There aren’t many coaches in the same class a Bobby Bowden. Joe Paterno of Penn State comes to mind immediately, but few other coaches have spent so long with a single school, and regardless of good or bad seasons, this dedication has created a following and network of support for the school unlike what you’ll find at most other programs.

Image: Newscom

According to sources who have remained anonymous, Bowden was given two choices by FSU president TK Wetherell: retire after bowl season or come back next year in a very limited role as an ambassador to the football program. Jimbo Fisher, who was named Bowden’s successor in 2007, has already agreed to a contract, according to reports.

It was coming down to the wire, as the school would have owed Fisher $5 million if he wasn’t named head coach by 2011. While I don’t think the school should force Bowden out, I do think that it’s time for FSU to have some fresh ideas. The past few years haven’t been great for the Seminoles, with Bowden really peaking in the early 90s.

Post from: EveryJoe

Bobby Bowden to Retire on Friday

Washington wide receiver #3 James Johnson breaks down field, Image: Newscom

1. Florida
2. Texas
3. Alabama
4. Mississippi
5. Penn State
6. California
7. LSU
8. Boise State
9. Miami
10. Oklahoma

What’s significant to note is who is not there anymore. And really, that boils down to my favorite team to bash, USC.

Sorry, USC fans. This was supposed to be an easy week for you. The Trojans took on Washington, and after a week at Ohio State’s horseshoe, everyone thought that this would be a relaxing game. Only Matt Berkley couldn’t start, so Aaron Corp took his place. And then Washington actually turned out to be good. Now, Washington already lost to LSU, but they took the moment of the 42-23 win against Idaho from Week Three and used it to beat back USC 16-13. The Trojans had absolutely no passing game, and the Huskies took advantage of that.

It was also a hard week for the MWC. BYU lost at home to Florida State, who is proving not to be a totally terrible team. So MWC fans put their confidence in TCU and Utah instead. TCU pulled through with a thorough beating of Texas State, but Utah was another story. They lost on the road to Oregon, and I couldn’t help but chant “overrated” in my head a bit. They were ranked too high after wins to just Utah State and San Jose State. So now, it’s up to you, TCU.

The week started off with an upset, though, so I guess it was Week Three’s fate to have a bunch of games that pissed people off. Thursday gave us #20 Miami beating #14 Georgia Tech 33 – 17. They’re done. Miami has more than proved that the deserve to be in the top ten. Georgia Tech has more than proved that they deserved to be dropped from the rankings completely. On Friday, Boise State (#10) won against Fresno State 51-34, but don’t be too fooled by the score. Boise State played like crap, both the teams’ defenses sucked, and the game looked like it might go either way for awhile there.

And then there was the Florida – Tennessee game. Coming into this game, my money was on Florida, but I knew that Tennessee wasn’t just going to lie down and take a beating – and they didn’t. The Vols put up a fight, but also knew when they were bested. I think the main problem here was that Kiffin played it safe. Rather than making big plays, which was what they needed for any hope of winning against the Gators, they chose to hold back, focusing more on not doing anything stupid than on taking risks. Florida won 23-13, but it was a good game.

Some other games of interest:

• #13 Virginia Tech beat #18 Nebraska 16-15. VT just has a strong defense, and the game ended up coming down to possession time at the end. Kudos to Nebraska’s kicker, who kept the Cornhuskers in the game.
• Michigan State lost a heartbreaker to Notre Dame on Saturday. With a final score of 33 – 30, we’re beginning to see just how disappointing this Fighting Irish team really is. They should have killed MSU.
• In what I like to call “the battle of who sucks less,” Washington State beat SMU 30 – 27 in overtime.

Post from: EveryJoe

College Football Week Three 2009 in Review

I digress. Let’s check out the AP Top 10 this week:

1. Florida
2. Texas
3. USC
4. Alabama
5. Mississippi
6. Penn State (actually, they’re also #5, it was a tie)
7. BYU
8. California
9. LSU
10. Boise State

All of the top ten teams are still undefeated, but that’s not surprising since many of them had super easy games the past two weeks – or no game at all (Mississippi already had their week off).

