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December 3, 2001
Enough is Enough in Florida-FSU Feud
ESPN The Magazine | |
20. A Soapbox Moment
All right, people, we're going to turn this Florida State-Florida car around right now if you kids don't start behaving.
Just a few shorts days after Gators coach Steve Spurrier was sent back to his room with a bar of Irish Spring stuffed in his mouth, FSU athletic director Dave Hart has a neuron misfiring episode and goes Terrell Owens in the general direction of Gainesville.
"I think [Spurrier] is a very good football coach and he has an outstanding team this year," said Hart in a news conference. "But it would probably be good if somebody just spanked him, put him to bed and hoped that he wakes up all grown up."
What? Spankings. . . beds. The whole thing sounded like a personals ad for Pleasure Palace.
Spurrier responded by happily quoting a Chinese warlord from centuries ago and, well, the whole controversy has become much more interesting than Florida's Nov. 17 rout of the Seminoles. Now if we could just remember what the controversy is.
Oh, yeah, cheap shots. FSU defensive lineman Darnell Dockett started this thing by (Florida's version:) purposely twisting and injuring the knee of Gator running back Earnest Graham, then later trying to do a standing broad jump on UF quarterback Rex Grossman's hand. Or (Florida State's version:), Graham's injury wasn't Dockett's fault and, though it appears otherwise, he really wasn't aiming his cleats at Grossman's digits.
In short, a he-said/Steve-said thing.
No matter. Spurrier all but accused Seminoles coach Bobby Bowden and his staff of teaching "this kind of action." Both Graham's and Grossman's old man threatened lawsuits. And Al Gore extremists said it was a Republican plot to cost them Palm Beach County in 2004.
Meanwhile, the videotape of the Dockett incident was sent to the respective conference offices, where ACC commissioner John Swofford, as well as the league's supervisor of officials, said there was no conclusive proof that Dockett purposely injured Graham's knee. Ditto for the SEC, which could have done exactly what to Dockett and FSU had it disagreed with the ACC's decision? Hart claimed due diligence and that should have been that.
But in an effort to stick up for his guy -- much like Spurrier had stuck up for Graham and Grossman -- Hart invoked the spanking and adult phrase and there went any remaining civility in the FSU-UF rivalry. About the only person acting as if he's 21 and over is Florida athletic director Jeremy Foley. Then again, all the really good insults have been slung.
19. A Soapbox Moment -- Part II
This latest spat between the Gators and Seminoles should do wonders for a rivalry that was just beginning to simmer down. In fact, let's go ahead and sell the rights to next season's game at Tallahassee to the WWF.
According to those who have worked with Hart, he is razor-wire sharp, intense and image conscious. He is a master fund-raiser and an administrative smart guy. But what did Hart actually accomplish by trading cat-fight slaps with Spurrier?
Sure, he stood by Bowden. But unless the tapes had shown otherwise, Bowden didn't need anyone to come to his rescue. About the only thing he needs is a public apology from Spurrier now that, count 'em, two conference offices have issued their third-party opinions. Will it happen? Nah.
Three years remain on the FSU-UF contract. The conspiracy theorists say this is Spurrier's way of sabotaging any sort of extension, that he always thought it unfair that the Gators had to end their regular season with Florida State and then turn around and prepare for their almost-annual trip to the SEC Championship. To make matters worse, the Gators pick up Miami in a home-away series for 2002 and 2003.
Hmmm. Spurrier might not be thrilled about the schedule, but since when does he have a history of ducking opponents. After all, this is the same guy who wants a 16-team playoff system. You don't win one of those things unless you're willing to play the best.
The bottom line to all of this is Graham got hurt, Grossman could have gotten hurt. . . and then it became a Men Behaving Badly episode. There's a lesson to be learned here and it doesn't have anything to do with Sun Tzu.
18. And the Winner Is. . .
In what is likely to be a preview of things to come, Maryland's Ralph Friedgen was the unanimous winner of the ACC's Coach of the Year balloting. The Terps went from 5-6 overall and 3-5 in the conference a season ago, to 10-1, an ACC championship and a BCS bowl berth.
