Coach's Poll Collapsed #2

You don't believe this but coaches have done a masterful job to make the poll trash.

Penn State (3-1) No.13, Iowa (4-0) No.17 (Penn State lost to Iowa 21-10)

California (3-1) No.19, Oregon (3-1) No.25 (Cal lost to Oregon 42-3)

Oklahoma State (3-1) No.12, Houston (3-0) No.15 (Oklahoma State lost to Houston)

Oklahoma (2-1) No.8, BYU (3-1) No. 21 (Oklahoma lost to BYU)

Don't use Coach's poll to determine the national champion match-up. Simply, it's a joke.

Déjà vu in Southern California

Now, USC has lost to an unranked team in four consecutive seasons.

2006 vs. UCLA
The Trojans rebounded from a two-point loss at Oregon State to climb back into the national title picture, and only needed to defeat crosstown rival UCLA (6-5) to play for the national title. They lost, scoring nine points, 23 points below their average.

2007 vs. Stanford
As the top-ranked team in the coaches' poll (second in the AP poll), the Trojans lost at home to 41-point underdog Stanford, ending a 35-game home winning streak. Stanford finished 4-8 that season.

2008 vs. Oregon State
One game after a huge win over Ohio State, the top-ranked Trojans fell behind 21-0 in the first half to Oregon State in a six-point loss. The Beavers went on to a nine-win season, but the early loss in a down year for the Pac-10 sent 11-1 USC to the Rose Bowl, while one-loss Florida and one-loss Oklahoma played for the national title.

2009 vs. Washington
Washington went 0-12 this past season and lost to USC 56-0. The Huskies had not won a Pac-10 game since November 2007. The Trojans, again coming off a win over Ohio State, had won seven straight in the series, scoring at least 26 points in every game. Again, the Trojans lost to 3-touchdown underdog Huskies 16-13.

STATE TRIFECTA - week 3

Who's Hot:

State of Florida
- (1) Florida beat Tennessee 23-13
- (20) Miami beat (14) Georgia Tech 33-17
- Florida State beat (7) BYU 54-28

Who's Not:

State of Utah
- (7) BYU lost to Florida State 54-28
- (18) Utah lost to Oregon 31-24
- Utah State lost to Texas A&M 38-30

Coach's Poll Collapsed

Coaches are simply not qualified to rank the teams. BYU (2-1) lost to Florida State (2-1) at home 54-28. Still, BYU is ranked No.20 while FSU is ranked No.25 in the USA Today Coach's Poll. The game was not as close as the final score shows.

There are some other odd placement:
Oklahoma (2-1) No.9, BYU (2-1) No. 20 (Oklahoma lost to BYU)
USC (2-1) No.10, Washington (2-1) Unranked (USA lost to Washington)
Oklahoma State (2-1) No.16, Houston (2-0) No.23 (Oklahoma State lost to Houston)

Don't use Coach's poll to determine the national champion match-up.

Here is my top 25 ranking. At least better than coach's poll.
1. Florida 3-0
2. California 3-0
3. Alabama 3-0
4. Texas 3-0
5. LSU 3-0
6. Miami 2-0
7. Penn State 3-0
8. Cincinnati 3-0
9. Virginia Tech 2-1 (should be lower than Alabama)
10. Auburn 3-0
11. Ole Miss 2-0
12. Missouri 3-0
13. Boise State 3-0
14. Washington 2-1 (should be lower than LSU)
15. Florida State 2-1 (should be lower than Miami)
16. USC 2-1 (should be lower than Washington)
17. Houston 2-0
18. Ohio State 2-1 (should be lower than USC)
19. Nebraska 2-1 (should be lower than Virginia Tech)
20. Michigan 3-0
21. BYU 2-1 (should be lower than Florida State)
22. Oklahoma State 2-1 (should be lower than Houston)
23. Oklahoma 2-1 (should be lower than BYU)
24. Georgia 2-1 (should be lower than Oklahoma State)
25. Oregon 2-1 (should be lower than Boise State)

Flu spread among the Gators

Staying away from Tennessee offense is not a problem for the Gators, but staying away from flu is.

