NCAA Football FanHouse

You, Too, Can Be Creepy With a Mr. Erin Andrews T-Shirt

Brian Grummell — Sun, 29 Jun 2008 21:47:00 EST

Filed under: Florida Football, NCAA FB Media Watch, NCAA FB Scandal

I like Erin Andrews. She's blonde and pretty and as my colleague Brian Cook so eloquently put it, she's not terribly annoying. But to date I've managed to safely avoid the whole weird stalker thing if you don't count the whole "Why Did Herbstreit just call her Poopsie?" thing.

Others? Not so much.

If giving further oxygen to the "Erin Andrews + male admirers" phenomena is your bag, however, we've got great news: you can now own your very own Mr. Erin Andrews t-shirt.

How long before someone gets their mug wearing this shirt blasted all over SportsByBrooks, FanHouse, etc. doing something stupid in the presence of the poor Ms. Andrews? Or at least, Photoshopping themselves doing something stupid. My money's on: not long.

(Via: Hot Clicks)

You, Too, Can Be Creepy With a Mr. Erin Andrews T-Shirt originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Sun, 29 Jun 2008 21:47:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Vandy Needs to Give Bobby Johnson a Raise

Charles Rich — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 23:52:00 EST

Filed under: Alabama Football, Florida Football, LSU Football, SEC, NCAA FB Coaching, Vanderbilt Football

Ridiculous. I realize Vandy is a private school and they provide a valuable service to the SEC in helping with the conference graduations rates. Still, if they aren't going to actually pay their football coach over $1 million dollars, there's a problem. Sylvester Croom just got his pay pushed into the seven figure zone. Now Bobby Johnson is the only SEC coach still earning a paltry 6 figure salary. Keep up.

Les Miles, LSU, $3,750,000
Nick Saban, Alabama, $3,750,000
Urban Meyer, Florida, $3,250,000
Bobby Petrino, Arkansas, $2,850,000
Mark Richt, Georgia, $2,800,000
Tommy Tuberville, Auburn, $2,800,000
Phillip Fulmer, Tennessee, $2,050,000
Steve Spurrier, South Carolina, $1,750,000
Sylvester Croom, Mississippi State, $1,700,000
Houston Nutt, Ole Miss, $1,700,000
Rich Brooks, Kentucky, $1,600,000
Bobby Johnson, Vanderbilt, $950,000

Then again, Johnson is the only SEC coach not to be automatically placed on a hot seat after a losing season.

Vandy Needs to Give Bobby Johnson a Raise originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Wed, 25 Jun 2008 23:52:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Porn Is More Popular Than Tim Tebow

John Radcliff — Tue, 24 Jun 2008 17:59:00 EST

Filed under: Florida Football, SEC, NCAA FB Media Watch

If you just came across this post because you did a Google search on "porn", you need to head down to Florida and fess up. If you did a Google search for "porn + Tim Tebow", you might be pictured at right giving Tim Tebow a high five. In a federal obscenity trial, the defense tried to argue that their clients website should not be considered obscene by showing porn searches are more popular than searches for Tim Tebow.

In a federal obscenity case heard this month, Mr. Douglas defended another Florida pornographer. In the trial, Mr. Douglas set up a computer in the courtroom and did Internet searches for sexually explicit terms to show the jury that there were millions of Web pages discussing such material. He then searched for other topics, like the University of Florida quarterback Tim Tebow, to demonstrate that there were not nearly as many related Web sites.

Outside the box thinking for sure, but it didn't work. His client was convicted on all counts. Mr. Douglas isn't giving up, though. In his current case, Douglas is employing Google Trends to show porn searches are at least as popular as apple pie.

"We tried to come up with comparison search terms that would embody typical American values," Mr. Walters said. "What is more American than apple pie?" But according to the search service, he said, "people are at least as interested in group sex and orgies as they are in apple pie." The Google service does, however, show the relative strength of many mainstream queries in Pensacola: "Nascar," "surfing" and "Nintendo" all beat "orgy."

So does that mean that Nascar, surfing, and Nintendo are more popular than Tim Tebow? Or is it just that people in coastal areas have enough sex that they don't need to go looking for it on the internet? I'm confused. Anyway, if you run a porn site I would suggest you steer clear of Douglas until he gets this defense strategy perfected.

hat tip: Blutarsky

Porn Is More Popular Than Tim Tebow originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Tue, 24 Jun 2008 17:59:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Worst Moments in Big Ten Football History #4: Ohio State Loses Back-To-Back Title Games

Mark Hasty — Thu, 15 May 2008 12:24:00 EST

Filed under: Florida Football, LSU Football, Ohio State Football, Big 10, BCS, NCAA FB History, Columbus

FanHouse is counting down the ten best, ten worst, and ten weirdest moments in Big Ten football history.

