Dadgum, Bobby is gone

I asked Robert to be a guest writer for my blog this week because of the retiring of Bobby Bowden. You may think that Robert should be the main writer of my blog after you read this, but I don't think there could be a better definition of what a great coach and MAN that Bobby Bowden has shown us throughout the years. Enjoy! Well done, Robert!

The day was January 1, 1994. As an 11 year-old I was glued to the television with my family as FSU took the field against Nebraska for what would soon be Bobby Bowden's first national title. Truthfully, I was partially excited just to be staying up this late since it was well past my bedtime. The atmosphere was electric and I knew if they were to win then all the 'Canes and Gators in my classes at Lakeland Highlands Middle School in Lakeland, FL would be quieted until next year. Only a few hours later, the FSU sideline emptied and Bobby was soaked in Gatorade when the 'Noles won, believe it or not, on a missed field goal by the other team. I remember vividly leaping around the room and then being hoisted on my dad's shoulders doing my best Broadway Joe imitation while wagging my index finger high in the air. The moment was captured by my mother on camera as my dad and I took a victory lap around the living room. To this day the picture remains one of my favorites and the memory one that I will forever cherish.

"Your reputation is what people say about you, your character is what God knows about you."

As Bobby Bowden steps down from his post after 34 seasons, we will continue to hear how much he meant to FSU and college football. We will hear how FSU was a women's school without a win when he arrived and how he constructed one of the most successful runs by any program in all of college sports. People will comment on what a good interview he was, how he always said what he meant and how great of an ambassador he was for the sport. Of course there will be some that bring up the discipline problems that plagued his program, the cheating scandal and the losses that became too much to stomach for the FSU powers that be. For now, however, I will selfishly ignore all of those voices and indulge in what Bobby meant to me as epitomized by the photo of a young Seminole fan celebrating in the living room with his dad. The time shared over football extended beyond Saturdays in our family. Whether over dinner the following week or on Sunday afternoons for "The Bobby Bowden Show" on the Sunshine Network sponsored by Golden Flake. The victories continued in droves through the years. No doubt about it Bobby was a winner. Yet over time the wins became harder and harder to come by. Eventually my family left Florida for North Carolina and I enrolled at UNC where my fervor for a different school and different sport quickly kindled. Yet that photo from the first night of 1994 forever represents the joy of victory and the bond between father and son that was created by the slow-talking charmer of a coach from FSU.

"I would want the boys that played for me to think they were better persons for having played for me."

The mystique of Bobby's career extends well beyond the playing field, a cliche that we too often use in our society to describe athletes and coaches. The quote above was taken from a recent interview with ESPN as his career was winding down which shows that finding meaning beyond football was his purpose. He represented all that was good about sport and always used the game as a means to change lives and share his faith. For such a role model, I'm sure my father and many other parents are thankful to him. If his measure for success was having his players think they were better people for having played under him, then in that too he far exceeded expectations. Not only the players, but the young fans who grew up listening to a man who was at the top of the sports world talk about what was really important in life are better for having watched him. I wish that I could have another season to say goodbye and listen to his unintentionally engaging halftime interviews. Instead one more bowl game will have to suffice. If they are to win one more for Bobby, I will probably not jump on my father's shoulders or jump around the living room. Inside, however, I am sure that my memory will take me back to that feeling when united by the Florida State Seminoles, my family and I shared a joyful moment in time that we owe to ol' Coach Bowden. Dadgum Bobby, you will be missed.

And...here are my picks:

Cincy vs Pitt-Cincy
Houston vs ECU-Houston
West Va vs Rutgers-Rutgers
Arizona vs USC-USC
FLORIDA vs bama -GO GATORS
Texas vs Nebraska-Texas
Georgia Tech vs Clemson-Georgia Tech

A Lil Football Survey

With the college football season winding down, and I can't express to you how sad I am about this, I couldn't really think of anything fun to write about. Players are complaining about their coaches saying "hurtful" things, Tennessee is proud of eleven "strong" months when no player got in trouble(maybe their goal should be a year next time), and the inevitable college coaching carousel has begun. I could write about whether Charlie Weis and Rich Rodriguez will remain at their respective schools, but I think one will stay and one will go, so enough said(plus ESPN needs something to talk about Tuesday through Friday). Instead I decided to take a little survey from what has happened over this past year in college football. It is all about this year- last year and past years just don't matter when you think about answering these questions. Let's see what you think....