I have to start at the bottom with Boise State at #10. I predict a win against Fresno State, with a score of roughly 51 – 34. Ok, that game was tonight. So, they remain undefeated – more on that when we review Week Three. Also significant: #20 Miami beat #14 Georgia Tech 33 – 17 on Thursday night. Again, we’ll talk about that more in a few days when I review the entire weekend, but damn. Where did this team come from?

So let’s see. #5 Penn State has a gimme, and #8 California should have too hard of a time at Minnesota. #4 Alabama plays North Texas at home. *shrug* And poor Washington is about to feel the wrath of #3 USC. Even #5 Mississippi is just playing Southeastern Louisiana (who?), and #9 LSU is playing Louisiana-Lafayette. Errr….scratch what I said about people playing real teams.

We aren’t totally without decent match-ups. #1 Florida finally plays someone we’ve heard of at least when they host Tennessee tomorrow afternoon. Can Kiffen and his boys pull off the upset? Highly unlikely, but you never know. Stranger things have happened. I think that it is more likely that Florida will run all over them. We’ll see I guess.

#7 BYU hosts Florida State later that evening. Now, if you would have asked me at the start of the season, I would have said that this would be an interesting game. Florida State has proven, however, that they were highly overrated coming into 2009. I mean, at least they won last week. There for awhile, it looked like they were going to lose to Jacksonville State.

Then there’s #2 Texas, who hosts Texas Tech this week. Texas Tech is 2 – 0, but they’ve played North Dakota and Rice…so they might as well be 0 – 0. What makes this game interesting is that last year, Texas Tech stop the Longhorns at the last second with a Michael Crabtree touchdown. This year, though, they have a brand new quarterback after losing Graham Harrell, and of course, Michael Crabtree is making NFL headlines instead of NCAA headlines. Texas? They still have Colt McCoy. Either Texas Tech is going to prove themselves in this game, or they’ll prove that their first two games really were just against horrible opponents. Texas is out for blood, having been denied the National Championship because of this game last year, so my prediction is that Texas will put them in their place.

McCoy and the Longhorns want a little revenge after last year. Image: Newscom

That covers the top ten, but there are a few other games worth mentioning. #19 Nebraska travels to #13 Virgina Tech, with kick off at 3:30. I think Nebraska has really been a sleeper team so far. Granted, like most programs, their first two weeks were basically not even games, but their offense is pretty strong. I’m looking forward to both teams showing what they got.

I’m also interested to see if Notre Dame bounces back from their loss last week to Michigan. They play one of their rivals, Michigan State, this week. Now, Michigan State isn’t the bottom of the barrel, but they aren’t good by any stretch of the imagination. Ya’ll know as well as I do, though, that college football is all about momentum. Notre Dame was thrown for a real loop last week, so we’ll see if they can spring back.

To be honest, not many games interest me this week. Penn State will be lucky if I roll out of bed in time to watch the kick off, and most of the top ten have easy weeks, once again. I know the major debate in college football is whether or not to have a playoff system, but maybe more important that this is the debate of changing scheduling rules. I mean, when a horrendous team plays a top-ranked team, it just looks bad for both schools.

Post from: EveryJoe

College Football Week Three 2009 Preview

Week One is usually not very exciting, unfortunately. My favorite team, Penn State, plays Akron, so although this game means they’ll likely be able to keep a high rank, it won’t actually be that fun to watch. Actually, I don’t even think the game is being televised… Maybe I’m selling Akron short. *shrug*

Can Kellen Moore take Boise State to a BCS Bowl this year? Image: Newscom

In any case, despite all of the easy non-conference games we’re seeing during Week One, there are some games to watch as well. The season officially starts on Thursday at 7:00 PM EST, when a number of teams kick off, but the real start to the season, in my opinion, is at 10:15 PM EST when #16 Oregon takes on #14 Boise State. The games on ESPN, and you bet I’ll be watching. Boise State has a lot more on the line than Oregon, since it will be harder for them to be bowl eligible as a WAC team than it will for Oregon as a Pac-10 team. It’s also at Boise State, and Kellen Moore is a solid quarterback, so I give them the edge in this game.

