Controversy? What controversy? Florida gets to throw number one up in the sky.

And amidst excitement over Tim Tebow potentially returning for his senior season (he will be back — trust me) FSU has exciting news as well: that Bobby Bowden will be returning for his 34th season as FSU’s head coach.

Good times, Gator Nation. Good times.

We at O&B Hue apologize for the light coverage before, during and after the BCS championship game. Rest assured we will back with more… but as it currently stands, resident Head Janitor Gatorpilot is out, well, gatorpiloting. Back atcha soon, ladies and fellas.

From political stumping for your own team a popular new trend has emerged: claiming your team is deserves to be post-season No. 1.

Pete Carroll, Mack Brown and Kyle Whittingham, all victors of BCS bowl games, say they intend to vote their respective teams to the top of the AP rankings. The goal, of course, is to perhaps claim a ’share’ of the national championship, ala Southern Cal and LSU in 2003.

This is unusual and disturbing for several reasons, but the one most overlooked so far is the level of disrespect it has shown to the two teams which did successfully navigate the BCS maze and found their way to Miami. It’s also hard to enter a discussion about ‘deserving national champions’ without becoming quagmired in playoff vs. BCS talk or to start debating the finer nuances of whether there really is such a thing as a ‘national championship.’

I will not be going in that direction, particularly the latter. This is college football, not a courtroom, and I posit that anyone who gets worked up over those issues isn’t drinking nearly enough beer during the games.

Let’s look at their claims.
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Give it up for the Utes of Utah, who stormed the Superdome and whipped Alabama, 31-17. It was an amazing performance from a double-digit ‘dog, playing the games of their lives.

The Utes looked faster, better prepared, and more physical. They were also sky-high for a game that the Crimson Tide viewed as meager consolation for the big prize.

The anti-SEC proponents are using the loss as ammunition for their relentless case against college football’s finest conference. A Mountain West team beat one of the SEC’s elite, they say. And via the transitive property, Florida — who beat the Tide by a similar-but-not-quite-as-impressive tally of 31-20 — must be overrated as well.

It’s just the familiar drumbeat of fans who are jealous and envious of the brand of football which is played perenially in the Southeastern Conference. Make no mistake about it, the loss was embarrassing. As good as Utah looked, a 12-1 SEC squad — even in a down year for the conference — should have found a way to win. And how can a squad which barely posted a winning season in ‘07 find themselves unmotivated to win a BCS bowl?

But if you’re going to tell me that Utah really is that good, and that Bama really was that bad, I’m going to fight you. Hard. Some facts:
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A marginal Big 10 team smacked the crap out of a marginal — okay, I’m being generous here — SEC team.

The victor: Iowa. 8-4 coming into the Outback Bowl, a venue which must surely favor the Gamecocks.

It was a painful 31-10 loss for South Carolina. You want to see a haunted man, who bears the weight of failure like a thousand pounds on his shoulders? Watch Steve Spurrier’s post-game press conference. And watch his eyes closely.

They contain rage, pain, misery, confusion, and the melted veneer of countless sleepless nights. The eyes of a former champion, an unbeaten spirit, and a powerful competitor… reduced to a man wandering the halls with no answers for the evils that ail him.

“I don’t know.” Count how many times Spurrier admits to being lost. He’s a head coach who doesn’t understand why his team won’t respond to his coaching, why his gameplans don’t work, why his hires don’t pan out.

The backdrop to this horror: the jarring laughter of people who will never understand Spurrier. The entire press conference felt like a freak show, with Spurrier in the center cage, taking jeers and laughs alike in exchange for his pain.

Spurrier’s answers were, at times, as awkward as Steve Ericson’s introduction.

Spurrier’s legend dies a little more every day.

I can’t hate this man. This is not the Steve Spurrier who once led the mighty Gators. This man is a shell of his former self.

Losing is eating him up, bit by bit, piece by piece.

Coach… it’s time.

In the name of all that is holy, end this tragic comedy which is your South Carolina coaching career.

We’ve accepted the gracious invite of SBNation’s Crimson and Cream Machine to exchange some inside info on our respective teams during the Holiday lull. C&C’s interview with us can be found here.