The Gators had three starters affected by the flu last week and in Saturday's game, and Florida is on high alert to contain a possible spread, UF coach Urban Meyer said Sunday.

"I would say this, it is a panic level of proportions I've never seen before. That's coming from me," Meyer said. "Wisconsin had 40 players miss, Ole Miss had 20.

Tailback Jeff Demps, tight end Aaron Hernandez and defensive end Jermaine Cunningham played despite being sick. All three clearly struggled Saturday.

"We suffered. We had guys miss time, three of our best players," Meyer said. "One shouldn't have played. If it's anybody else but Jeff Demps, they said he probably wouldn't be able to function, and Jeff didn't look right. Aaron Hernandez, we're watching the film, he didn't play like Aaron Hernandez, and Jermaine didn't play like Jermaine.

"I think Hernandez is on the back half (of the flu). We're worried about Demps. He's on the front half. We have a separate dorm room, a separate hotel room. We put them on whatever the flu stuff is. Our team doctors are on it as fast as you can get on it."

Source: GatorSports

(3) USC 13, Washington 16

Southern California's Stafon Johnson stayed face down on the turf. Jubilant Washington players and fans stepped over him, on their way to a riotous purple party that stretched from goal line to goal line.

USC coach Pete Carroll was forced to watch it all, glumly waiting for Steve Sarkisian to emerge from the throng to congratulate his protege. The post-Ohio State funk Carroll began warning his guys about seven days earlier -- in the locker room in Columbus, Ohio -- leveled the Trojans again.

Jake Locker improvised his Huskies to a steely, 68-yard drive that ended on Erik Folk's 22-yard field goal with 3 seconds remaining, and the Huskies' fired-up defense stymied fill-in quarterback Aaron Corp and No. 3 USC in a 16-13 victory Saturday.

USC has now lost to an unranked team each of the last four seasons.

Source: ESPN.com

Florida State 54, (7) Brigham Young 28

The Seminoles were too fast for the Cougars on Saturday, scoring every time they got inside the 20 and forcing five turnovers in a 54-28 win that crushed BYU's BCS hopes.

Christian Ponder threw for two touchdowns and ran for another, Ty Jones ran for 108 yards and a score and Greg Reid returned an interception 63 yards for a TD in a rout by the Seminoles.

"It shows us what we can do," said Ponder, who passed for 195 yards and ran for 77 more. "It's the first time in a while we played as a whole team. The defense played great. The offense played incredible."

The 54 points Florida State scored in Provo marked the Seminoles' sixth highest output in a true road game since joining the ACC in 1992.

Max Hall completed 20 of 31 passes for 306 yards and two touchdowns for BYU, but also threw three interceptions. Harvey Unga ran for 97 yards and a touchdown for the Cougars.

Source: ESPN.com

Mitch Mustain's Future

USC quarterback Mitch Mustain has had a tough time breaking into the Trojans lineup since transferring from Arkansas in 2007.

Now it looks like he might find his way onto the field with his leg rather than his arm.

According to the LA Times, Mustain piqued Coach Pete Carroll's interest when he bombed some punts during a Friday walkthrough at Ohio State last week. So Mustain worked at quarterback and punter during Wednesday's practice. It would be nice to see Mustain lined up in the ultimate shotgun formation on fourth down.

The question is "How do you like being a punter at Southern Cal, Mitch?" Mitch Mustain went 8-0 as a freshman starter last season for Arkansas in 2006 as a true freshman.

The 6-foot-3, 205-pound Mustain was a prized recruit after completing over 70 percent of his passes in 2005 for the undefeated state championship team at Springdale, Ark. He enrolled at Arkansas along with three of his high school teammates.