Yes, here's another moment you just knew was coming.

Anything I can possibly say about how awful it is that Ohio State lost back-to-back BCS Title Games must, of course, be tempered by the mandatory statement about how unbelievably hard it is to make it to one such game, let alone making it to two in a row. Thus if we're going to hail on the Buckeyes for giving a new layer of meaning to the term "epic fail," we owe them ... well, we owe them 50% of the respect we give to the early-90s Buffalo Bills. Or the same amount of respect we give to Bob Stoops' Oklahoma Sooners, who have the same resume (one title, back-to-back title game losses).

So you can't say the Buckeyes are bad, not even if you're an SEC fan, and you can't say that Jim Tressel isn't a very good coach. You can, however, wonder what went wrong. The answer: Lots. In both 2007 and 2008, the Buckeyes were undone by a combination of bad execution (which was within their control) and an imploding hype machine (which wasn't).

There was little question that the Buckeyes belonged in the 2007 title game. They were the #1 team in the nation for the entire season thanks to a very un-Tresselish, explosive offense. People were less sure that Florida belonged in the game; many were hoping for a rematch between Ohio State and Michigan.

(Remember the 2006 OSU/Michigan game? "#1 versus #2, in one of the most storied rivalries in college football history? " You don't remember it? Tune to your local ABC station. This game was so breathlessly overhyped it wouldn't surprise me if ABC was still running promos for it. )

Urban Meyer worked the media like he was running for president. Some poll voters listened. Others probably just didn't want a rematch. Florida got in; Michigan had to settle for the Rose Bowl, a place where they'd had their problems.

You know what happened. 41-14, and it wasn't that close. During the run-up to the 2007 season all eyes were on Columbus, and we heard about how the code to get into the Buckeyes' practice facility was '4114' (has anybody tried getting in with '3824' recently?) just so the players wouldn't forget the rank humiliation of getting pantsed by a team nobody really thought should be there.

Motivation is a good thing. It's a dang poor substitute for speed, though.

The good news about the 2008 title game is that this time the general consensus was that neither team really belonged there. LSU had lost twice, while the Buckeyes' berth was greeted with all the enthusiasm of yet another Atlanta Braves NL East pennant. It was supposed to be Mizzou versus West Virginia, but both those teams lost in their final games.

The Buckeyes went up early, 10-0, then proceeded to give up 31 straight points while their offense collapsed like day-old Dream Whip. OSU was 3 for 13 on 3rd down conversions, a lousy performance for any game but totally inexplicable in a title game. Did they not face a really good defense all season? Apparently not. They faced four ranked teams (including LSU) and only converted more than 50% of their third downs against Penn State. They were 5-14 against Purdue. Purdue! And that's why Jim Tressel looks like that in the picture above.

Santayana may have said "those who cannot remember the passed are doomed to repeat it," but mere remembrance isn't enough. You also have to change the present to avoid repeating the past.

Worst Moments in Big Ten Football History #4: Ohio State Loses Back-To-Back Title Games originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Thu, 15 May 2008 12:24:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Gator Frosh Shot, Was 'Bystander' According to Urban Meyer

Ryan Ferguson — Mon, 12 May 2008 16:52:00 EST

Filed under: Florida Football, SEC, NCAA FB Injuries, Tampa Bay

High school All-American offensive lineman Matt Patchan was shot at a Tampa-area park Friday night, but should be okay.

"Matt Patchan was a gunshot victim Friday night at a Tampa-area park," Meyer said in the statement. "He was a bystander and shot in the left shoulder and is expected to fully recover in three weeks."

Patchan's injuries are described as "non-lifethreatening" (obviously) and doctors chose to leave the bullet lodged in "soft tissue." As the old saying goes, bullet goes in, bullet stays in.*

The true freshman has been a standout in spring practice, even considered by some local beat writers to be among the most impressive players on the Gators' defensive roster. (Patchan was moved to defensive line by coaches after his arrival and is currently expected to remain with the defense.) Patchan is 6'6" and listed at 265 lbs., but an injury sustained during his senior year of high school caused him to report in to Florida underweight at 238 lbs.