Orange and Blue Hue: Let’s start with injuries. For some reason, guys whose name starts with “Demarc” are getting injured left and right on your team. Talk about the loss of Murray and Granger and how it will impact this game.

Crimson and Cream Machine: The loss of DeMarco Murray will hurt the team a lot worse than DeMarcus Granger. Oklahoma is fairly deep along the defensive line and rotates all of their linemen. Grander was in the second wave of defensive tackles to come into the game. He’s good but not one of the best two on the team and the Sooners will just break into their depth to replace him. His loss will be significant but not nearly as significant as DeMarco Murray.

Murray is the team leader in all-purpose yards. He is a lightning fast runner, a dangerous kick returner and an excellent safety valve for Sam Bradford on passing downs. He is irreplaceable but Mossis Madu will do his best. He had an excellent Big 12 Championship Game but still has me worried just based on experience or lack of.
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Preseason #1. Expectations of a conference title. WINNING TWO IN A ROW over the hated Gators. A BCS title berth, or at the very least, a BCS bowl game. The second coming of Herschel Walker. The OMG-best-ever signal caller in Athens ready to make Tim Tebow’s ‘07 Heisman run ancient history.

Remember all that talk?

I do. I think it’s worth taking a stroll down memory lane and remembering the taunts and jabs of Georgia fans who were so certain that after a rare WLOCP victory and a destructive tour-de-force over hapless Hawai’i in the Sugar Bowl, that the balance of power would finally shift in their favor in 2008. According to Georgia fans, this was THE YEAR. Florida was going to take the back seat to a new era of ‘Dawg dominance.

Heh.

Final result for UGA: 9-3 with blowout losses to their two biggest SEC rivals and a season-ending home loss to hated cross-conference rival Georgia Tech, who under first-year head coach Paul Johnson were playing with a newly-installed option attack. Against the Yellow Jackets the Bulldogs’ undisciplined and poorly-coached defense gave up 409 yards on the ground — the Jackets only needed to pass for a total of 19 yards.
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…merely football players.

With an eye towards the end of the season, let’s look at the 2008 season as if it were a play of five acts:

Part One: Preseason preparation (Hawaii/Miami)

Following the gameplan is key: If the defense can make a few stops, the offense will almost take care of itself. Hawaii won’t be a strong offensively as last year; Colt Brennan isn’t under center, and Greg McMackin was a defensive coordinator. Expect a result similar to last year’s Sugar Bowl, and maybe a little more.

The Canes are rebuilding, but still remain dangerous. Because the offense is more of a pro-style scheme, if the run defense can shut down the tailbacks, particularly Javarris James, the secondary’s task is easier. Like Hawaii, Miami will have a new QB taking the snaps.

Part Two: The Challenge Begins (Tennessee/Mississippi/Arkansas)

The toughest challenge in this set is UT. The Gators travel to Knoxville to face UT, the most talented SEC team in the trio.

Because the game is on the road, and Florida’s strength lies on offense, getting off to a fast start could be the key to the game. The more Florida quiets the Vols crowd, the more vulnerable the Vols will be. Otherwise, the defense needs to present Johnny Crompton with as many practical problems as possible; it’s his first SEC game as starting quarterback.

Part Three: The Height of the Action (LSU/Kentucky/Georgia)

This set can make or break UF’s SEC, and thus national, title hopes.

The Tigers are still dangerous, despite losing JaMarcus Russell, LaRon Landry, Glenn Dorsey, Dwyane Bowe, Craig Davis, Early Doucet, Jacob Hester, Ali Highsmith, Craig Steltz, Chase Pittman, Chevis Jackson, Matt Flynn, and Keith Zinger to the NFL over the last two drafts; oh, and don’t forget about Ryan Perilloux, either.

Because it’ll be the second road game for the starting quarterback, creating a hostile environment helps out. And if the Gators can figure out how to use the Tigers’ inexperience against them, it makes their jobs that much easier.

As for Georgia, the key to winning the game (and, thus, the SEC East title), is forcing Matt Stafford to make committal decisions before he wants to - he threw 19 touchdowns to 10 interceptions last season. Also, because he is a passing QB, the secondary needs to bring its A-game for this one.

Playing with a sense of urgency won’t hurt, either.