Mustain enrolled at Arkansas in large part because coach Houston Nutt hired Mustain's high school coach, Gus Malzahn, as offensive coordinator. But Arkansas didn't utilize Malzahn's no-huddle, spread offense and he left for Tulsa.

Mustain became eligible to play for the 2008 season, with three years of eligibility remaining. Mustain was expected to compete well for the starting quarterback position in 2008 with Mark Sanchez but Mustain was placed third in the quarter back order behind Sanchez and Aaron Corp.

At the end of the 2008 season, Sanchez opted to forgo his final season and enter the NFL Draft, leaving the competition for the starting position in the 2009 season open between Mustain, Corp, and in-coming true freshman Matt Barkley. By the end of spring practices, Mustain was placed third in the order again behind Corp and Barkley.

A 8-0 SEC quarterback becomes a Pac 10 punter?

Only Money can Save Dan Hawkins

Dan Hawkins might keep his job as head football coach at Colorado regardless of how bad things get this season because the athletic department cannot afford the buyout if it fired him, let alone any additional expenses in hiring a replacement.

Hawkins' contract contains a clause limiting the school's liability to $850,000 per contract year if it should terminate him without cause. Hawkins would have more than three years remaining if he was fired at any point this season. His contract runs through Jan. 31, 2013.

The school's total liability could approach $3 million under the terms of the deal if any partial year was prorated in a buyout. If the buyout was limited to three years, it would cost CU no more than $2,550,000.

The Buffs started this season 0-2 with losses to Colorado State and Toledo, two games many believed would be wins on the Colorado ledger when the season started.

Hawkins presumably thought the same thing when he repeatedly said before the season started that his team was capable of 10 wins.

If CU athletic director Mike Bohn and Chancellor Phil DiStefano decided a change needed to be made, Hawkins would have the option of filing a claim for damages not to exceed the $850,000 per contract year.

The athletic department remains in deeply in debt with the majority of an $8 million loan from the campus and the CU system in 2006 still to be paid off. Part of that debt was caused by the last coaching change when Bohn fired Gary Barnett at the end of the 2005 season and hired Hawkins.

CU was heavily criticized for having to pay Barnett approximately $4 million when it fired him. The terms of Barnett's contract, negotiated by former athletic director Dick Tharp, required the settlement, and that led to CU trying to limit its obligations in Hawkins' contract.

The department would have to borrow money to buyout Hawkins and it would be hard-pressed to do so in the current economic climate in which state funding is being significantly trimmed and some CU employees have already lost their jobs.

Paying a coach millions of dollars not to coach might be hard to justify, maybe even more so than living with the results he is producing on the field.

The sour start this season is already having repercussions in recruiting.

Zack Craig, a cornerback prospect from Texas had committed to Colorado before the season opener, but he chose to change his commitment to Oklahoma State when the Cowboys offered him on opening weekend.

Littleton High School running back Mister Jones committed to CU in June, but he said Saturday he has decided to make official visits to other programs because he is concerned about the state of things in Boulder.

"I mean, it's obvious," Jones said when asked why he has decided to schedule visits. "They lost to like Toledo and Colorado State the last couple weeks. The CU program isn't doing too good right now."

Source: DailyCamera

(3) USC 18, (8) Ohio State 15

Two games into his college football career, 19-year-old quarterback Matt Barkley already has a place in Southern California lore. Three seasons into his USC career, Joe McKnight can now claim a spot with the great runners at Tailback U.

Matt Barkley wasn't perfect in USC's 18-15 win over Ohio State. But in leading the Trojans on a last-minute, come-from-behind drive, USC's freshman QB proved he has what it takes to be great.

The official stats will call it a 14-play, 86-yard drive, but it really started with USC at its own 5, facing a second-and-19 with 6:09 left in the game.

First McKnight darted for 11 yards. Then it was Barkley to McKnight, who weaved for 21 more on third-and-8.

When Barkley threw a strike over the middle to Anthony McCoy for 26 to get USC to the Ohio State 37, the record crowd of more than 106,000 at Ohio Stadium started to grow uneasy.