Gator fans are leery of bad news after Jamar Hornsby's felonious use of a dead woman's credit card, leading to his dismissal from the team last week. Meyer's quick support of Patchan makes it seem likely that Patchan was an unfortunate victim in the wrong place at the wrong time.

*Actually not an old saying, but a dumb saying that was just invented. By me.

Gator Frosh Shot, Was 'Bystander' According to Urban Meyer originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Mon, 12 May 2008 16:52:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Florida's Jamar Hornsby is a Tomb Raider

Ryan Ferguson — Fri, 09 May 2008 19:22:00 EST

Filed under: Florida Football, SEC, General CFB Insanity, NCAA FB Scandal

(Former?) Florida safety Jamar Hornsby is in trouble. Trouble with the law, yeah. But you have to wonder about the soul of this guy -- this is pretty disturbing stuff.

Florida football players wear a black circle on their helmets with the word "Sunshine" on them. Purpose: honor the memory of fallen teammate Michael Guilford, who died in a motorcycle accident last October. That accident also claimed the life of his passenger, Ashley Slonina, who was reportedly the girlfriend of cornerback Joe Haden.

Somehow, in the aftermath of the accident, Slonina's credit card found its way into Hornsby's hands. EDSBS claims Hornsby stole the card when he was helping Haden clean out Slonina's apartment shortly after she died. Precisely however or whenever Hornsby managed to pilfer the plastic is not officially known, but what we do know is that Hornsby used the card 70 times, the first being the day after Slonina's death, and racked up $3,000 worth of debt for Slonina's grieving parents over the course of the past six months.

When a judge issued a warrant for his arrest, Hornsby surrendered himself, was briefly jailed, and subsequently released "own his own recognizance." His status with the football team is uncertain at this point.

Florida's Jamar Hornsby is a Tomb Raider originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Fri, 09 May 2008 19:22:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Old School: Gators vs. FSU, 1973

Ryan Ferguson — Fri, 02 May 2008 11:06:00 EST

Filed under: Florida Football, Florida State Football, SEC, NCAA FB Fans, NCAA FB History, NCAA FB Video

"Old School" is the College Football FanHouse's irregular look back at the rich history of college football, usually through the medium of embeddable flash video. Check out the Old School archive for more famous plays and infamous hair.

Step back in time with me, college football fans, to an earlier era. Here we have the Seminoles of Florida State taking on the Florida Gators in 1973.

This is pre-Ben Hill Griffin stadium stuff, so that's just Florida Field. Note that the Swamp is highly recognizable. Back then the stadium was painted blue rather than orange but "This is... Gator Country!" is still scribed on those trademark vertical walls rising out of the east and west stands. The press box was a tad smaller back then, too, as you might notice.

Florida's mascot was in a woeful state in those days. "Albert E. Gator" looked like an inflatable green jalapeno with teeth and a tail.

As for the game itself? Florida routed the Seminoles 49-0. For the rivalry, it was an era which favored the Gators, who won 9 straight from 1968-1976. Today, Florida leads the overall series, 30-19-2, but FSU is 17-15-1 against the Gators under Bobby Bowden.

Old School: Gators vs. FSU, 1973 originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Fri, 02 May 2008 11:06:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Best Moments in Big Ten Football History #3: Michigan Beats Florida, 2008

Mark Hasty — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 12:07:00 EST

Filed under: Florida Football, Michigan Football, Big 10, Bowl Games, NCAA FB History

FanHouse is counting down the 10 best, 10 worst, and 10 weirdest moments in Big Ten football history.

There wasn't a more disappointing team in the Big Ten last year than the Michigan Wolverines. Players like Chad Henne and Mike Hart sacrificed twelve months of NFL-sized paychecks to stay in Ann Arbor for one more year, sincere in their belief that 2007 would be a special season.

Of course, "special" and "wonderful" are two completely different words. "Non-wonderful" would be a better way to describe how the 2007 season turned out for Big Blue. They entered the 2007 season ranked fifth in the nation, only to lose to ... well, I think you know what happened in the first game of the year. And the second. The Wolverines did manage to win eight games in a row after that, but closed the regular season with losses to Wisconsin and, of course, Ohio State. The day after the OSU loss, Lloyd Carr told his team he would be retiring after Michigan's bowl game.

When the bids came out and the college football world learned that Michigan would be facing the Florida Gators (defending national champions with the eventual Heisman Trophy winner Tim Tebow starting at quarterback) everyone figured Lloyd Carr would go out a loser. The only real question was how many points Michigan would lose by.