It was such a no-brainer vote that one media member simply wrote, "Fridge" on his ballot. The ACC knew who he meant. Everyone does now.
17. S Stands for Screwed
Stanford and Syracuse are getting the short end of the bowl stick this season, thanks to the usual assortment of questionable rules and contract stipulations that defy common sense.
The Cardinal finished the season 9-2, beat Boston College, USC, Oregon, UCLA and Notre Dame, is ranked higher in the BCS standings than 8-3 Washington and 9-2 Washington State and. . . gets nothing better than the inaugural Seattle Bowl to face (7-5) Georgia Tech? Whooey! Where do we get a ticket for that one?
Then there's Syracuse, which has been sent to the Dec. 29 Insight.com Bowl, rather than the more prestigious Jan. 1 Gator Bowl. Never mind that the Orangemen are 9-3 overall and 6-1 in the Big East, good enough for sole possession of second place in the league. The fellas wearing the polyester suit coats need to put paying fannies in the seats, which is why Virginia Tech, not Syracuse, was selected as the Gator entry.
But Syracuse beat Va. Tech in Blacksburg, you say. Yes, they did. And guess what, bowl reps have selective memories, contract language and turnstile counts. The Big East sends its "second team" to the Gator, not its "second-place team" -- clever, eh? So it's, "Hello, Arizona," for Syracuse, and, "Hello, again, New Year's Day," for the Hokies -- all because Va. Tech fans swarmed to Jacksonville for last year's game.
In Tech's defense, the Hokies nearly beat No. 1 Miami Saturday, as opposed to the 59-0 Dave Hart-like spanking Syracuse got from the Hurricanes. Then again, the Gator Bowl invited Tech before Miami squeaked out the win against the Hokies.
This isn't the first time a program has been done in by ticket sales and wink-wink agreements. It used to happen all the time (remember those October handshake deals?) in the old system of selecting teams. It happens in the BCS Era, too.
16. "Can I have change for a 10? All ones, please."
Needless to say, Colorado linebacker Drew Wahlroos wasn't researching a paper for an anatomy class when he patronized a Boulder-area strip club after CU's win against Nebraska. Good decision, too, since hardly anybody would recognize a 263-pound guy who caused a fumble in the biggest Colorado victory in years.
Anyway, not only did the CU linebacker visit the club, but he got his nose broken by a sucker punch/kick from a Nebraska fan.
"It was nothing, really," Wahlroos later said. "I was at the wrong place at the wrong time."
Do you think?
No word on how Wahlroos celebrated CU's Big 12 Championship win against Texas. Let's hope he wasn't back in Boulder where police had to use percussion grenades to break up the partying fans.
15. A Worthy Starter
Indiana quarterback Antwaan Randle El couldn't even crack the Davey O'Brien semifinalists list. And his name was a conspicuous no-show on the list of finalists for the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award, presented to the nation's top senior quarterback.
Fresno State's David Carr won the Unitas, which is fair enough. Carr has had a remarkable season. Not so fair was that two other Big Ten quarterbacks -- Illinois Kurt Kittner and Northwestern's Zak Kustok -- made the finalists list before Randle El did.
Kittner we'll buy: Illinois is 10-1, headed to a BCS bowl and going there partly because of Kittner's efforts. But Kustok over Randle El? Nothing against Kustok, easily the Wildcats' team MVP, but Randle El deserved the edge there.
However, in something of a surprise, Randle El was named the first-team QB on the recently announced Football Writers Association of America All-America team. Randle El certainly deserved serious consideration, but who thought he'd get the spot instead of Nebraska's Eric Crouch, Florida's Rex Grossman, Oregon's Joey Harrington, Miami's Ken Dorsey, or even Carr or Kittner?
The FWAA is a little quirky that way. The membership votes, but then a nine-member committee takes it from there -- sort of Star Chamber for college football. Lobbying and debate takes place and, voila, Randle El is the No. 1 quarterback. Would he have been our first choice? Probably not, but given his absence from too many postseason award short lists. . . and his remarkable career and impressive senior year, Randle El will do the FWAA proud.
14. Players of the Week
Miami's Todd Sievers.