Barkley converted a fourth-and-short with a sneak. McKnight, so often compared to USC Heisman Trophy winner Reggie Bush, ran three times, showing some power to go with all those moves and got USC inside the 10. Another sneak by Barkley got it to first-and-goal.

Then Johnson swept around right end, going in untouched, pointing toward the USC section as he crossed the goal line. It was the only part of the huge crowd cheering. The rest?

"When we punched it in there it was good to hear the silence," Barkley said.

Barkley and McKnight hooked up one more time, appropriately, for a 2-point conversion that meant an Ohio State field goal would only force overtime. But with no timeouts left, Terrelle Pryor and the Buckeyes' offense went nowhere with their last chance.

Source: ESPN.com

UCLA 19, Tennessee 15

UCLA stopped Tennessee's Montario Hardesty on fourth-and-2 in the closing minutes, and the Bruins made it two in a row against the Volunteers with a 19-15 victory Saturday.

Trailing by 6, the Vols (1-1) had a chance to take the lead after driving 52 yards, but UCLA (2-0) held fast and Lane Kiffin lost for the first time as Tennessee coach.

For the Bruins, the win in Neyland Stadium in front of 102,239 fans was a big step toward recovering from last year's 4-8 finish.

The Pac-10 conference is 11-8 against SEC teams since 2000. USC and UCLA are a combined 8-0.

Source: ESPN.com

Miami (FL) 38, (18) Florida State 34

Ailing arm and all, Jacory Harris threw for 386 yards -- including a 40-yard pass over double coverage to Travis Benjamin that set up Graig Cooper's 3-yard touchdown run with 1:53 left -- and led the Hurricanes past No. 18 Florida State 38-34 in a wild, back-and-forth game on Monday night.

It went down to the very last play, a pass that Florida State's Jarmon Fortson nearly scooped off the garnet-colored grass in the end zone as time expired. Fortson argued to no avail, replay officials confirmed that he didn't have the ball, and Miami flooded the field that bears Bobby Bowden's name in celebration.

Miami and Florida State dueled like it was the 1980s or '90s all over again. Miami won the thriller, but college football is the ultimate beneficiary if both powers prove to be relevant again.

Source: ESPN.com

(20) Brigham Young 14, (3) Oklahoma 13

One jarring hit might've changed everything for the Sooners -- and BYU.

Bradford sprained his throwing shoulder in the closing seconds of the first half. A mediocre performance by his backup, a questionable decision by coach Bob Stoops and a late meltdown by OU's defense let Max Hall and the 20th-ranked Cougars pull out a 14-13 victory Saturday night in the first college football game at Cowboys Stadium.

Source: ESPN.com

Here we go Gators!

ESPN College Pass

If you live outside US, you may have a difficulty in finding local sports networks that cover NCAA college football games. But don't panic. There are a couple of ways to watch college football games online.

If you live in Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Asia, and Canada, you can subscribe to the ESPN College Pass on ESPN360 Europe for the live online coverage of NCAA Football and Basketball.

Formerly known as ESPN Gameplan, the ESPN College Pass is available outside the USA for College Sports action online. Over 300 regular season college football games are available via the ESPN College Pass, including over 20 bowl games (including the Rose Bowl). Over 200 regular season college basketball games are also available.

All matches are available live and on demand, with a turnaround time of up to 3 hours after each match has finished before they are uploaded to the site.

The ESPN College Pass costs $24.99 per month, which is reasonable considering ESPN Gameplan weekly package costs $24 for US customers. (or $135 for regular season package.)

AP Top 25 Preseason Poll

1 Florida (58)
2 Texas (2)
3 Oklahoma
4 USC
5 Alabama
6 Ohio State
7 Virginia Tech
8 Mississippi
9 Oklahoma State
9 Penn State
11 LSU
12 California
13 Georgia
14 Boise State
15 Georgia Tech
16 Oregon
17 TCU
18 Florida State
19 Utah
20 Brigham Young
21 North Carolina
22 Iowa
23 Notre Dame
24 Nebraska
25 Kansas

Ballyhoo Grill

Ballyhoo Grill

Ballyhoo Grill, one of the best restaurant in Gainesbille, is famous for the prime rib sandwiches. You may also want to try the "Tim Teroll", but eating the Teroll does not transform you into Superman.