Who would you rather run on 4th and 2?
-Tim Tebow or Mark Ingram

Who would you rather pass the ball on 3rd and 25? And to which receiver?
-Ryan Mallett or Jimmy Clausen
-Jordan Shipley or AJ Green

Who would you rather take over your struggling football team?
-Gary Patterson(TCU) or Chris Peterson(Boise St)

Which conference would you rather play in?
-ACC or Big East

Which player would you want to return kicks, rush every down, and receive all passes?
-Jahvid Best or Noel Devine

Who would you rather block a kick?
-Mount Cody or Mount Cody

Who would you rather have as a real mascot?
-UGA or Ralphi the buffalo

Who would you rather have guarding your best receiver?
-Joe Haden or Eric Berry

If you think of better questions or better options, let me know!!

On with the picks- It's hard to beat last week but I was 12-6, so not too bad

Ohio St vs Michigan- Ohio State
Maryland vs Florida State- FSU
UNC vs Boston College- Go HEELS
Miss St vs Arkansas- Ark
Florida International vs Florida- Go GATORS
UConn vs ND- UConn
LSU vs Ole Miss- Ole Miss
UVA vs Clemson- Clemson
Penn St vs Mich St- Mich St
Cal vs Stanford- Stanford
Kentucky vs UGA- Go DAWGS
Kansas vs Texas- Texas
Oregon vs Arizona- Oregon

BCS-Bowl CATalog Series

It's now that time of year when the season is starting to heat up and teams are jockeying for spots in the all-important BCS standings. No it's not the money driven Bowl Championship Series laugher of a poll that has been robbing college football of pure, unbridled competition for years with no end in sight. That's right sports fans, its time for the Bowl CATalog Series where I, in my infinite wisdom, elucidate the top ten teams in the country that is sure to alter the college football landscape for the remainder of the season. I have yet to have my rankings included in the BCS computer formula but with your help maybe one day I will. I mean does anyone really know what goes into that formula anyways? They might as well put my standings in there along with which team's punter has the largest shoe size and whose marching band trumpet section can reach the loudest decibel. In fact, thats not a bad idea. Then we might see Texas recruiting a 7-1 punter just to get that size 25 shoe and the extra 0.001 points they need to get into the title game. Or just picture Pete Carroll walking into some high school trumpeteer's room and promising him a date with a Song Girl if he commits to USC. Anywho, without further ado I bring you the inaguaral BCS standings. Enjoy.

1. Florida
2. Alabama
3. Texas
4. Cincinnati
5. Boise State
6. TCU
7. Georgia Tech
8. LSU
9. Pittsburgh
10. Iowa
11. Miami
12. Oregon
13. USC
14. Houston
15. Utah

Here's the question of the week- Who has the better accessory to his attire?
Jim Tressel's vest versus Steve Spurrier's visor


On to the picks of the week- My best week ever was last week! 14-2!

South Fla vs Rutgers- Rutgers
West Va vs Cincy- Cincy
Michigan vs Wisconsin- Wisconsin
Tennessee vs Ole Miss- Tennessee
Clemson vs NC State- Clemson
Florida State vs Wake Forest- Wake
Va Tech vs Maryland- Va Tech
Florida vs South Carolina- Go GATORS
Stanford vs USC- USC
Iowa vs Ohio State- Ohio State
Miami vs UNC- Go HEELS
BC vs Virginia- BC
Alabama vs Miss St- Bama
Auburn vs UGA- Go DAWGS
Utah vs TCU- TCU
Notre Dame vs Pitt- Pitt
Texas Tech vs Oklahoma St- Texas Tech
Arizona vs Cal- Arizona

Dook vs UNC

When you look at the schedule for the upcoming weekend, only two games really stick out as major head to head battles. I have to admit, I am extremely excited about watching the Alabama/LSU game as the winner of this game will most likely be the opponent to Florida in the SEC championship. I might even switch over to watch the Penn State/Ohio State game as two ranked teams face off in a Big Ten clash. With all that said, the funny thing about this weekend, is that the UNC/Duke game is being played at the same time as these other two games and it is the first one I am going to turn to.