The Hurricanes' junior place-kicker had field goals of 34, 43, 42, and 39, as well as two extra points, in Miami's much-too-close win at Virginia Tech. As it turned out, the 'Canes needed every one of them.
Runnerups:
Tennessee's Travis Stephens.
His 226 yards and 2 touchdowns against Florida are why Tennessee is one game away from likely playing in the national championship.
Toledo's Chester Taylor.
Taylor had exactly 36 yards at halftime, but finished with 188 yards and two touchdowns as Toledo defeated Marshall for the MAC championship.
Honorable Mention:
Fresno State's David Carr (mucho yards and TDs vs. Utah State and is just the sixth QB to ever pass for 4,000 yards and 40 TDs in a season), Clemson's Woodrow Dantzler (who finishes with 2,360 yards passing and 1,004 yards rushing to become the first in NCAA history to reach the 2,000/1,000 mark), Michigan State's T.J. Duckett (steamroller in green vs. Mizzou); BYU's Luke Staley (149 yards at Mississippi State, but breaks left leg late in the game. Say what you will about BYU's schedule, but you can't question Staley's talent and season. Get well, soon.).
13. Coach of the Week
Miami's Larry Coker.
His record is as perfect as a rose.
Coker got his first Gatorade bath and didn't mind at all. "At my age, I can't dive, so I got it all," he said. "So I didn't change the shirt. I liked it. I certainly liked it."
You should have seen the tile hallway outside the defense's locker room. Any more Gatorade on the floor and you would have needed a pontoon boat. No problem: Coker will pay for the cleanup.
"As a little guy growing up, well (he sighed), it's the Rose Bowl, what can you say. It's the Rose Bowl. And an opportunity to play for the national championship. It doesn't get any better than this."
Runnerups:
Toledo's Tom Amstutz.
Amstutz, in his first year as a head coach, kept his team from freaking out after Marshall jumped to a 23-0 first quarter lead. Then Toledo began the second half with four consecutive scores and won, 41-36.
Air Force's Fisher DeBerry.
DeBerry suspends 12 of his players (curfew violations) for the Zoomies' season finale at home against Utah. And he wins, 38-37.
Tennessee's Phillip Fulmer.
He beats heavily favored Florida at The Swamp for the first time since 1971 (when he was a UT offensive lineman). He wins the SEC East, advances to the SEC Championship, is presumably one game away from Pasadena. . . and you never hear a peep about this guy for Coach of the Year consideration.
Now you do.
12. You've Got Mail
South Florida's sports information department is working the Internet these days, e-mailing itself silly as it tries to hype the results of its first-ever Division I-A season.
Guess what? It worked.
Proving once again why the state of Florida is America's bread basket of football talent, USF finished 8-3 and beat bowl-bound Pittsburgh and North Texas. The Bulls also cherry picked wins against I-A lightweights UConn, Houston and Utah State.
Still, it was a noteworthy season, made more impressive by the fact USF is technically bowl eligible its first time out of the I-A gate. The Bulls are stuck as an independent (translation: good luck getting a bowl invite) until 2003, when Jim Leavitt's program joins Conference USA.
11. Rumor of the Week
Take your pick. This is the hot stove portion of the season, when rumors are thrown against the wall and hardly anything sticks.
One bit of speculation that won't go away is Nick Saban's supposed departure from LSU to the Indianapolis Colts. On the surface it sounds plausible enough: Jim Mora appears to be dead-coach-walking in Indy, especially after he hung golden boy Peyton Manning out to dry in a recent postgame meltdown; Saban was the Colts' choice the last time around until the two sides couldn't agree on money; LSU is losing the likes of quarterback Rohan Davey and probably wide receiver Josh Reed, which means a retooling season next year.
But the flipside is this: Mora still might survive, though not without making some substantial changes to his staff; If money was an issue three years ago, why wouldn't it be an issue once again between Saban and the Colts?; And, yes, Saban will have some holes to fill next season, especially at QB, but he has a lot of young talent. So gut it out in 2002, but bounce back in 2003.
This isn't to say Saban wouldn't entertain the right kind of NFL offer. Everybody is looking for the same kind of deal Butch Davis received when he left the Miami Hurricanes for the Cleveland Browns.
