings were roughly the same in 05) he coached a Heisman winner! He has a phenomenal record in bowl games, rivalry games, and games played with extra preparation (usually after a bye).

I’m not trying to put down Nick Saban. I think these guys are easily 1 and 1a, whichever way you rank them. The only other name anyone ever throws out there is Pete Carroll, and I’m on the record for my opinion of Pete Carroll. I chose Urban for probably two reasons: 1) He’s our coach and 2) I can make the argument for Meyer over Saban, but can’t formulate the Saban over Meyer argument. We should see where these guys are in another five years, but I think it’s safe to assume for now that these are the two best coaches in the NCAA.Anyways, what do you think? I've tried to look at this objectively, and the only arguments I've come up with for Saban over Meyer I can attribute to his being a head coach for longer. I also don't think this will be decisively answered Saturday- I think it will be but one more data point from which to form a conclusion.

Tebow made the right choice

Can you imagine what the world be like if Tebow had signed with Alabama instead of Florida? In case you don't remember, Tebow's top two choices for schools were Florida and Alabama.

After weighing the pros and cons, Tebow went with his heart. Here's a few of things Tebow considered.


Florida-Pros

• Hot Poon Tang(Even though I can't touch any...)
• Beautiful campus.
• Top Flight football program.
• Up and coming HOF Coach.
• Chance to win multiple titles and Heismans.
• Extreme Awesomeness

Alabama-Pros

• Plenty of toilets
• Several Jeff Foxworthy stand up shows
• I'll be the smartest man to ever grace the halls at Tuscaloosa.
• It's not Auburn.

Florida-Cons

• May be a little too awesome.
• I don't know if I can stay true to my beliefs with all the flesh lettuce flopping around.
• Handing out ass-whoopings on a consistent basis may also go against my Christian faith.

Alabama-Cons

• Boring.
• Unstable coaching situation.
• Getting my ass whipped by Auburn on a yearly basis.
• It's not Florida

I think we can see Tebow made the right choice.
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Just for fun, I thought it would be interesting to look back at some of the recruiting hype surrounding Mr. Tebow back in 2005.

Mobile Register, December 18, 2005

"When (Ponte Vedra Beach Nease quarterback Tim) Tebow showed up at Alabama several times this fall on unofficial visits - including the spectacular win over Florida - and was greeted by a multitude of signs begging for him to sign, the spectacle intensified.

"There has also been a feeling among Alabama insiders that he is heading to Tuscaloosa, which has fueled Internet boards in ways not seen since the first allegations were published that Phil Fulmer had ratted out the Tide in the Albert Means fiasco.

"This drumbeat reached a fever pitch last week when Rodney Orr, who runs Tiderinsider.com, stated: "If he weren't going to Alabama, I think we would have seen some signs by now, but we haven't. ... I think it's Tebow to Alabama.' "

Not so much.....

Scout.com, December 8, 2005

Quarterback Tim Tebow from Nease High School in Jacksonville, Fla., is getting ready with his team-mates for Saturday's 4A state championship game in Miami against Cessna Armwood--two-time defending champs. Tebow's 24 year old brother, Robby, offered some thoughts about what Scout.com's No. 3 quarterback might decide.

"Timmy visited USC last weekend for the UCLA game with my dad, Bob," Robby said. "He really enjoyed it. He said he had a good time and loved coaches (Pete) Carroll, (Lane) Kiffin and (Steve) Sarkisian. He likes their offense and their schemes. He watched film of the team with the coaches and broke down the offense.

"He thinks Carroll is a really cool guy. He was in our house yesterday (Dec. 7) with Kiffin and Sarkisian. Carroll is real down-to-earth and personable and is obviously a great coach.

"USC is definitely still in the mix. He likes their coaching, the offense and the all-around good talent they have.

"I know he's got it narrowed down to USC, Alabama , Florida and LSU ," explained Robby.

"He likes Alabama because of coach (Mike) Shula and his staff. He'd have the ability to go in there and play early. Shula is a really good person as well as a good coach. Shula was also a left-handed QB, like Tim, so they have that in common too.

"The thing about Florida is that it's closer--only about an hour away. They also run the spread offense which has its advantages because that's what Timmy is running right now in high school. He also likes the Gator staff a lot.

"Our parents went to Florida but that's not a factor at all. He's got to find where he fits in best and that doesn't have anything to do with our parents went to school. My parents have left it wide open and are not trying to influence him. They haven't said to him that he should go to any school.

"LSU's offensive coordinator is Jimbo Fisher . Timmy thinks he's really a great guy and really a good coach. Timmy has a really strong relationship with him. That's what has kept LSU in the mix," Robby said.

"I'll be the biggest fan of wherever he goes but I don't have a preference, except I'd like to see him be able to have a big impact. Timmy's a competitor. He'll try to compete for the starting job right away. He doesn't like standing on the sidelines.