Now, I thought that Michigan's eight-game winning streak last season was nothing to sneeze at. It may have come against less-than-fearsome competition, but after the first two weeks of the season, prevailing wisdom was that the Wolverines weren't any good at all. I disagreed, having seen Carrthulhu awaken from his slumbers before. But even I said that Michigan was going to lose by four touchdowns or more.

If I told you that Michigan played an SEC team in a bowl game in which the Wolverines rushed for only 151 yards and turned the ball over four times while their opponents didn't turn it over at all, your next question would be "How much did they lose by?" Chad Henne was great in spite of throwing two picks. Mike Hart also had a solid game, running for 129 yards and two touchdowns. But the real story of this game was how Florida was never really able to convert a third down into anything other than fourth down. Still, it was a tight game all along. The Wolverines needed a brutal four-down series on defense to stop the Gators' last drive, sending Lloyd Carr into retirement with a 41-35 win.

Of all the bowl games the Big Ten played last season, this one looked the most like it would turn into a steaming heap of failure for the conference. Instead, it was a signature victory that gave some pride and hope to a conference whose image has taken a beating over the past few seasons. Not enough to make up for a couple of the losses that also happened during last year's postseason, but hey, let's not get ahead of ourselves. Let's just remember that Michigan turned out to be better than anybody thought they were.

Best Moments in Big Ten Football History #3: Michigan Beats Florida, 2008 originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Thu, 10 Apr 2008 12:07:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Tim Tebow, Hot Wings, and Hooters Girls

Ryan Ferguson — Fri, 28 Mar 2008 17:55:00 EST

Filed under: Florida Football, SEC, NCAA FB Campus

Just stop in your local Hooters establishment and you might stumble across a Heisman Trophy Winner, his offensive line, and some of his speedy receivers:

This photo was taken at the Hooters in Gainesville, Florida -- as evidenced by the Gator helmet and Gator-head table -- and comes to us courtesy of our friends at SportsByBrooks.com. No word on whether Tebow likes 'em mild, hot, or super-spicy.

The wings, that is.

Tim Tebow, Hot Wings, and Hooters Girls originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Fri, 28 Mar 2008 17:55:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Carl Moore, Like Everyone Else, Is Slower Than Percy Harvin

Brian Cook — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 13:25:00 EST

Filed under: Florida Football, NCAA FB Recruiting

You. Why aren't you as fast as Harvin? Oh, I guess "I am not a mutant" is a pretty good answer.

You may remember Carl Moore from Urban Meyer's winter of discontent. He was the five-star JUCO wideout whose gymnast girlfriend got to know Meyer's recruiting pitch for UF real well. This is kinda sorta maybe against NCAA regulations and momentarily got Meyer in trouble before he was cleared of all wrongdoing, as per usual.

So you'd think he'd have to be awesome, right? Well, uh... no:

Florida receiver Percy Harvin, one of the most explosive playmakers in college football, can spot a speedy player. And he knows transfer receiver Carl Moore is not fast.

Although Moore, who played at Sierra (Calif.) Community College in 2007 and is listed by rivals.com as running a 4.45-second 40-yard dash, might not win any sprints the next few weeks during the Gators' spring football practices, the five-star recruit could earn a spot on Florida's first-team offense.

All this drama for a possession receiver? What, Chris Doering wasn't available?

Harvin, for his part, is using his speed on the Wii or something: he's got a heel injury that will keep him out this spring, but since his coaching largely consists of "you should run considerably faster than anyone on the field and many champion racehorses," Florida should not be unduly affected this fall.

Carl Moore, Like Everyone Else, Is Slower Than Percy Harvin originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Tue, 25 Mar 2008 13:25:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Some Guy You've Never Heard Is Leaving Florida, Kind of a Big Deal

Brian Cook — Mon, 03 Mar 2008 12:29:00 EST

Filed under: Florida Football, Wake Forest Football

Redshirt freshmen guards don't have people take their pictures, so here's Urban Meyer pointing at something.

Redshirt freshman guard James Wilson has decided that Florida isn't for him:

University of Florida offensive lineman James Wilson, a former Nease High School standout, is unhappy in Gainesville and will transfer. Wilson said Friday that he asked for a release from his scholarship but did not know which school he wants to attend.

"I've got a few schools in mind," said Wilson, who redshirted as a freshman last season after undergoing surgery on his left knee to repair loose cartilage.