10. Rumor of the Week -- Alabama Style
Dennis Franchione is minutes removed from watching his Alabama team beat Southern Miss in the ankle-deep muck of Legion Field, a crucial victory that enables the Crimson Tide to become bowl eligible. So, of course, one of the first things he discusses in the postgame news conference is. . . Kansas?
As if Bama doesn't have enough problems already, what with its NCAA storm cloud and mediocre six wins, now comes news that Kansas might have made discreet inquiries about the availability of the Tide's first-year coach. Kansas officials won't confirm or deny any speculation regarding their search to replace Terry Allen, but it's obvious KU athletic director Al Bohl has Franchione on his wish list.
Franchione, 49, was born in Girard, Kan., went to Pittsburg State (which is in Kansas), coached high school ball in Kansas, was an assistant coach at Kansas State, and was the other finalist for the Jayhawks job when Allen was hired. Bohl, who has a history of making smart coaching hires, supposedly has the power and the money to do something big, and pulling Franchione from Tuscaloosa certainly would qualify.
"I want you all to listen closely, because I'm going to say this one time and one time only," said a testy Franchione after the win against Southern Miss. "I don't know how this gets started, but I'm going to be at Alabama, and I don't want to hear any more about it.
"Every time the Kansas job comes up, my name comes up. I don't know why that happens. I grew up in Kansas; but I'm at the University of Alabama, and that's where I'm going to be. This is my home. I'm home now."
You can understand why KU took a back-channel run at Franchione. The guy is as Kansas as Dorothy and Toto, he's a hell of a coach, and there's that little matter of Bama's difficulties with the NCAA.
Like it or not, Franchione oversees a program that could sustain significant NCAA sanctions. Bama officials recently made their case to the NCAA's Committee on Infractions, and now must wait at least another month before penalties are imposed. The whole thing is serious enough that Franchione gets an extra year added to his deal for every year Bama gets NCAA sanctions.
Now then, did they really think Franchione would make that kind of move after just year at Bama? Doubtful. But if nothing else, Bohl got people talking about the Jayhawks job for a few minutes. Given the state of KU football, that's no small feat.
9. Obligatory Notre Dame Note
Historically speaking, Notre Dame doesn't waste much time when it comes to making coaching changes. One day you've got a tastefully decorated office, the next day someone is handing you a cardboard box for your personal effects.
Now that Bob Davie has been dismissed, will he follow in the footsteps of several of his predecessors and speak at the football team banquet scheduled for this Friday evening? Gerry Faust did. So did Lou Holtz. In fact, that was basically the last anyone at Notre Dame saw of Holtz. Davie remembers -- as defensive coordinator and Holtz's successor, he was there that night.
Banquet aside, the decision to fire and hire essentially rests with athletic director Kevin White. A three-man committee of sorts oversaw the hiring of Davie back in 1996, but this time things will be different.
For starters, White will surely look at more than three candidates, as was the case in 1996. Back then, Notre Dame interviewed just Dave Wannstedt, Gary Barnett and Davie. And White didn't take the Notre Dame job so he could have someone looking over his shoulder all the time. He pulled the trigger on the Matt Doherty basketball hire (Doherty bolted for North Carolina after only one year). Figure White to have similar power to push for his football choice -- with final approval needed from Notre Dame president Rev. Edward Malloy.
8. Quote of the Week
"No, never."
-- Bob Davie, when asked if he would resign as Notre Dame's coach.
7. Stat of the Week
If this was indeed Davie's last game at Notre Dame, he leaves with a 35-25 career record and an assortment of other ugly numbers: 0-3 in bowl games, two losing seasons in five, 1-7 against Michigan State and Michigan, 6-15 against ranked opponents.
But Davie's chances were especially hurt this season by key injuries and perhaps even by his preseason comment: "When you look at our football team, I certainly think we have enough talent to win every Saturday." It also hasn't helped that Notre Dame has started five different quarterbacks (Jarious Jackson, Arnaz Battle, Gary Godsey, Matt LoVecchio and Carlyle Holiday) in a 16-game span.
6. What Could Have Been
Well, the bad news was that the NCAA's Student-Athlete Reinstatement Committee gave the thumbs down on DeShaun Foster's appeal to play again this season. That means he missed his third consecutive game, including the regular season finale against Arizona State Saturday at the Rose Bowl.