"He's taken all his trips and this coming Tuesday (Dec. 13) he might make his decision, but he hasn't decided yet," Robby explained. "If he had decided, I'd be the person who would know because he would have told me. He's got a lot on his plate right now though.

"I'd say his top three schools are Alabama, USC and Florida. I'm not sure about a top two or anything like that. He's ready to make a decision so he can relax and do some recruiting for wherever he goes.

"If he decides, he will probably announce it on Tuesday at Nease High School. It'll be at 5:15 in the evening, I think, and it should be televised live on ESPN News."

Six days later....

"I will play for the University of Florida," announced Tebow. "It's a very exciting time at the University of Florida."

The Mr. Football Award winner has been at the center of an intense recruiting battle between Florida , Alabama, Southern Cal, LSU, and Michigan. Alabama coach Mike Shula significantly closed the gap when Tebow visited Tuscaloosa during the season.

"It was a hard decision," he said. "I really got to meet a lot of great people and coaches and it was hard to pick one school, but Florida was just the most comfortable fit for me"

Tebow etched his name alongside Emmitt Smith , Wilbur Wilbur Marshall, John L. Williams, and Willie McClendon as high profile high school players who were the focus of intense recruiting battles. All of whom eventually signed with the Gators. Interestingly, Tebow’s recruitment was also aligned with that of perhaps his fondest football hero, Danny Wuerffel, who also came down to a Florida/Alabama decision.

The southpaw led the Panthers (13-2) to their first ever state title last Saturday in Dolphins Stadium. The Panthers dropped a season opening 50-29 contest to USA Today 4th ranked Hoover (Alabama) on the road and a 20-14 heartbreaker to arch-rival St. Augustine. Both Hoover and St. Augustine won state titles in their respective classifications.

In his senior year, Tebow completed 223 of 355 passes (62.8) for 3,442 yards. He threw 34 touchdown passes. He ran for 1.045 yards and 21 touchdowns.

He rewrote the Florida High School career record books for total offense (12,960), career passing yards (9,940), touchdowns (159), and completions (631). He also shattered single season records in total offense (5,552), passing yards (4,286), touchdown passes (46), and total touchdowns (70).

Tebow is an incredibly strong athlete with the ability to break tackles and make things happen if the receiver can’t break free from the coverage. He also has good speed for a powerful runner. There is no question that the spread offense will allow Florida to put more pressure on the defense. Obviously, he has a big league arm as well.

"I have a special relationship with the coaching staff there and really loved both schools, but I'm happy to be a Gator," affirmed Tebow.

With his commitment to the Florida Gators, Tebow headlines the Class of 2006 which is already evolving into an outstanding unit and will be bolstered even further with Tebow serving as the Pied Piper to lure more highly touted recruits in.

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A little video to get you all kinds of hopped up.

Weekly Picks

This is the last edition of my weekly picks. Sometime next week, I'll be prognosticating all the bowl games.

Until then, enjoy these little gems.....

Middle Tennessee @ UL-Lafayette
Louisville @ Rutgers
Ball St. vs Buffalo
Pittsburgh @ Connecticut
East Carolina @ Tulsa
Navy vs Army
Boston College vs Virginia Tech
Washington @ California
Alabama vs Florida
USC @ UCLA
Western Kentucky @ Florida Atlantic
Arkansas St. @ Troy
Missouri vs Oklahoma
Arizona St. @ Arizona
South Florida @ West Virginia
Cincinnati @ Hawaii

Bowl Predictions: Then and Now

Way back in May, I made some early as hell bowl predictions. With bowls fast approaching, time for me to issue a slightly more educated list.

Just for fun, I've posted what I predicted way back then.

1.BCS Title Game- Then- Florida v. Oklahoma ; Now- Florida v. Oklahoma. The pick stays the same. Florida should take care of 'Bama in Atlanta and Oklahoma should have no trouble with Mizzou.

2. Fiesta Bowl- Then- Texas v. BYU; Now- Texas v. Ohio St. Texas stays the same. Back in May, I didn't realize the Fiesta Bowl had first dibs on BCS teams. That explains the switch from the non-BCS school to Ohio St.

3.Sugar Bowl- Then- Georgia v. Illinois; Now- Alabama v. Utah. I didn't envision 'Bama to have the type of season they had. I also didn't envision the type of season Illinois would have either.

4.Rose Bowl- Then- Ohio St. v. USC; Now- Penn St. v. USC. USC stays the same. Penn St. at least makes this game a little more interesting.

5. Orange Bowl- Then- Clemson v. West Virginia; Now- Virginia Tech v. Cincinnati. Doesn't my older version seem like so much more fun?

6. Capital One Bowl-Then- Wisconsin v. LSU; Now- Michigan St. v. Georgia. Georgia falls out of the BCS thanks to their meltdown vs. Georgia Tech.