Another game to watch? San Jose State at #4 USC, with a kickoff at 3:30 PM EST on Saturday. Now, no one here expects this to be a close game. In fact, if USC doesn’t run all over San Jose State, I think you’ll have to pick my jaw up off of the floor. I want to see the freshman golden boy quarterback play, though. People put so much emphasis on Pete Carroll’s choice to play true freshman Matt Barkley instead of returner Aaron Corp. This game will really test him to see if he can handle the pressure of being the leader of such a popular team. Will Corp get any playing time at all? We’ll see.

The USC game isn’t nationally televised, so I’ll have to keep up with it online…but that’s ok, since my eyes will be glued to the 3:30 PM EST game on ABC: #13 Georgia at #9 Oklahoma State. My heart is with Oklahoma State on this one, but it isn’t going to be an easy game by any means. They’ve lost Matt Stafford, but if Joe Cox, their new quarterback, really steps up, they could be the surprise of the SEC this year. Florida who? This game is going to set the stage for Georgia for the entire season, so I feel like they’ll fight tooth and nail for it, but Oklahoma State isn’t going to just bend over and take it. They have a huge number of returning starters and are also looking to set the stage for a surprising season. Otherwise, they’ll never be competitive in the Big 12.

On a side note, I’ll also be checking in with the 3:40 game, Missouri versus Illinois. The teams aren’t ranked, but I think it will be an even match up and a good game. Big Ten love!

Sam Bradford is back, hoping to lead the Sooners to a National Championship game again. Image: Newscom

At 7:00 PM, another possibly great game hits ESPN – #20 BYU versus #2 Oklahoma. Ok, I may be going against the grain a little here when I say that I think BYU is overrated. I do love that they’re helping to make a name for a non-BCS conference, which pushes the issue of a playoff system. Do they have a good enough offensive line to beat Oklahoma? What about receivers? They may have the defense they need to keep Oklahoma’s numbers down, even though OU has some amazing returners like Sam Bradford, but you can’t win if you don’t put any points on the board. My vote for winner definitely does to Oklahoma. Sorry, BYU, better luck next year.

Just an hour after the BYU-OU game starts, #5 Alabama meets #7 Virginia Tech on the field, the game televised on ABC. This is a tricky game to predict, in my opinion. The Hokies may take the ACC, and Tyrod Taylor is back at quarterback. Is that enough to top Alabama? The Crimson Tide are replacing great offensive players like Andre Smith, and they have a new quarterback, but players like Mark Ingram could make the difference in this game. Like with Georgia, Alabama needs to win this game to set the stage for the season if they’re going to be competitive in the SEC.

It’s going to be a great Week One – better than we’ve seen in quite a few seasons. I’ll also be interested to see how Notre Dame does against Nevada – an easy win for the Fighting Irish, maybe, but I want to see is quarterback Jimmy Clausen can really put up numbers. Also on my radar is Maryland at #12 California, which starts late Saturday night and Miami at #18 Florida State which is on ESPN at 8:00 PM EST on Monday.

Post from: EveryJoe

College Football Week One 2009 Preview

Everyone wants to know what’s in those documents. The NCAA had previous annonced that they’d strip coach Bobby Bowden of a number of wins, and this documnt is in response to an appeal of that decision. Bowden’s in the running to become the most winningest major football coach of all time, trailing Penn State’s Joe Paterno by just one win.

President T.K. Wetherell, Image: Newscom

FSU President T.K. Wetherell, who recently announced that he was ready to retire, is named as a defendent in the lawsuit. He says that its his job to protect the school and he’s bound to get sued occasionally.

Post from: EveryJoe

Press Sues NCAA and FSU

Bobby Bowden, Image: Newscom

FSU admits that the cheating occurred and they aren’t challenging the the loss of scholarships in 10 sports and a four-year probation for the dirty deeds. However, they are challenging the part of the sanctions that would strip coach Bobby Bowden of 14 of the school’s wins.