The good news is, well, there isn't really any good news thanks to his knuckleheaded move a few weeks ago. Foster's college career ends because he drove someone else's leased SUV for nearly a month -- an NCAA extra-benefits violation. Poof went his Heisman chances and along with it, UCLA's season.
Given his numbers during his stay at UCLA (third on the school's all-time rushing list, second in career touchdowns) and his size and speed, Foster won't have to wait long to hear his name called in the 2002 NFL Draft. And while he isn't allowed to play in a bowl -- should the Bruins make one -- he can accept invitations to play in postseason all-star games.
Hmmm. Seat at New York's Marriott Marquis for the Heisman ceremony, or seat on the bench at the Blue-Gray Classic?
5. And Speaking of the Heisman. . .
Don't count on Florida's Spurrier, who won the trophy in 1966, to spend too much time filling out his Heisman ballot.
"I always vote for one or two Florida players," Spurrier said. "I told somebody the other day that asked who I was voting for, I told them it was a secret ballot, but I usually vote for one or two of my guys. I am a little partial, I guess. It is all a big popularity contest anyway."
OK, so that means quarterback Rex Grossman on one line, wide receiver Jabar Gaffney on another. . .
4. Miami Hurricanes: Sportsmen? Despite what the folks at Washington think, the Hurricanes really do have a heart.
The same team that was accused by some Huskies officials last week of running up the score (UM won, 65-7; and no, it didn't run it up), actually took time in its postgame celebration Saturday at Blacksburg to applaud Tech.
"One of our last ovations in our dressing room was when a player said, 'Hey, let's give Virginia Tech a hand,' and our players gave a standing ovation to Virginia Tech, as well they should," said Miami's Coker.
Speaking of sportsmen. . .
Classy move by Va. Tech athletic director Jim Weaver, who swished his way through the Gatorade, stuck his head into the Miami defensive and offensive locker rooms (they were in two different rooms), and personally congratulated the Hurricanes and wished them the best in the Rose Bowl.
3. Heisman Trophy Race
Bring a coat and tie to the Heisman Awards Ceremony: Nebraska's Eric Crouch, Florida's Rex Grossman, Fresno State's David Carr.
Moving up: Illinois' Kurt Kittner, Indiana's Antwaan Randle El, BYU's Luke Staley.
Staying same: Nobody.
Slipping: Miami's Ken Dorsey, Oregon's Joey Harrington.
Thanks for stopping by the booth: Texas's Chris Simms.
2. Whatever Happened To. . .
Pat Hill's promise of an 11-2 finish for Fresno State?
Well, he did it. Since losing at Hawaii -- prompting Hill's angry postgame vow that the Bulldogs wouldn't lose another game -- Fresno has beaten Rice, SMU, Nevada, San Jose State and finished its regular season with Saturday victory against Utah State.
One Hack's Weekly Elite
Honorary No. 1: Navy Midshipmen, Army Cadets.
1. Miami: Unbeaten Hurricanes need vase shipment for rose collection.
2. Tennessee: Must avoid post-Gator-win letdown in game against LSU.
3. Colorado: We don't care what stinkin' BCS says. Buffs our No. 3.
4. Oregon: Even with Civil War win, Ducks squeezed out of Rose Bowl.
5. Maryland: Ralph Friedgen preparing for BCS bowl and speaking gigs.
6. Illinois: Ron Turner loves Illini, but will NFL come calling this year?
7. Nebraska: Huskers are huge LSU fans this week.
8. BYU: Have to beat Hawaii at Honolulu without star RB Luke Staley.
9. Florida: Lack of running game reason for Gators' two losses.
10. Texas: Tex Exes want to know why Mack Brown can't win biggies.
Waiting list: Fresno State, Washington State, Stanford, Syracuse, Oklahoma.
Gene Wojciechowski is a senior writer for ESPN The Magazine. Movers and Shakers appears each Sunday during the college football season. E-mail him at gene.wojciechowski@espnmag.com.
All right, people, we're going to turn this Florida State-Florida car around right now if you kids don't start behaving.