You are probably thinking to yourself right now, 'well of course she is going to turn to the UNC game as she is a Tar Heel.' Of course that is one reason it will be the first game I watch. But the main reason I am going to switch to ESPNU is not because I am going to be on there the very next day doing the SEC soccer championship, but because Duke is actually pretty good. It is frightening for all of us tar heels to admit it, but we are all a little nervous that Duke could come into Kenan stadium and beat us on homecoming. Normally I would watch the first quarter and then turn it because we would have the game pretty secure. Now, I don't even know what is going to happen. Duke is on a three game ACC winning streak, tied for first in our ACC division(and we are last), and coach Cutcliffe comes from the SEC and obviously knows how to win. It's obvious that the UNC/Duke rivalry in basketball is one of the best rivalries in all of sports, but the football rivalry is so bad that we don't even wait until the end of the season anymore. I just have one thing to say...The TAR HEELS better WIN!!

On a completely different note, I thoroughly enjoyed making fantasy matchups(even though no one refuted them), so I am going to give you some more throughout the last few weeks. Again, I stay in a comfort zone of the SEC, so please feel free to get me out of it!

Best coaches fight- Lane Kiffin vs Nick Saban or
Mark Mangino vs Charlie Weis

Here are my picks for the week. 6-4 last week.

Va Tech vs ECU- Va Tech
Northwestern vs Iowa- Iowa
UVA vs Miami- Miami
South Carolina vs Arkansas- Arkansas
Tennessee Tech vs UGA- Go DAWGS
Maryland vs NC State- NC State
Furman vs Auburn- Auburn
LSU vs Alabama- Bama
Wake vs GT- GT
Ohio State vs Penn State- Ohio State
Duke vs UNC- Go HEELS
Oregon State vs Cal- Oregon State
Vandy vs UF- Go GATORS
USC vs Arizona State- USC
Okla vs Nebraska- Okla
FSU vs Clemson- Clemson

It's Florida-Georgia weekend...You READY??

First of all I want to apologize for not writing anything last week. It was a little more difficult than I expected here in Germany. Well, to be honest, I just didn’t fork out and pay for the internet since it was 30$ a day, just on principle alone, plus I was able to get skype for free and email on the phone. Needless to say, at our new hotel in Augsburg, I have free internet. Plus it is the Florida/Georgia weekend and can I really miss this week? Absolutely not!

Secondly, this blog entry is a little different than my other blogs. I am guessing you have noticed that each week I have complained about something different. Whether it’s the BCS system, Lane Kiffin, or why I should be on college gameday, I have decided to have a little fun. Not unlike my other blog entries, I will be completely biased. What I have decided to do is to write my “Dream Game” scenario. My dream as a sports commentator would to be on the sideline of the Florida/Georgia game, so let’s just say I am watching Tracy Wolfson very closely to find out how I can take her job…haha! With my dream scenario, I am putting my favorite two teams on the field and matching up what I believe to be their best players. Before I keep going, those who don’t understand how I can cheer for both of these schools, get over it. I can truly do it and it can just be one of those phenomenas that you just don’t understand. Also, remember I am just 27 years old, so my knowledge of these two school’s history is limited. I am just going with my favorite players that I have personally watched. When I finally put this whole game together, I imagine how awesome it would be to have all of these people playing with or against each other. I mean, how cool!

I would love for you to add anything to my dream scenario or even put together a fun matchup of your own. I know my mom and dad can add a few changes of their own, but I would be open to any and all changes. Let me know what you think!

Game- Florida vs UGA
Stadium- Half swamp/Half between the hedges
Quarterback matchup- Tim Tebow vs Hines Ward
Running back matchup- Emmett Smith vs Herschel Walker
Wide receiver matchup- Percy Harvin vs AJ Green
Defensive line matchup- Brandon Spikes vs David Pollack
Cornerback matchup- Joe Haden vs Champ Bailey
Coach’s matchup- Urban Meyer vs Vince Dooley


Onto the picks- I am working on getting better, but I am just not picking the upsets. I won't go to my record from two weeks ago because that's just not fun. I am just going to try and keep looking forward!

UNC vs Va Tech-Go Heels(I'm dreaming, I know)
West Va vs South Fla- West Va
NC State vs FSU- FSU
Ole Miss vs Auburn- Ole Miss
Indiana vs Iowa- Iowa
UGA vs UF-I don't pick this game
Miami vs Wake- Miami
Miss St vs Kentucky- Kentucky
South Carolina vs Tenn- South Carolina
Texas vs Okla St- Texas
USC vs Oregon- Oregon