Normally, that may not be a big deal, but Bowden is neck-and-neck with Penn State’s Joe Paterno for the title of “winningest coach in college football.” Both coaches are expected to retire within the next few years, so there’s not time to make up those 14 wins.

Paterno has gone on record as saying that he hopes the NCAA allowed Bowden to keep the wins. I’m glad to see that he wants a fair fight.

Leave a comment below – should Bowden be allowed to keep his wins or should the games be declared losses?

Post from: EveryJoe

FSU Sanctions Response Kept Secret

“My days are limited, but I still enjoy what I do. I would rather walk off quietly. That’s the reason I won’t say when I’m going to get out because people start counting the days and saying that’s the last time he’s going to play here.”

Bowden’s plans to retire, however, may have something to do with the coach-in-training offensive coordinator Jimbo Fisher.

Bobby Bowden, Image: Newscom

If Fisher isn’t officially the head coach by Jan. 11, 2011, his contract states that he gets a $5 million payout. Bowden definitely doesn’t want to be $5 million in debt to Fisher and the college, and although he won’t announce anything yet, when asked, he’s said,

”I don’t want to answer that, but if you put two and two together, you’ll be right.”

Bowden knows that his career is winding down, and I think some hullabaloo surrounding his retirement is inevitable. From now until he retires, he’s going to be asked about it roughly a bajillion times, and fans of NCAA football will continue to speculate. Bowden’s one of the few old-school coaches still left in the game, and even though I’m not a Florida State fan, I’ll miss him and hope he stays involved in the game in some capacity.

Post from: EveryJoe

Bowden: “My Days are Limited”

Joe Paterno, Image: Newscom

This might not matter much to Joe Paterno of Penn State, but he and Bowden are in a dead heat for number of victories among major college coaches. Paterno currently has 383 wins, while Bowden has 382. He’d only have 368 is the wins are stripped, putting him so far behind Paterno that catching up would be unlikely.

Paterno, however, hopes that Bowden’s number stands.

“I don’t think that should have anything to do with Bobby’s record. I don’t think Bobby had much to do with what happened,” Paterno said. “I just hope people don’t distort what a great coach Bobby Bowden has been, which he has been.”

Last year, Paterno coached a number of games from the box, but he said that he’ll be back on the sidelines for 2009. He had hip replacement surgery just four months ago, but was at Spring Practice without so much as a cane.

Post from: EveryJoe

JoePa Stands Behind Bowden’s Wins

Want more bowl news? Check out this link for all 2008 Bowl games and results, as they come in.

Champs Sports Bowl Result:

Florida State 42, Wisconsin 13

Florida State running back Carlton Jones (33) attempts to evade the out stretched hands of Wisconsin defensive lineman Dan Moore (45).

Champs Sports Bowl Summary: I’m a Big Ten girl, and unless Ohio State is playing, I always cheer as such. Wisconsin didn’t even have a chance, though. I could have guessed that, but I didn’t think it would be a total blow out! Yeesh.

For the record, Florida State is the first ACC team to ever beat Wisconsin.

Overall Records: Florida State 9-4, Wisconsin 7-6

Read more about the Champs Sports Bowl:

• Florida State rolls over Wisconsin in Champs Sports Bowl at BowlSubdivision
• Orlando Sentinel – Postgame report card at Chopping Block
• Champs Sports: Florida State beats up on Wisconsin at Football News
• Champs Sports Bowl photo gallery at Big Ten Insider

Got a link or opinion of the game? Leave a comment below!

Picture via Newscom.

Post from: EveryJoe

The 2008 Champs Sports Bowl

Before taking the field against Maryland last weekend, Rolle interviewed for and won a Rhodes scholarship. He was a little late for the game, but that decision definitely paid off!

If he chooses not to enter the NFL draft, Rolle will receive a full scholarship for 2-3 years at Oxford University in England to pursue his neurosurgeon studies.

No matter what he decides, I’m sure he’ll have a bright future. Again, congratulations and best wishes, Myron!

Picture via Newscom.

Post from: EveryJoe

Congrats, Myron Rolle