Part Four: The End Is Within Sight (Vanderbilt/South Carolina/Citadel/FSU)

There shouldn’t be too many problems, but don’t ignore the Gamecocks or Seminoles.

This is the time for our cornerbacks to shine. Remember, the OBC can change quarterbacks as often as he changes golf clubs on Pebble Beach. If the secondary holds up against the Fun-n-Gun, the game is manageable.

With the Noles, there needs to be a focus on outplaying the opponent at every position. Chances are, they won’t have a lot to lose at this point in the season.

The key lies in playing “selectively aggressive” In poker, it refers to choosing hands wisely and playing them well. In football, it entails taking risks and playing conservatively at the right times.

Part Five: The Time is now (SEC title game?/bowl game?)

If the Gators make it to the SEC championship game, it will be the biggest challenge ahead for most of them. There could be more than a few nervous types taking the field.

If they maintain the right amount of competitive tension, they’ll do fine. In fact, it might help the entire team play more focused than usual.

And if the Gators were to somehow reach the BCS title game, it’s going to be in Miami. They’ve played and lost bowl games in Florida before (Capital One Bowl), and that could work in their favor.

From SI.com:

Florida’s Caldwell scored on a 2-yard end around off a handoff from Tennessee’s Erik Ainge on the final play of the Senior Bowl to cap a 14-play, 86-yard final drive and lift the South to a 17-16 win over the North on Saturday.

Caldwell plunged into the end zone, getting hit by Terrence Wheatley at the goal line, and promptly celebrated the fourth-down score with a Gator chomp. Georgia’s Brandon Coutu then made the extra point.

Gator chomp shown at right. Good luck, Bubba. And we’ll miss you.

Fine job, men. Fine job indeed.

Wish you hadn’t allowed that garbage TD to make it a semi-respectable score there at the end, but thank you for defending SEC pride.

SEC bowl record: 7-2. (Can’t believe Florida made up 50% of the ‘2′. Horrifying. But at least the crystal football came back to the right conference.)

I do take some small measure of satisfaction in the fact that Ohio State is now 0-9 against SEC teams in bowl games. Ouch!

This year’s Capitol One game in Orlando, Florida showed the country one thing.  Despite the overall difference between the Big 10 and SEC conferences, Michigan and Florida are two teams with comparable talent.  I can understand why Wolverine fans were so outraged by the way their season began.  Their belief that Michigan should have been one of the leading candidates for the BCS game was not unfounded.  This game was not as much about planning and execution as it was emotion and will.  Michigan played with a high level of emotion and displayed the kind of intensity they lacked against both Wisconsin and Ohio State (not to mention early losses to Appalachian State and Oregon).  Buoyed by a healthy Henne and Hart, Michigan showed why preseason expectations had been set so high.
 
While the score depicts a close, high scoring game that most fans enjoy, this was by no means a well played game.  There are three phases to every game - Offense, Defense and Special Teams.  Florida won exactly NONE of these phases.  Florida entered the game with the Heisman Trophy quarterback and as the nationally recognized offensive “juggernaut“.  This was the one clear advantage the Gators seemed to have.  Yet on offense Michigan scored 7 times to Florida’s 5.  The Wolverines gained 524 yards (373 passing, 151 rushing) to Florida’s gained 399 (230 rushing, 169 passing).  Had it not been for their 4 turnovers (2 interceptions, 2 fumbles), two of which were inside the 5 yard line, Michigan might have scored 62 points on Tuesday.  The Florida defense had NO answer for the Wolverines.
 
Despite Urban Meyer’s focus on special teams the Gators made too many mistakes in this aspect of the game.  After a mistake by Brandon Minor who stepped out of bounds on the Michigan seven yard line on the opening kickoff (Michigan would go on to drive 93 yards and score regardless), Michigan’s kickoff return squad started their team on the 38, the 44, the 33, the 30 and the 33 yard line.  Not once did the Wolverines begin a possession inside their 30 from a kickoff return and outside the opening drive were never inside their 20.  In addition Florida failed to gather possession of a pooch kick to begin the second half which allowed Michigan possession at the Florida 38 (resulting in a TD).  In addition Florida missed one field goal and had another blocked later in the first half. (more…)