One of the more interesting debates on the Gator roundtable is whether Tim Tebow can join Ohio State legend Archie Griffin in the Multiple Heisman club.

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What the hell is going on out there?  While listening to the Colin Cowherd show I’m exposed to a sweaty, disgusting USC lovefest conducted by Colin Cowherd and Kirk Herbstreit.  Am I missing something here?  Since when does beating NOTRE DAME establish anything?  According to Herbstreit it’s a good time to jump on the Trojan bandwagon before they win big in Eugene.  They have gotten their killer instinct back this week based on a big beatdown of the fighting Irish.  Huh???
 
Wow, USC 38 - Notre Dame 0!  That sounds impressive right?  Well it’s been done before (see Michigan in week 2).  Plus it’s the 5th time in 8 games that Notre Dame has surrendered more than 30 points.  It’s also the 2nd time this season they have been shut out and the 4th time they’ve scored 6 points or less.  You want to brag that you’ve beaten Notre Dame?  Get in line, that’s already happened seven times in just 8 games.  In fact it’s been suggested that the Irish’s 1-7 start could cost them from getting into a BCS bowl this year.
 
If anything was ever more overrated than the Notre Dame football team this year it’s the information you can garner from BEATING the Irish this year.  Here’s the some of the trends so far.
 
Georgia Tech pasted the Irish 33 to 3.  They followed that up with 3 losses in their next 5 games. 
 
Penn State smashed the Irish 31-10 only to lose 2 of their next 3 games. 
 
Michigan State won 31-14 and have lost 3 of their last 4 games since. 
 
Purdue beat Notre Dame by two touchdowns and then proceeded to lose two straight games.
 
UCLA actually LOST to Notre Dame and came back to beat a ranked Cal team.
 
Boston College has not played since they beat Notre Dame.
 
The only team that seems to have bucked this trend is Michigan.  While other teams come in on a high and get the win and then struggle, Michigan was struggling until demolishing the Irish and managed to turn their embarrassment of a season around.  But somehow a win against Notre Dame has proven that a struggling USC team is now back on track and the best in all the land.  Talk about a week by week mentality.  After three mediocre games (a 27-24 win over Washington, a 23-24 loss to Stanford, a 20-13 win over Arizona) USC is back on track.
 
I hope the Trojan players don’t start to believe their own hype.  USC travels to Oregon, perhaps the most explosive offensive team in the PAC-10, for their next game.  USC is probably the most talented team in the country.  But lately they also have looked like one of the most unprepared, inexperienced and poorly coached team in the nation.  They still have injuries at a number of key spots, including quarterback, and this victory means little more than the season opening 38-10 win against Idaho.  USC has always played better out of conference than in-conference.  Word to the wise - Oregon is a PAC-10 team.  Don’t be surprised to see the men of Troy knocked back down to earth this weekend in Eugene.

By now, most of Gator Nation is aware of the fact that we’ll have a highly-ranked RB on the roster competing for touches in 2008. Despite rushing for nearly 500 yards and 2 TDs during an injury-plagued year with the Trojans, Emmanuel Moody decided USCw wasn’t offering enough carries.

Now he’s a Gator. He came to Florida with his chief wish being that he become the “feature back” in an offense which has, for the last two years at least, split carries between quarterbacks, wide receivers, and tailbacks.

From the Palm Beach Post:

Why Gator fans should be wary: Southern Cal seems to have no qualms about releasing a guy who was the team’s second-leading rusher. To me, that’s a giant red flag. Also, he’s said he left USC because he wants to become a team’s featured running back. He said he felt forgotten in LA. But Florida doesn’t exactly have the best track record of producing star running backs (at least not recently, and especially not under Urban Meyer).

Thank you, Lindsay Jones. That’s my sentiment exactly. I’m pleased that Moody, who is by all accounts an excellent running back, will be a member of Florida’s increasingly talented RB corps. Talent creates competition, competition creates desire and effort, and that, of course, produces wins. I’m concerned, however, that Moody is a “me, me, me” guy rather than a team-first guy. I am hopeful that Moody will remove these doubts with impressive performances and strong demonstrations of good character in his time at Florida.

Among the reasons cited for why he left the Trojans for the Gators was the fact that this was a “business decision.”

