The Hoops Gators knocked off #2 Michigan State, while Tebow’s Swamp Legacy concluded with yet another pasting of the worthless Seminoles of Florida State… all within 24 hours of each other.

In terms of schadenfreude, could this have been written any more sweetly? ESPN College Gameday dropped by, not because of the enormity of the game — FSU stinks, after all — but the significance of Tim Tebow’s final game in the Swamp. The parallel storyline, Bobby Bowden’s coaching legacy, was necessarily weak in the modern sense thanks to Bowden’s lack of accomplishments in the last 8 years of his career.

FSU’s ship is sinking. HMS Bowden is taking on water faster than Jimbo Fisher can bail it out. Meanwhile, the Gators are two games away from a historic accomplishment, and Tebow’s legacy as the greatest player in college football history is nearly cemented.

Good times, ladies and gentlemen. A halcyon era of Gator dominance… a masterful meld of coaching and players to produce an unprecedented string of success against Florida’s rivals.

But enough on the 6-6 Nolies, who don’t feature a single player on the roster who know the taste of victory over the Gators.

You want to talk about Gator Greats? Sure, Tebow’s one, but many of the Gator Greats of ‘09 play on defense. Brandon Spikes. Carlos Dunlap. Ryan Stamper. Joe Haden. A.J. Jones. While UF enjoyed a field day against FSU’s swiss-cheese offense, against better competition, our defense has carried the day. Thank you, boys. You may have walked through that tunnel for the last time, but you will not be forgotten.

By now everyone has probably heard about the travails of Kansas head football coach Mark Mangino.  Currently he is the target of an investigation by the athletic department for the mistreatment and abuse of his players.  This includes pushing and kicking players and throwing verbal insults that include personal information regarding family members in an attempt to motivate through embarassment.  While the nature of some of the acts described truly defies understanding, I don’t want to comment on the investigation or incidents themselves.  Rather I wanted to share some of the more poignant comments that can be found on this issue from message boards.  Comments that prove there is nothing that can’t become the butt of a good joke.

-I heard he’s getting fired because hes out running and out practicing his own players in practice. They say he’s downright demoralizing with his speed and stamina.

-Sounds like a guy that likes to throw his weight around.

-If they could sell him by the pound they could afford to hire Bill Cowher.

-I bet the KU players feel as if they have the weight of the world on their shoulders.

-Would he be a step up at FSU? At least he knows personal stuff about his players. Bobby does not even know their names.

-Mangino left quite an impression at Kansas, particularly on the office furniture.

-Mangino is the REAL DEAL FOLKS!!………in buffet eating.

-This decision has to be weighing heavy on the mind of the AD.

-Very disappointing…..I always thought playing for Mangino would be tons of fun.

-Some disciplinary action is in order, clearly Mangino has gotten a little too big for his britches………..

-That’s too bad.  I was sure when Mangino took the Kansas job that he would be the next big thing.

 Personally, my favorite was the dig at Bobby Bowden.

Miami finds an offense with signal caller Jacory Harris. Oklahoma loses theirs, then finds it again with their backup quarterback. BYU gets a marquee win over said Sooners, but goes down to FSU in rout-like fashion. USC loses to Washington, the same team which went winless in 2008, and the same team which LSU handled with reasonable aplomb in their transcontinental season opener. Georgia drops their pants to Oklahoma State, then scores more than 41+ in two consecutive SEC games with a 5th-year senior quarterback who also sat on the bench for most of his collegiate career. Arkansas and South Carolina both go down, but do so swinging, scoring points, and showing promise at the quarterback position for the first time in recent memory. Even Chizik’s Auburn Tigers score 41 on the ‘Eers of West Virginia. ‘Bama scores in multiples of seven with their new starting QB, but they also play good defense.

And of course, the Florida Gators, the preseason alpha dog of college football, wins in workmanlike fashion over the Vols of Tennessee, who lost to UCLA on their home turf one week prior.

What does it all mean?

For starters, we have to be realistic about the fact that the win over Tennessee was uglier in appearance than it truly was. Tennessee’s defense was good enough, and well-coached enough, to force Florida into a ball-control game which was basically won by the 3rd quarter. 23-6, the Vols were reeling and Florida was moving the ball at will until…
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We can finally stop writing and hearing about this.

Meyer turned back to the golfers and said, “I’m not going to Notre Dame. Ever. I’m going to be the coach at Florida for a long time, as long as they want me.”

Thank you, Coach.

Surprising no one, Percy Harvin announced today his intention to forego his final year of NCAA eligibility in favor of the NFL Draft.

Florida loses one of the most dynamic playmakers in school history, but Gator Nation sends Percy Harvin onward with love and appreciation for all that he’s done for his University.

Simply put, it is not possible to ask more of a player. And it is not possible for a player to give more than Percy did during his time in Gainesville.

Percy Harvin terrorized the SEC from the moment he stepped onto the field wearing orange and blue. As a true freshman, he quickly became the centerpiece of Florida’s spread option attack, rushing and receiving for 855 combined yards and 5 total TDs. As a sophomore he nearly doubled those numbers, catching 59 passes for 858 yards and 4 TDs, while rushing for an additional 764 yards and 6 TDs. Harvin’s stats in 2008 dipped slightly due to a combination of injury and defenses keying in on the talented junior, but was absolutely crucial to Florida’s championship bids and was the difference in the Florida’s BCS national championship victory over Oklahoma.
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“…when we repeat as national champs!”