"It [UF] really just wasn't for me. "[Coach] Urban [Meyer] tried to convince me to stay. I was supposed to start [in 2008] but my heart's not there anymore."

Unless you're a Florida fan who's into recruiting (or a jilted USC fan), you've probably never heard of James Wilson, but this is kind of a big loss for the Gators: Wilson was the nation's top-ranked guard a year ago and the #12 player nationally. Now he's transferring to somewhere like Wake Forest.

Recruits go busto all the time, but usually not after just one year, and offensive line is one of the few spots on Florida's team that might be something of a concern next year. Two starters are gone and would-have-been starter Phil Trautwein is returning from a stress fracture and did not play in 2007. Wilson was a sizable bullet in the chamber for Florida they no longer have.

Some Guy You've Never Heard Is Leaving Florida, Kind of a Big Deal originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Mon, 03 Mar 2008 12:29:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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ND Recruit Thinks Boats, Meyer's Wife Stupid

Brian Cook — Mon, 11 Feb 2008 08:49:00 EST

Filed under: Florida Football, Notre Dame Football, NCAA FB Recruiting, The Word

The early theme of the offseason has been "uncomplimentary things said by or about Urban Meyer" -- for examples see the "Previously" section of the post -- and we've got another one for the pile.

This comes from Notre Dame recruit Braxton Cave after being asked what was the most interesting thing that happened to him during his recruitment:

"(He) had me talk to his wife, so that was kind of interesting," Cave said.

The context of the conversation didn't exactly wow Cave.

"Basically, the weather and how they were on the boat and all this stupid crap," Cave said.

If you couldn't already guess by his name, Cave is an offensive lineman. Who doesn't go in for your stupid hippy crap about boats and weather, thank you very much. Next time Urban should try that pitch on Michigan AD Bill Martin.

Previously On Fanhouse:
Urban Meyer Is Suddenly Concerned About Patrick Johnson's ACT
Urban Meyer Will Keep Tim Tebow From Winning Another Heisman
Urban Meyer's Recruiting Adventures

ND Recruit Thinks Boats, Meyer's Wife Stupid originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Mon, 11 Feb 2008 08:49:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Recruiting: Mark Richt Ping Pong Master

Brian Grummell — Tue, 05 Feb 2008 14:32:00 EST

Filed under: Florida Football, Georgia Football, Iowa Football, NCAA FB Recruiting, The Word

One of the more recent trends in college football recruiting has been for coaches to bring groups of players to their homes. Those visits tend to involve leisure (time at the family pool, perhaps), recreation, dinner and time with the coach's family and maybe several assistants and their families.

Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz is a big practitioner of this recruiting method. Others I'm aware of doing so include Florida's Urban Meyer and Georgia's Mark Richt. The goal, perhaps, is for coach and recruits to all get to know each other a little more in a relaxed setting. It also probably helps quiet the alarm bells in concerned parents' heads who would rather their boys be staying out of trouble and in the care of adults than spending a night out on the town.

This also blends well with the more sanitized world of official visits detailed earlier. And so sometimes the most *interesting* stories emanating from formerly lurid trips is talk of a coach's prowess at . . . ping pong.

consider the wildest part of the biggest visit weekend at Georgia this recruiting season. On the night of Dec. 6, some of the nation's top players gathered at the home of Bulldogs coach Mark Richt and played ping-pong. That's right, ping-pong.

"[Richt] is pretty dominant. He didn't lose the entire night," said Bryce Ros, a Kennesaw, Ga., tight end who will officially sign next week to play for a coach who apparently is the best American table tennis player since Forrest Gump.

So there you go. Mark Richt will own you in ping pong. I'm not sure that's a good thing when trying to stroke the 17-year-old ego and encourage him to commit to your school, but it's safe and right in the wheelhouse of a sensible and decent coach and man like Richt.

Previously at FanHouse

Recruiting Tag
NCAA Recruiting Tag

Recruiting: Mark Richt Ping Pong Master originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Tue, 05 Feb 2008 14:32:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Urban Meyer Is Suddenly Concerned About Patrick Johnson's ACT

Brian Cook — Sat, 19 Jan 2008 16:42:00 EST

Filed under: Florida Football, LSU Football, SEC, NCAA FB Recruiting

Patrick Johnson is the best high school corner available this year, depending on who you listen to. Earlier in the year he committed to Miami, but he re-opened his recruiting, focusing on Florida, Florida State and LSU. He picked LSU and planned to enroll early, but those plans were recently kiboshed:

LSU's top-rated football recruit, cornerback Patrick Johnson of Blanche Ely High School in Pompano Beach, Fla., said he still plans to join the Tigers even though he was unable to begin school this week as expected after his ACT score was questioned by the NCAA.