Ballyhoo Grill
3700 West University Avenue
Gainesville, FL 32607
Phone: 352-373-0059
Email: ballyhoogrill@lbu.com

Hours of Operation:
MON: 11:00am to 10:00pm
TUE: 11:00am to 10:00pm
WED: 11:00am to 10:00pm
THU: 11:00am to 10:00pm
FRI: 11:00am to 11:00pm
SAT: 11:00am to 11:00pm
SUN: 11:00am to 10:00pm

Spurrier didn't Vote for Tebow

Steve Spurrier confirmed it himself Friday morning when he appeared at the SEC media days: He was the one who snubbed Florida's Tim Tebow in the coaches' voting on the preseason All-SEC team.

But it was because of an oversight, the South Carolina coach said, addressing the matter right off the bat in the news conference.

Spurrier explained that his director of football operations had filled out the ballot and brought it in to him. Spurrier said he glanced at it, signed off on it, and then realized his mistake much later.

The ballot submitted to the SEC from South Carolina had Mississippi's Jevan Snead as the first-team quarterback, and not Tebow.

Source: ESPN.com

Tebow's Virginity

Even in the realm of a superstar like Tim Tebow, some questions are out of bounds.

But leave it to Tebow to handle such questions with class and grace.

Clay Travis, who writes a column for AOL's FanHouse.com, asked Tebow on Thursday if he was still a virgin and "saving himself for marriage."

After composing himself, Tebow answered, "Yes, I am," and then good-naturedly gigged the media present in the TV and Internet room for being stunned by the question.

As another reported stumbled through trying to ask an unrelated question, Tebow laughed wildly and said. "Ya'll can't even ask a question. I was ready for the question, but I don't think ya'll were."

Source: ESPN.com

Gainesville Ale House

Gainesville Ale House

Wings, Seafood and great steaks.

3950 S.W. Archer Rd.
Gainesville, FL 32608
Phone: (352) 371-0818
Fax: (352) 371-0812


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Largest Capacity Stadiums

A list of the largest capacity college football stadiums.



Source: Wikipedia

Top 25 College Golf Courses

1. Karsten Creek (Oklahoma State University)
2. Course at Yale (Yale University)
3. Colbert Hills Golf Course (Kansas State University)
4. Scarlet Course (Ohio State University)
5. Orchards Golf Club (Mount Holyoke College)
6. Taconic Golf Club (Williams College)
7. University of Michigan Golf Course (University of Michigan)
8. Stanford University Golf Course (Stanford University)
9. Warren Golf Course (University of Notre Dame)
10. Finley Golf Course (University of North Carolina)
11. Birck Boilermaker Golf Complex (Purdue University)
12. Duke Golf Club (Duke University)
    
13. Jimmie Austin OU Golf Club (University of Oklahoma)
14. University Ridge Golf Course (University of Wisconsin)
15. Rawls Course (Texas Tech University)
16. Palouse Ridge Golf Club (Washington State University)
17. Championship Golf Course (University of New Mexico)
18. Eisenhower Golf Club (U.S. Air Force Academy)
19. Mark Bostick Golf Course (University of Florida)
20. Seven Oaks Golf Club (Colgate University)
21. Birdwood Golf Course (University of Virginia)
22. The Meadows (Grand Valley State University)
23. Walker Golf Course (Clemson University)
24. UGA Golf Course (University of Georgia)
25. Robert Trent Jones Golf Course (Cornell University)

Mark Bostick Golf Course (University of Florida)

Source: Links Magazine

Obama has praise for Gators football

President Barack Obama welcomed the Florida Gators to the White House and congratulated them on a second national championship in football in three years.