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"I think [Spurrier] is a very good football coach and he has an outstanding team this year," said Hart in a news conference. "But it would probably be good if somebody just spanked him, put him to bed and hoped that he wakes up all grown up."
What? Spankings. . . beds. The whole thing sounded like a personals ad for Pleasure Palace.
Spurrier responded by happily quoting a Chinese warlord from centuries ago and, well, the whole controversy has become much more interesting than Florida's Nov. 17 rout of the Seminoles. Now if we could just remember what the controversy is.
Oh, yeah, cheap shots. FSU defensive lineman Darnell Dockett started this thing by (Florida's version:) purposely twisting and injuring the knee of Gator running back Earnest Graham, then later trying to do a standing broad jump on UF quarterback Rex Grossman's hand. Or (Florida State's version:), Graham's injury wasn't Dockett's fault and, though it appears otherwise, he really wasn't aiming his cleats at Grossman's digits.
In short, a he-said/Steve-said thing.
No matter. Spurrier all but accused Seminoles coach Bobby Bowden and his staff of teaching "this kind of action." Both Graham's and Grossman's old man threatened lawsuits. And Al Gore extremists said it was a Republican plot to cost them Palm Beach County in 2004.
Meanwhile, the videotape of the Dockett incident was sent to the respective conference offices, where ACC commissioner John Swofford, as well as the league's supervisor of officials, said there was no conclusive proof that Dockett purposely injured Graham's knee. Ditto for the SEC, which could have done exactly what to Dockett and FSU had it disagreed with the ACC's decision? Hart claimed due diligence and that should have been that.
But in an effort to stick up for his guy -- much like Spurrier had stuck up for Graham and Grossman -- Hart invoked the spanking and adult phrase and there went any remaining civility in the FSU-UF rivalry. About the only person acting as if he's 21 and over is Florida athletic director Jeremy Foley. Then again, all the really good insults have been slung.
19. A Soapbox Moment -- Part II
This latest spat between the Gators and Seminoles should do wonders for a rivalry that was just beginning to simmer down. In fact, let's go ahead and sell the rights to next season's game at Tallahassee to the WWF.
According to those who have worked with Hart, he is razor-wire sharp, intense and image conscious. He is a master fund-raiser and an administrative smart guy. But what did Hart actually accomplish by trading cat-fight slaps with Spurrier?
Sure, he stood by Bowden. But unless the tapes had shown otherwise, Bowden didn't need anyone to come to his rescue. About the only thing he needs is a public apology from Spurrier now that, count 'em, two conference offices have issued their third-party opinions. Will it happen? Nah.
Three years remain on the FSU-UF contract. The conspiracy theorists say this is Spurrier's way of sabotaging any sort of extension, that he always thought it unfair that the Gators had to end their regular season with Florida State and then turn around and prepare for their almost-annual trip to the SEC Championship. To make matters worse, the Gators pick up Miami in a home-away series for 2002 and 2003.
Hmmm. Spurrier might not be thrilled about the schedule, but since when does he have a history of ducking opponents. After all, this is the same guy who wants a 16-team playoff system. You don't win one of those things unless you're willing to play the best.
The bottom line to all of this is Graham got hurt, Grossman could have gotten hurt. . . and then it became a Men Behaving Badly episode. There's a lesson to be learned here and it doesn't have anything to do with Sun Tzu.
18. And the Winner Is. . .
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It was such a no-brainer vote that one media member simply wrote, "Fridge" on his ballot. The ACC knew who he meant. Everyone does now.
17. S Stands for Screwed
Stanford and Syracuse are getting the short end of the bowl stick this season, thanks to the usual assortment of questionable rules and contract stipulations that defy common sense.
The Cardinal finished the season 9-2, beat Boston College, USC, Oregon, UCLA and Notre Dame, is ranked higher in the BCS standings than 8-3 Washington and 9-2 Washington State and. . . gets nothing better than the inaugural Seattle Bowl to face (7-5) Georgia Tech? Whooey! Where do we get a ticket for that one?