Johnson is qualified because his ACT score, previously stuck on 16 after multiple attempts, suddenly jumped to 22. The NCAA is supposed to review all such unexplained jumps, as they're statistically improbable. All well and good. Care to wonder why the NCAA is looking into this?

"I'm not upset," Johnson said. "Florida made an issue about the ACT score. They're cowards. They had to go behind my back. But that's OK. We play them this year (on Oct. 11 at Florida)."

Urban Meyer, or someone on his staff suddenly got real suspicious about that test score when Johnson committed to Not Florida. Anyone care to guess who Les Miles will declare LSU's newest f*#$ing rival?

Urban Meyer Is Suddenly Concerned About Patrick Johnson's ACT originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Sat, 19 Jan 2008 16:42:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Gators Keep Ingram, Lose 2 Coaches

Ryan Ferguson — Thu, 10 Jan 2008 15:37:00 EST

Filed under: Florida Football, SEC, NCAA FB Coaching

You win some, you lose some.

Cornelius Ingram, a WR/TE for the Florida Gators, has decided to return for his senior season. Earlier reports indicated that the junior intended to enter the NFL draft, but apparently he changed his mind:

Ingram made the decision to stay at Florida after talks with his family and the UF coaching staff over the past few days, Bowie said.

"I think he's going to be a little more involved in the offense," Bowie said. "He's going to work on some things and put on a couple of more pounds. Whether he catches 40 or 50 passes next season, he's going to have to go to the NFL Combine and perform."

Meanwhile, running backs coach Stan Drayton has decided to leave Florida for the same job at Tennessee. (The Vols' RB coach position was recently vacated by Trooper Taylor.) Drayton was advised after the Capital One Bowl that he would "likely not be retained" for an additional year. In his three years at UF, the running back position was the achilles heel of the Gators' offense.

Finally, news broke today that secondary coach John "Doc" Holliday is taking a defensive coordinator position at West Virginia. Why do such a thing? Simple:

According to sources, Holliday was offered a contract that guarantees him $2 million over five years at West Virginia.

Holliday made $190,000 at Florida in 2007.

Holliday is best known for his recruiting, athough he did coach megasafety Reggie Freakin' Nelson. His work with Major Wright, a promising freshman safety for the Gators, proved he could develop talent at the highest level. I expect he'll do well with the Mountaineers.

Gators Keep Ingram, Lose 2 Coaches originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Thu, 10 Jan 2008 15:37:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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People Might Just Possibly Be Overreacting a Little Tiny Bit About the Big Ten

Brian Cook — Wed, 09 Jan 2008 14:48:00 EST

Filed under: Florida Football, LSU Football, Michigan Football, Ohio State Football

Pat Forde, right.

In the aftermath of another not particularly close national championship game featuring Ohio State, the articles were inevitable. The most breathless belongs to ESPN's Pat Forde:

If you've ever seen lions maul a water buffalo, you've seen the last two title games. You've seen a fierce pair of SEC teams -- Florida last year, LSU this year -- blow the vulnerable Buckeyes back to the Bratwurst Belt by a combined 41 points. You've seen the best of one league flex, and the best of an inferior league collapse.

Forde goes on to suggest Ohio State be banned from future title games amongst a cavalcade of zingers like "when the SEC shows up, they should change O-H-I-O to O-H-N-O." As Fire Joe Morgan might say: at least Forde is super funny. It's a typical piece of media prattle that eschews nuance for LOUD NOISES.

Ohio State didn't lose because they were out-talented -- some four or five Buckeyes will go in the first round of the NFL draft, depending on who exactly comes out and that doesn't include terrifying sophomore Beanie Wells -- but because they are young and stupid.

As Tom Fornelli notes, the Buckeyes have three senior starters and just five on their entire two-deep, three of whom are fullbacks. They went up against a veteran team everyone supposed was the most talented in the country and... well, outgained them in the midst of a turnover- and penalty-implosion that reminded everyone of -- yes -- LSU last year. LSU's winning margin was a roughing the kicker penalty and a dropped OSU touchdown.

This is not dominance.