Obama on Thursday welcomed the Gators to the East Room and said their excellence on and off the football field is worthy of praise. Obama said being a champion doesn't end when the clock runs out and noted that the team volunteers 400 hours each year.

Obama said it showed strong leadership that the team played hard together and works in their communities.

In a moment of levity, Obama said he still supports a national playoff system instead of the current bowl system. But the president also said he's confident the Gators could've defeated any team out there.

The Gators upset the No. 1 Oklahoma Sooners, 24-14, in the BCS National Championship in January.

The Gators are the first championship team to be recognized at the White House during President Obama’s three-month reign as U.S. leader. About 225 players, coaches and staff have made the trek to the nation’s capital.

The University Athletic Association will pay for the group’s travel, but trip planning was not complete as of Monday afternoon and therefore final expenses could not be calculated.

The UF football team’s trip to the White House two years ago after its 2006 BCS title cost $96,000, according to a December 2007 Orange County Register report.

It hasn’t always been run-of-the-mill for UF teams in D.C.

Former UF forward and current Chicago Bulls starter Joakim Noah caused quite a stir regarding the Gators basketball team’s trip to the White House after its first NCAA title in 2006. Noah almost didn’t go on the trip because of disagreements with some of then-President George W. Bush’s foreign policies.

“I didn’t want to go because I don’t particularly agree with the president and his views and what he stands for,” Noah told the New York Times in March 2007 regarding the trip. “But at the same time, I felt like after talking with coach Donovan, I didn’t want to put that negative publicity on the team. And I feel like I love this country. I really do. I don’t want to disrespect it. If I was in an individual sport or something … maybe I wouldn’t have gone.”

This time, the trip should be a lot calmer.

Source: Gatorsports.com

Charles Woodson -1997 Heisman Winner-

Charles Woodson played college football at the University of Michigan for the Michigan Wolverines. In 1997, Woodson led the Wolverines to a national championship. He is the only primarily defensive player to have won the Heisman Trophy.

Woodson became the starter after the second game of his freshman season and played in 34 straight games. In addition to playing cornerback, he returned punts and occasionally played as a wide receiver.

In his junior season in 1997, Woodson became the third Michigan player to win the Heisman Trophy, joining Tom Harmon (1941) and Desmond Howard (1991). Woodson received 282 more voting points than runner-up Peyton Manning. He was the first and is still the only primarily defensive player to win the prestigious award.

Woodson led the Michigan Wolverines to an undefeated season and a share of the national championship in the same year.

Angels pitcher killed in crash

Los Angeles Angels pitcher Nick Adenhart and two others were killed by a suspected drunk driver Thursday, a shocking end to the life of a rookie who made his season debut with his father in the stands, throwing six scoreless innings against the Oakland Athletics.

The team postponed Thursday night's game with Oakland, the final one of their season-opening series.

Nick Adenhart was a passenger in a silver Mitsubishi Eclipse that was broadsided in an intersection about 12:30 a.m. by a minivan that apparently ran a red light, police said.

The minivan driver fled the crash on foot and was captured about 30 minutes later. Police identified him as Andrew Thomas Gallo, 22, of Riverside, and said he had a suspended license because of a previous drunken driving conviction.

Preliminary results indicated Gallo's blood-alcohol level was "substantially over the legal limit" of .08 percent, police Lt. Kevin Hamilton said.

Gallo was interviewed by investigators before he was booked in jail Thursday on three counts of murder, three counts of vehicular manslaughter, felony hit-and-run and felony driving under the influence of alcohol, Hamilton said.

Adenhart died in surgery at the University of California, Irvine Medical Center. Henry Nigel Pearson of Manhattan Beach, a 25-year-old passenger in the car, and the driver, 20-year-old Courtney Frances Stewart of Diamond Bar, were pronounced dead at the scene, police said.

Stewart was a student at nearby Cal State Fullerton, where she was a cheerleader in 2007-08.