Then there's Syracuse, which has been sent to the Dec. 29 Insight.com Bowl, rather than the more prestigious Jan. 1 Gator Bowl. Never mind that the Orangemen are 9-3 overall and 6-1 in the Big East, good enough for sole possession of second place in the league. The fellas wearing the polyester suit coats need to put paying fannies in the seats, which is why Virginia Tech, not Syracuse, was selected as the Gator entry.
But Syracuse beat Va. Tech in Blacksburg, you say. Yes, they did. And guess what, bowl reps have selective memories, contract language and turnstile counts. The Big East sends its "second team" to the Gator, not its "second-place team" -- clever, eh? So it's, "Hello, Arizona," for Syracuse, and, "Hello, again, New Year's Day," for the Hokies -- all because Va. Tech fans swarmed to Jacksonville for last year's game.
In Tech's defense, the Hokies nearly beat No. 1 Miami Saturday, as opposed to the 59-0 Dave Hart-like spanking Syracuse got from the Hurricanes. Then again, the Gator Bowl invited Tech before Miami squeaked out the win against the Hokies.
This isn't the first time a program has been done in by ticket sales and wink-wink agreements. It used to happen all the time (remember those October handshake deals?) in the old system of selecting teams. It happens in the BCS Era, too.
16. "Can I have change for a 10? All ones, please."
Needless to say, Colorado linebacker Drew Wahlroos wasn't researching a paper for an anatomy class when he patronized a Boulder-area strip club after CU's win against Nebraska. Good decision, too, since hardly anybody would recognize a 263-pound guy who caused a fumble in the biggest Colorado victory in years.
Anyway, not only did the CU linebacker visit the club, but he got his nose broken by a sucker punch/kick from a Nebraska fan.
"It was nothing, really," Wahlroos later said. "I was at the wrong place at the wrong time."
Do you think?
No word on how Wahlroos celebrated CU's Big 12 Championship win against Texas. Let's hope he wasn't back in Boulder where police had to use percussion grenades to break up the partying fans.
15. A Worthy Starter
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Fresno State's David Carr won the Unitas, which is fair enough. Carr has had a remarkable season. Not so fair was that two other Big Ten quarterbacks -- Illinois Kurt Kittner and Northwestern's Zak Kustok -- made the finalists list before Randle El did.
Kittner we'll buy: Illinois is 10-1, headed to a BCS bowl and going there partly because of Kittner's efforts. But Kustok over Randle El? Nothing against Kustok, easily the Wildcats' team MVP, but Randle El deserved the edge there.
However, in something of a surprise, Randle El was named the first-team QB on the recently announced Football Writers Association of America All-America team. Randle El certainly deserved serious consideration, but who thought he'd get the spot instead of Nebraska's Eric Crouch, Florida's Rex Grossman, Oregon's Joey Harrington, Miami's Ken Dorsey, or even Carr or Kittner?
The FWAA is a little quirky that way. The membership votes, but then a nine-member committee takes it from there -- sort of Star Chamber for college football. Lobbying and debate takes place and, voila, Randle El is the No. 1 quarterback. Would he have been our first choice? Probably not, but given his absence from too many postseason award short lists. . . and his remarkable career and impressive senior year, Randle El will do the FWAA proud.
14. Players of the Week
Miami's Todd Sievers.
The Hurricanes' junior place-kicker had field goals of 34, 43, 42, and 39, as well as two extra points, in Miami's much-too-close win at Virginia Tech. As it turned out, the 'Canes needed every one of them.
Runnerups:
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His 226 yards and 2 touchdowns against Florida are why Tennessee is one game away from likely playing in the national championship.
Taylor had exactly 36 yards at halftime, but finished with 188 yards and two touchdowns as Toledo defeated Marshall for the MAC championship.
Honorable Mention:
Fresno State's David Carr (mucho yards and TDs vs. Utah State and is just the sixth QB to ever pass for 4,000 yards and 40 TDs in a season), Clemson's Woodrow Dantzler (who finishes with 2,360 yards passing and 1,004 yards rushing to become the first in NCAA history to reach the 2,000/1,000 mark), Michigan State's T.J. Duckett (steamroller in green vs. Mizzou); BYU's Luke Staley (149 yards at Mississippi State, but breaks left leg late in the game. Say what you will about BYU's schedule, but you can't question Staley's talent and season. Get well, soon.).