For all the cries of SEC dominance, over the past 11 years the SEC is exactly one game over five hundred against the Big Ten in bowl games (the only non-bowl games have been Michigan against Vanderbilt and Kentucky against Indiana; the former is unfair and the latter irrelevant), and these bowl games invariably function as virtual road games. This year Michigan played Florida in Orlando. Ohio State played LSU in New Orleans. For all SEC fans' talk, their damn conference hasn't backed it up on the field.

Nor have they backed it up in the draft. Eleven Warriors broke down the past five years of NFL draft results between the two conferences. The results: 16.7 draftees per SEC team; 16.6 per Big Ten team. First and second rounders per SEC team: 6.5. Per Big Ten team: 6.6.

They haven't backed it up in the draft or on the field; the only reason any of this crap is going on is because of one bad performance by Ohio State last year and a mediocre one this year. Attention, shortsighted tools: two games do not define a conference.

People Might Just Possibly Be Overreacting a Little Tiny Bit About the Big Ten originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Wed, 09 Jan 2008 14:48:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Michigan Sets the SEC Back 10 Years

Ryan Ferguson — Tue, 01 Jan 2008 17:39:00 EST

Filed under: Florida Football, Michigan Football, Big 10, SEC, Bowl Games

Well, that was something. Michigan won in a thriller, 41-35. Florida had two opportunities to win or tie the game late in the fourth quarter, but went four-and-out both times.

It shouldn't be lost upon SEC and Florida fans that Michigan won this game by 6 points despite being -4 in turnover margin to the Gators.

So what happened? Michigan's blitzing attack created pressure on quarterback Tim Tebow, something he hadn't had to deal with since playing Georgia back in October of 2007. Florida's defense was the achilles heel which Michigan exploited brilliantly, and a healthy Chad Henne -- yeah, he's good. I was wrong.

Michigan RB Mike Hart came very close to being a goat in this game. He lost two fumbles at the goal line which gave new life to the Gators. The fumbles were a combination of Mike Hart's bad ideas (stretching the ball out for a TD when he already had first-and-goal) and opportunistic play by Florida's defensive backs.

Still, objectivity forces me to recognize that Michigan should have routed Florida in this game. Remove those two turnovers and it's a 20+ point win for the Wolverines.
Yeah, the "SEC Woofing" has to be toned down now... or maybe muted. Or maybe a knife needs to be stuck through the speaker. Or vocal cords. Or something. SEC speed? This term must be struck from the lexicon, because guess what? "Big 10 speed" beat the southern-fried version today.

It's impossible to overstate the effect of this outcome on the Big 10 vs. SEC wars. Supposedly, the Big 10's losses last year set the conference back 10 years. Florida's loss to Michigan has to at least reset that counter, if not flip it. Remember, Michigan lost to Appalachian State to start the season... if the transitive property applies, that stink has now spread to Florida and every team it defeated.

To sum up the feelings of Gators fans, I'll quote myself. The following was written at Orange and Blue Hue:

All that was assured is now suspect. Where once we stood on steady ground, we now find an undulating sea of uncertainty beneath us. Ugly speculation. Painful introspection.

... and we're out. Michigan's team was superior on this day, and an era of Michigan football goes out in style as Lloyd Carr's swan song proves to be a sweet tune for the maize and blue. Congratulations for a well-deserved win, Michigan!
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Michigan Sets the SEC Back 10 Years originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Tue, 01 Jan 2008 17:39:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Upset Alert: Michigan Takes 7-Point Lead into the Half Against Gators

Ryan Ferguson — Tue, 01 Jan 2008 15:06:00 EST

Filed under: Florida Football, Michigan Football, Big 10, SEC, Bowl Games

Nobody, including yours truly, saw even the faintest glimmer of this happening: Michigan has the upper hand on the Gators, taking a 21-14 lead into halftime.

Chad Henne looks to be 100%. Mike Hart has been stuffed at the line more often than not, but has a TD of his own. The final sequence of the half was a bomb to Arrington, putting the ball at the 1-yard line, followed by a stuffed run, an incomplete pass, and finally a connection between Henne and Manningham with :08 remaining for the go-ahead TD.

Amazing! Gators get the ball back to start the second half.

Upset Alert: Michigan Takes 7-Point Lead into the Half Against Gators originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Tue, 01 Jan 2008 15:06:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Wolverines Look Sharp Out of the Gates

Ryan Ferguson — Tue, 01 Jan 2008 14:03:00 EST

Filed under: Florida Football, Michigan Football, Big 10, SEC, Bowl Games

We're just getting into the 2nd quarter of Florida vs. Michigan but the game has proven to be highly entertaining so far. Despite a boneheaded move by Michigan on the opening kick, putting the ball at the 7-yard line, Chad Henne and Michael Hart engineered a beautiful 93-yard drive for a TD.