A small but steady stream of somber fans came to the stadium Thursday to add flowers to a makeshift memorial on the pitcher's mound on the brick "infield" outside the stadium entrance.

A poster among the bouquets read, "No. 34, You are one more Angel in heaven." Scribbled on a baseball was, "Now you play for another Angels team."

Source: ESPN.com

Kiffin Watch 2

Meyer works, Kiffin plays

It is Monday morning, do you know what your football coach is doing?

If you are an Alabama Crimson Tide fan or a Florida Gator fan, you can bet Nick Saban and Urban Meyer are somewhere thinking about football. That is what they live for; that is what they excel at; that is what they do.

If you are a Tennessee Volunteer fan, your boy blunder isn’t thinking about spring practice, how to stop Tim Tebow, or even how to tell another lie; Lane Kiffin is going to a deposition in San Francisco, according to the SFGate.com. That is right, while other coaches are working on football, Kiffin is playing some sort of legal game with the NFL’s Oakland Raiders.

Source: Capstone Report

Kiffin Watch 1

We have been amused by Lane Kiffin's adventure since the off season started 2 months ago. Check what Kiffin has accomplished so far.

1. Kiffin accused Florida coach Urban Meyer of committing a recruiting violation while trying to woo Vols signee Nu'Keese Richardson, citing a rule that doesn't exist. Kiffin's mistaken attack on Meyer at a Tennessee booster meeting led to a reprimand from SEC commissioner Mike Slive, and Kiffin apologized to Meyer.


2. While Meyer committed no violation, Tennessee has self-reported to the NCAA a handful of minor recruiting violations committed by Kiffin himself.


3. Kiffin told Sports Illustrated that he had fired many staff members in his first few months at Tennessee, saying, "You can't count the number of people we've run off because they couldn't keep up, and I'm including secretaries Tennessee athletics director Mike Hamilton undermined the validity of Kiffin's comment, saying, "If he said he has fired somebody, that's not true. I don't know if he said it from a standpoint of making a point that, 'We've got to get this right.' But he didn't fire anybody."


4. Kiffin reportedly told recruit Alshon Jeffrey from South Carolina that if he chose USC over Tennessee, he would end up pumping gas like other players from the state who chose the Gamecocks. Kiffin has denied making the remark, but Jeffrey's coach corroborated his player's story, saying he also heard Kiffin make the gas-pumping comment.

Source: cbssports.com

Andre Debose, the next Percy Harvin

Andre Debose becomes a Gator.

Andre Debose is a special athlete who could develop into a game-breaker in time. He has good size and lean bulk. Debose Possesses a wonderful combination of speed, quickness and acceleration.

He does not like to be compared to Percy Harvin, but he is the closest thing anyone will get to him for a while. He plays quarterback, slot receiver and wideout, and has huge upside in the return game. Debose has excellent change-of-direction skills and the burst and acceleration to separate from man-to-man coverage.

Obama: Gators should have been in playoff

When it comes to the college football system, everyone has an opinion, some more regarded than others.

Namely President Barack Obama's posturing for a playoff system.

"So, will you look into the camera right now, and talk to the people of Florida and their 27 electoral votes, and tell them that the Gators are not the national champions of football?" Matt Lauer asked President Barack Obama, putting him on the spot Sunday during a live pre-Super Bowl interview on NBC.

"Congratulations, Gators, on an outstanding season," Obama replied after finding the camera. "Tebow is great, but wouldn't you feel better if you had beat every team that was out there through a playoff system?"

"Twenty-seven electoral votes," Lauer reminded him.

"I love ya," Obama quickly stated. "I think they could of taken on anyone by the playoff system."

Source: The Gainesville Sun

Rodriguez's total compensation: $6.6 million

University of Michigan's athletic department paid $4.1 million to cover a portion of the buyout Rodriguez owed his former employer, West Virginia, and the associated taxes. The athletic department paid Rodriguez an additional $2.5 million in salary and other compensation.