At Florida, football is far more than a business. It’s a religion.

Give him time. I think he will ‘get it.’

Welcome to Florida, Emmanuel. Make us proud.

Update: here’s an ESPN interview with Moody.

The definition of an “elite” college football program can vary drastically between observers. A truly elite program is one that can continue to be a top program regardless of the adversity that arises. This means they have enough resources available to overcome the loss of any one factor. Some of these factors include (in no particular order of value) tradition, location, fan support, revenue and stability. There are a number of top college football programs that have enjoyed recent success but lack the prerequisites that guarantee its long term dominance (an average of 9 wins per year for a period of 15-20 years). This means that a change in circumstances that might hinder a strong program could instead be crippling to one of these teams. In that regard I have identified FIVE top college programs I believe could easily tumble into mediocrity and why.

TENNESSEE - The University of Tennessee has a lot of the characteristics you would expect a football factory to have - rabid fans, large revenue base, a long list of former stars and a consistent winning program. For all that Tennessee has in its favor it still lacks one important thing . . . a strong in-state recruiting base. Because of its geographic location, Tennessee must steal top talent from nearby states. The state of Tennessee by itself simply cannot stock a major University with SEC caliber talent. With that fact obvious, Vol coaches have always had to (and been able to) reach into the surrounding stakes like the Carolinas, Kentucky, Alabama, Florida, Louisiana and Georgia for top talent to keep the football machine running.

Currently only Georgia and LSU have enjoyed the type of recent success to fortify their borders from excessive thefts from the Vols. The resurgence of Alabama combined with the rise of traditionally futile programs like South and North Carolina could prove disastrous to Tennessee as recruits see an opportunity and play for Championships and in the national spotlight without leaving their home state. Additionally, Tennessee is in a precarious situation as a team that has garnered the national reputation for underachieving despite great talent. Fulmer, the current coach, is a man who always seems to be on the hot seat despite his accomplishments at the school. UT is not one of the schools who I believe is reliant on their current coach and could still thrive with a change of direction. The problem remains that this new coach would still face the same restrictions and constraints as the last two (Phil Fulmer and Johnny Majors) have struggled with.

ALABAMA - Normally a school with such tremendous home state support and tradition would be safe from the ups and downs of the changing college landscape. However the Crimson Tide has proven the opposite can be true in the right circumstance. Their recent record of recent futility points out another major factor that can seriously affect even a great program - NCAA Sanctions. There is no school with such a culture of cheating as found in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. It was so prevalent and accepted as to permeate the mindset of boosters with the notion that such tactics were normal. (more…)

In true blog style, I present an article with no real structure!

Lesson one: anything can happen.  Kentucky beat Clemson, the Big East went undefeated in Bowl Play, Georgia Tech fielded an actual Quarterback, Randy Moss left Oakland and now wears a number 8 for USC (attitude and skills, but sadly not the hair), Adrian Peterson’s dad jinxed another game,  Bobby Bowden and JoePa both improved their coaching records without actually doing any coaching, and Boise State created a real life, super-awesome Disney movie in Arizona (complete with a Ginger Quarterback).

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In debt: Houston Nutt

Why: Let us count the ways (on the toes of our clubfoot.) His victory over ‘Bama came thanks to the Tide’s backup kicker — nicknamed “Tiffin the Terrible” — and his noodle-like aim. And the Commies, er, Commodores, were held off on a kick, too; their game-winning attempt flew wide. Such is the inevitable repetitive fate for Vandy. Nutt and co. earned Ws on the wings of… kickers. Plus his starting quarterback, Casey Dick, is under 30% passing in his last three games, yet the Hogs lost only to LSU after clinching the SEC West. (And it was close, 31-26.)

Status: Living on borrowed time

In surplus: Reggie Ball

Reggie Ball as Agrajag has been explored by EDSBS but it deserves another look as Georgia Tech links bee antennae with the branches of Wake Forest for the ACC Championship. After bombing for the fourth and final time against the late-to-bloom UGA Bulldogs, a quick review shows that Ball’s career has been characterized by big meltdowns, mental shutdowns (throwing it away on 4th down for the game-winner — remember that?) and total lack ‘o crowns. Reggie Ball has athletic ability but the football insanity which replaces his quarterback intelligence has been the bane of his existence as a Yellowjacket. Today, against Wake Forest, its’s Reggie Ball’s time. Karmicly speaking.