Tim Tebow’s return to school has folks in Gainesville abuzz.

To top it off, rumors abound that Spikes might contemplate a senior year to stay with Tebow and Co.

Ladies and gentlemen, commence the most exciting/nerve-wracking offseason in school history. On the one hand, Florida has the perfect combination of talent and experience to repeat as national champs. But on the other, the expectations have never been greater.

The Sugar Bowl is not an option. It’s Pasadena or bust now.

Talent-wise, Florida’s biggest concerns are finding a capable wide receiver (or #2 option, if Percy Harvin stays) and replacing half of the offensive line. That’s about it. Even MLB is not *too* big of a problem; redshirt senior Ryan Stamper has experience on all three spots.

In fact, the Gators’ biggest obstacle to repeat may very well be the Heisman Trust. Yes, the Heisman Trust. If Florida makes the BCS Championship Game, Tim Tebow joins Archie Griffin as the only two-time winners in award history, and here’s why:

Buyer’s remorse. We all know what happened to Sam Bradford (and chances are, he takes the money and runs with his draft stock). Colt McCoy and Texas won 24-21 against Ohio State, but it wasn’t convincing, given 41-14, 38-24, 35-3, and 13-6 were all by bigger margins.

As with Griffin, voters will likely give Tebow the award as a celebration of a legendary career. But given the Heisman curse, that isn’t a good sign for a repeat.

Even repeat winners are not immune to postseason woes: On January 1, 1976, Griffin lost, in all places, at the Rose Bowl, the locale of next season’s title game.

But otherwise, nation, we are in the midst of an almost surreal ride. Enjoy it while it lasts.

No pressure whatsoever.

This concerns your immediate futures as far as playing football is concerned. There has been rampant speculation that the three of you might try to copy Al Horford, Joakim Noah, and Corey Brewer in the stay-another-year-and-win-another-title-department.

If any one of you, two of you, or heck, even all three of you decide to come back (particularly you, Tim), your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to accomplish a feat that no champion in the BCS system or in the state of Florida has ever done.

Back-to-back national championships.

Granted, you have just come off winning it all already, and if you decide to leave, we won’t fault you for taking NFL money while the opportunity is available; you have proven everything to your university that you needed to prove, and we commend you for it. But if you choose to build upon your success, it will come at a hefty price, and not just in money.

If you thought the expectations last season were big, you ain’t seen nuthin’ yet. You’ve weathered a schedule that includes 11 bowl teams and 9 games in the toughest conference in college football. You went from a season on the brink of disaster following Ole Miss to one of the most dominating stretch runs in history.

But this season, everybody knows you can do it again. You’ll have to handle the risks of a championship swoon and the potentially overinflated egos that go along with it. In all likelihood, it will be championship or bust in Gainesville.

Your relationship with the other league teams is a complicated one. As the defending SEC and national champs, league teams will give you their best shot week after week. But if you can successfully navigate all of the challenges en route to Pasadena, you will go with the respect and support of the other 11 fanbases in the conference.

If you get hurt and your stock slips, millions of future earnings are on the line.

And there will be moments of self-doubt where you wonder if you made the right choice.

But if you can handle everything with aplomb and achieve the repeat, you will already take the dynasty you are in and push it into truly rarefied air.

No active coach in college football will have three titles - except Urban Meyer.

No Big Six conference will have back-to-back-to-back-to-back titles - except the SEC.

Heck, I wouldn’t be able to name a college football player with three titles save you guys.

One way or the other, your legacies have been cemented. But if you so choose, you can build upon them, and perhaps enjoy football immortality among an even greater group of fans.

It’s your choice. But regardless of if you stay or go, make the most of it.

Sincerely,

O&B Hue

PS: This message will self-destruct in five seconds.

PPS: Not really.

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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DeMarco Murray won’t play in the BCS Title Game. Surgery. Hamstring tendon. Boo-yah.

Our official stance is that we never want to see a player hurt, we always want our opponent at full strength, yadda-yadda. But truth be told, this is actually pretty good news for the Gators, because Murray’s greatest strength is his ability to start the Sooners at their own 40. And if the Gators have one weakness this season, it’s kickoff coverage. So, yeah, this is good, insofar as “surgery” and “good” can go together. Hey, it’s not like he was injured in our game.

The Sooners have two other backs which should be able to pound out the tough yardage. Despite being his team’s second-leading rusher, Murray has been described as the ‘big play’ back, the guy who explodes for big gains on a regular basis. However, Florida certainly can’t count out Chris Brown and Mossis Madu, who have combined for 1600 yards and 26 touchdowns.

The other news — is it good or bad? — is that Mississippi State head coach Dan Mullen will take time out of his busy schedule to call the plays in the title game.

“I think he’s going to coach. I talked to him yesterday and right now the plan is he’s going to come back right after Christmas,” Meyer said after practice Tuesday. “We’ve talked about it. And the goal is to win the game. I think right now, unless something changes, that’s what’s going to happen. He’s going to coach.”

Asked if Mullen should be able to do all the preparation for the national title contest, Meyer said if he wasn’t he wouldn’t be coaching in the game.

Mullen, we know you can’t wait to start ringing some cowbells, but don’t screw this up.