Altogether, the coach cost Michigan $6.6 million in 2008, a number that dwarfs the $553,500 earned by school president Mary Sue Coleman and the $380,368 earned by athletic director Bill Martin.

Rodriguez, whose Michigan team finished 3-9 last season, was hired in December, 2007, after seven seasons at West Virginia. When the coach balked at paying the $4 million buyout stipulated in his contract with West Virginia, the school sued.

$2.2 million per win! Is he worth that fortune?

Source: mlive.com

Nat'l Championship Celebration at Universal Orlando

Universal Orlando Resort will honor the 2008 National Champion University of Florida football team this Saturday, January 17 with a day of celebration and Gator festivities at the theme parks, including special savings for all Gator fans.

Universal Orlando will become Gator Country as it hosts special Gator guests, the University of Florida Pride of the Sunshine marching band, cheerleaders and team mascots Albert and Alberta. The exciting day of celebration will include:

• Appearance by special Gator guests
• Photo opportunities with Albert and Alberta and the cheerleaders
• A victory parade at Universal Studios Florida
• Replay of last week’s BCS National Championship game at Finnegan’s Bar & Grill at Universal Studios Florida
• Free Gator face painting

Gator fans wearing Orange and Blue on January 17, 2009, can save $25 off a 1-Day/2-Park ticket or save $20 off a 1-Day/1-Park ticket when purchased at any Universal Orlando theme park front gate ticket window.


Schedule of Festivities
10 a.m. - noon Free Gator face painting at Islands of Adventure
11:00 a.m. Photo op with cheerleaders and mascots at Islands of Adventure
3:00 p.m. Gator victory parade at Universal Studios Florida
3:30 p.m. Pep rally ceremony at Universal Studios Florida

For more information visit Universal Orlando Gators

Let's do it again. I'm coming back!

Tebow will be back.

Tim Tebow started to walk off stage, then called an audible. The Florida quarterback turned around, grabbed the microphone and told teammates, coaches and fans exactly what they wanted to hear.

"Oh, by the way, let's do it again. I'm coming back," Tebow said.

Tebow thrilled more than 40,000 at the school's national championship celebration Sunday by announcing plans to return for his senior season, with hopes of leading the Gators to their first undefeated season and fourth national title.

Source: ESPN.com

Gator Domination

Florida Gators 2008 National Champion

No.2 Florida 24, No.1 Oklahoma 14

The Gators win their second national championship in the past three years.

It was Florida's third national title overall, and the third straight for a team from the Southeastern Conference, and it was the Sooners' fifth straight loss in a BCS game.

Oklahoma (12-2) set a modern record for scoring with 702 points this season and put up at least 60 points in its last five games, yet never found its rhythm. Florida is the fourth school in the modern era to win two outright national titles in three years, joining Oklahoma (1955, 1956), Miami (1987, 1989) and Nebraska (1994, 1995).

Florida finished the 2008 season with a 13-1 record, matching the single-season school record for wins (also 13-1 in 2006). Tim Tebow became the fifth player since 1950 to win a Heisman Trophy and two national titles, joining Reggie Bush, Matt Leinart, Gino Torretta and Johnny Rodgers.

Thursday's win makes Urban Meyer the fifth active FBS coach with multiple national titles, and the fifth coach since the AP poll began in 1936 to win two national championships in his first four seasons at a school.



Source: ESPN.com

Player Gift Package: BCS Championship Game

Players from each team will receive a Tourneau watch, a New Era cap, Crocs footwear and an Ogio duffel bag.

Rather than merely receiving gift bags, players are invited to entire gift suites set up at each team's hotel. The suites were stocked with Sony products, and, after arriving in South Florida on Friday, each player from Oklahoma and UF was permitted to choose up to $300 worth of gizmos to be delivered to him by mail.

The 30 items on display in the gift suites ranged from alarm clocks and headphones to DVD players, camcorders and surround-sound entertainment systems.