Status: Only karma can save him now

In debt/surplus: Bob Stoops

Why: The. worst. call. in. officiating. history. It cost the Sooners the game against the Oregon Ducks. And don’t forget Rhett Bomar, dismissed in the pre-season by Stoops for coasting through the car wash for cash. Then you’ve got Adrian Peterson going down on an innocent looking endzone dive, likely ending his year before bowl season. Despite endless setbacks, Oklahoma’s head coach flipped the proverbial bird to the football gods, going 10-2 to date. Should be 11-1.

Status: Neutral. Dude takes matters into his own hands.

In debt: Pete Carroll

God, does this guy ever lose? Oh, yeah, he did… against Oregon State. How you lose to OSU2 and still show up in Glendale is still beyond me. This guy is so in debt that it’d take 20 years of losing in Div. III football to make up the difference. Booty can’t miss, his receivers are fast, his DBs hit hard. Because of that, they’re destined to lose today to the giant forehead of Karl Dorell. Maybe via head-butt. We called it here first! (But we will erase this entry if UCLA loses.)

Status: Owes the entire Pac-10 a mulligan

In debt: Greg Schiano

Why: Okay, seriously, how many times do you have a chance to win a home game down by 1 point against a Top 5 opponent… then your kicker misses… and the bad guys are called for offsides, giving you a second chance to put it away? That just doesn’t happen! Schiano paid a big portion of his debt to the Cincinatti Bearcats the following week, but he still has a ways to go to get even. At 7:45 Saturday night, he’ll tip his hat to “Coach Rod” (who definitely, absolutely, maybe won’t ever leave WVU) and give up a courtesy L due to his deep and thorough understanding of karmic balance.

Status: Equilibrium lies in losing

While one of the participants of the National Title game is known the remaining spot is still far from settled. I see 5 possible scenarios in what remains of the current season and I rank them in order of likelihood and in order of quality matchups [1(*) to 5(*****) Stars].

1) Ohio State vs. USC ***** USC is the only team that controls its own destiny. Not only do they have the voters on their side but the computers will soon swing the Trojans way after another win (even before they play UCLA). In this scenario the only way another team could go in place of USC is if they were voted ahead of USC in the human polls (Harris and Coaches). Since the human polls are 2/3rds of the vote, despite the reasonable formulas of the computer which take strength of schedule, opponent’s record and where you play into account . . . fallible humans still control this system. If USC won unimpressively there is a small possibility that another team could be voted ahead of them. Unless they win a game that they shouldn’t, say on a controversial call (aka Ohio State versus Miami) or miracle play (aka Kordell Stewart versus Michigan), that’s hard to fathom.

From a fan’s perspective this would probably be the best matchup to watch. I’d like to see a VERY talented but young USC team play the undisputed best team in the country. I think Ohio State would be only a 3 point or less favorite on a neutral field. This game could either be a high or low scoring affair because of the talent each team has on BOTH sides of the ball. Could USC play in two consecutive “Game of the Century” National Championship contests in a row? Could beeee . . . (more…)

… UM fans watched Greg Schiano and Rutgers move to 8-0 Sunday night on ESPN. The Canes fans have fallen back in love with Butch Davis, but if Butch hadn’t betrayed the UM program by keeping his negotiations with the Browns a secret, Schiano would be the Canes coach. And Coker would likely still be the offensive coordinator. And it could have been Miami going 8-0 this weekend. Then again, a lot of anger directed towards Butch has been diffused by the Canes’ descent to “awful and getting worse” status his absence. But everything may hinge on how Athletic Director Paul Dee views Davis’ last minute divorce back in 2001.

… The buzz is that FSU fans are finally getting excited. No, Bobby Bowden didn’t have a stroke yesterday, and Jeff Bowden wasn’t kidnapped by terrorists. Instead, Nole fans have taken heart due to the performance of Xavier Lee in his first start this year. How far has the FSU football program fallen when fans get excited about the offensive display of a sophomore QB, in a loss to an unranked Maryland team that hasn’t beaten a winning program all year (other than FSU)? To me… pretty far. (more…)