7. Outback Bowl-Then- Michigan St. v. Auburn; Now- Iowa v. South Carolina. Auburn really crapped out on me this year.

8. Cotton Bowl-Then- Missouri v. Alabama; Now- Texas Tech v. Ole Miss. I gave Ole Miss a bunch of credit heading into the season. Just not enough credit.

9. Gator Bowl-Then- Wake Forest v. Cincinnati; Now- Georgia Tech v. West Virginia. One pass happy game to one run dominated game.

10.Sun Bowl-Then- Oregon St. v. Texas A&M; Now- Oregon St. v. Pittsburgh. Yeah. I thought TAMU would make a bowl.

11.Holiday Bowl-Then- Arizona St. v. Texas Tech;Now- Oregon v. Missouri. Once again the Holiday bowl could have the potential to be the most exciting Non-BCS game.

12. Chick-Fil-A Bowl-Then- Virginia Tech v. South Carolina;Now- Florida St. v. LSU. The newer version seems to be a better game.

13.Liberty Bowl-Then- Central Florida v. Tennessee;Now- Tulsa v. Kentucky. So I made a lil' bit of a homer pick with UCF. Who cares?

14.Alamo Bowl-Then- Kansas v. Purdue;Now- Oklahoma St. v. Wisconsin. Either way, the Big Eleven is gonna get worked in this one.

15.Insight Bowl-Then- Colorado v. Indiana;Now- Kansas v. Northwestern. I really whiffed on my original pick. Neither Colorado or Indiana are bowl eligible this year.

16.Music City Bowl-Then- Miami(FL) V. Mississippi St.;Now- Boston College v. Vanderbilt. Vanderbilt in a home game. Fun.

17.Independence Bowl-Then- Oklahoma St. v. Arkansas;Now- North Carolina St. v. Buffalo. The lack of bowl eligible teams in the SEC and Big XII leads to this unorthodox match-up.

18.Champs Sports Bowl-Then- North Carolina St. v. Penn St;Now- Miami(FL) v. Minnesota. The Golden Gophers may be the biggest surprise among bowl teams this year.

19.Meineke Car Care Bowl-Then- North Carolina v. South Florida;Now- Wake Forest v. Rutgers. I expected Rutgers to be much better than this.

20.Papajohns.com Bowl-Then- Rutgers v. Kentucky;Now- Connecticut v. Notre Dame. Any bowl with the Irish is automatically a snooze fest.

21.Texas Bowl-Then- Nebraska v. Tusla;Now- Nebraska v. Rice. Nebraska stays the same. Rice was a pleasant surprise.

22.Humanitarian Bowl-Then- Virginia v. Boise St.;Now- Maryland v. Boise St. Boise St. stays the same. They deserve better than this.

23.Emerald Bowl-Then- Maryland v. UCLA;Now- North Carolina v. California. Both the Heels and the Bears have the potential to be really good teams next year.

24.Las Vegas Bowl-Then- Utah v. California;Now- BYU v. Arizona. It's a long drop from the BCS bowls to Vegas.

25. Hawaii Bowl-Then- Fresno St. v. Arizona;Now- Hawaii v. Bowling Green. The lack of a PAC-10 bowl eligible team gives the Falcons a trip to Hawaii.

26.GMAC Bowl-Then- East Carolina v. Nevada;Now- East Carolina v. Western Michigan. East Carolina stays the same. WMU should provide a stiffer challenge than the Wolfpack.

27.St. Petersburg Bowl-Then- Pittsburgh v. Houston;Now- South Florida v. Southern Miss. The Bulls should enjoy some good home cooking in this one.

28.Armed Forces Bowl-Then- Memphis v. Air Force;Now- Houston v. Air Force. Air Force stays the same. Houston is really come on strong late this season.

29.Eagle Bank Bowl- Then-Navy v. Georgia Tech;Now- Navy v. Clemson. Navy is contracted to play in this one. Clemson falls to D.C.

30.International Bowl- Then- Louisville v. Ball St.;Now- Nevada v. Central Michigan. I'm sure the people in Toronto will love this one.

31.Motor City Bowl-Then- Michigan v. Central Michigan;Now- Arkansas St. v. Ball St. The lack of Big Eleven bowl teams makes this game an even bigger joke. Nate Davis and Co. definitely deserve better than this.

32.New Orleans Bowl-Then- Louisiana-Monroe v. Southern Mississippi;Now- Troy v. Memphis. Different teams, same shitty bowl.

33.Poinsettia Bowl-Then- Washington v. Buffalo;Now- TCU v. Louisiana Tech. Can we overlook the fact that I had Washington in a bowl game and instead focus on the fact that I predicted Buffalo to make a bowl game?

34.New Mexico Bowl-Then- Louisiana Tech v. Florida Atlantic;Now- Fresno St. v. Colorado St. More Mountain West teams qualified for bowl berths than I imagined. Kudos to the Rams for proving me wrong.