Apparently, Michigan didn't get the memo that they're supposed to lose this game.

Florida followed up with a drive of their own, but kicker Joey Ijjas' kick was off the mark.

Michigan seemed to have everything going their way, but turned the ball over to Florida after Chad Henne was stripped on 3rd down by Gator DE Derrick Harvey. A 20-yard return by Brandon James was capped off by an iffy personal foul called at the end of the play. Florida started their drive deep in Michigan territory but moved backward on a false start. On 2nd and 17, Tebow found Bubba Caldwell on a screen pass. Caldwell did the rest of the work, weaving through Michigan's secondary for the Gators' second score. Ijjas' PAT was good, so it's 14-7 now, Gators on top.

UPDATE: Wolverines punch it in with a Mike Hart run. 14-14. Stay tuned, this game is going to be a good one!

UPDATE 2: NFW... Gators have a TD called back for a false start, Percy Harvin drops a sure TD pass, and then the Gators have a field goal blocked. WOW!

Wolverines Look Sharp Out of the Gates originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Tue, 01 Jan 2008 14:03:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Does Michigan Have a Shot?

Bruce Ciskie — Mon, 31 Dec 2007 18:25:00 EST

Filed under: Florida Football, Michigan Football, Big 10, SEC

I mean, they don't, right?

Right?

Emotions can do a lot of things, but they can't make up for this talent gap.

Or can they?

This one looks easy on paper. Almost too easy. Since the Big Ten (somehow) got two teams in the BCS, every other bowl is taking a team that is one slot higher than they should be. For example, the Capital One Bowl, normally getting the second pick, gets the third pick.

Compounding that issue is the fact that the Capital One Bowl, picking third, should have taken Wisconsin. However, the Badgers had been there two straight years, and it didn't seem like they were too enthused about making a third straight trip to Orlando.

Therefore, the Capital One people did a smart thing. Instead of taking a team that probably wouldn't bring a ton of fans, they grabbed a storyline. That storyline is the final game in the coaching career of Michigan's Lloyd Carr. The Wolverines match up with Heisman winner Tim Tebow and the Florida Gators Tuesday afternoon in Orlando, and now the game has a natural hook to draw in the casual fan.

Can Michigan rise up and win one more for Lloyd?
Or is Tebow just too much for a porous Michigan defense? The Heisman didn't come easy, as the Florida sophomore quarterback combined for 51 total touchdowns this season, showing himself to be equally dangerous throwing and running the ball.

Is he really going to have many problems against a Michigan defense that couldn't stop Armanti Edwards, Dennis Dixon, or even Tyler Donovan. Any mobile quarterback who faced Michigan seemed to do well, and Tebow is the ultimate quarterback right now. He's extremely efficient throwing the ball, and he's just as dangerous with his feet. Put him in an offense like the one Urban Meyer runs, and you have a potential disaster for the Michigan defense.

So the odds are that Chad Henne, Mike Hart, Mario Manningham, and the rest of the Michigan offense will have to keep up. When we last saw the three, Hart and Henne were leaving everything on the field against Ohio State, while Manningham spent the day dropping catchable passes and showing everyone why he's not yet ready for the NFL. They've had some time to heal their wounds, and now we expect to see the very best Hart and Henne can give on their last day wearing the Michigan uniform.
I'm not fond of Michigan's chances, but I do think there's still a place in this game for something unmeasurable like emotion. We tend to make it all about stats and individual matchups and such, but sports are still - in many ways - about raw passion. How bad do you want it, and do you want it as much as the other guy?

You can't prepare for that, and you can't predict that. Will Michigan give an extra-special effort on Tuesday, knowing it is the last game for their popular and classy coach? Will the underclassmen give it everything they have to impress incoming coach Rich Rodriguez? Can the leadership and heart of Henne and Hart lift this offense to heights they haven't reached this season?

Not only that, but how badly does Florida want to be here? I don't like questioning the focus or drive of major-college athletes, but the Gators won the national title last year. The Capital One Bowl is a nice trip, but it's not a BCS game, and it surely isn't the national championship game.

I still think Florida will win, but this has the potential to be a very entertaining football game.

Does Michigan Have a Shot? originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Mon, 31 Dec 2007 18:25:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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