13. Coach of the Week
Miami's Larry Coker.
His record is as perfect as a rose.
Coker got his first Gatorade bath and didn't mind at all. "At my age, I can't dive, so I got it all," he said. "So I didn't change the shirt. I liked it. I certainly liked it."
You should have seen the tile hallway outside the defense's locker room. Any more Gatorade on the floor and you would have needed a pontoon boat. No problem: Coker will pay for the cleanup.
"As a little guy growing up, well (he sighed), it's the Rose Bowl, what can you say. It's the Rose Bowl. And an opportunity to play for the national championship. It doesn't get any better than this."
Runnerups:
Amstutz, in his first year as a head coach, kept his team from freaking out after Marshall jumped to a 23-0 first quarter lead. Then Toledo began the second half with four consecutive scores and won, 41-36.
DeBerry suspends 12 of his players (curfew violations) for the Zoomies' season finale at home against Utah. And he wins, 38-37.
He beats heavily favored Florida at The Swamp for the first time since 1971 (when he was a UT offensive lineman). He wins the SEC East, advances to the SEC Championship, is presumably one game away from Pasadena. . . and you never hear a peep about this guy for Coach of the Year consideration.
Now you do.
12. You've Got Mail
South Florida's sports information department is working the Internet these days, e-mailing itself silly as it tries to hype the results of its first-ever Division I-A season.
Guess what? It worked.
Proving once again why the state of Florida is America's bread basket of football talent, USF finished 8-3 and beat bowl-bound Pittsburgh and North Texas. The Bulls also cherry picked wins against I-A lightweights UConn, Houston and Utah State.
Still, it was a noteworthy season, made more impressive by the fact USF is technically bowl eligible its first time out of the I-A gate. The Bulls are stuck as an independent (translation: good luck getting a bowl invite) until 2003, when Jim Leavitt's program joins Conference USA.
11. Rumor of the Week
Take your pick. This is the hot stove portion of the season, when rumors are thrown against the wall and hardly anything sticks.
One bit of speculation that won't go away is Nick Saban's supposed departure from LSU to the Indianapolis Colts. On the surface it sounds plausible enough: Jim Mora appears to be dead-coach-walking in Indy, especially after he hung golden boy Peyton Manning out to dry in a recent postgame meltdown; Saban was the Colts' choice the last time around until the two sides couldn't agree on money; LSU is losing the likes of quarterback Rohan Davey and probably wide receiver Josh Reed, which means a retooling season next year.
But the flipside is this: Mora still might survive, though not without making some substantial changes to his staff; If money was an issue three years ago, why wouldn't it be an issue once again between Saban and the Colts?; And, yes, Saban will have some holes to fill next season, especially at QB, but he has a lot of young talent. So gut it out in 2002, but bounce back in 2003.
This isn't to say Saban wouldn't entertain the right kind of NFL offer. Everybody is looking for the same kind of deal Butch Davis received when he left the Miami Hurricanes for the Cleveland Browns.
10. Rumor of the Week -- Alabama Style
Dennis Franchione is minutes removed from watching his Alabama team beat Southern Miss in the ankle-deep muck of Legion Field, a crucial victory that enables the Crimson Tide to become bowl eligible. So, of course, one of the first things he discusses in the postgame news conference is. . . Kansas?
As if Bama doesn't have enough problems already, what with its NCAA storm cloud and mediocre six wins, now comes news that Kansas might have made discreet inquiries about the availability of the Tide's first-year coach. Kansas officials won't confirm or deny any speculation regarding their search to replace Terry Allen, but it's obvious KU athletic director Al Bohl has Franchione on his wish list.
Franchione, 49, was born in Girard, Kan., went to Pittsburg State (which is in Kansas), coached high school ball in Kansas, was an assistant coach at Kansas State, and was the other finalist for the Jayhawks job when Allen was hired. Bohl, who has a history of making smart coaching hires, supposedly has the power and the money to do something big, and pulling Franchione from Tuscaloosa certainly would qualify.
"I want you all to listen closely, because I'm going to say this one time and one time only," said a testy Franchione after the win against Southern Miss. "I don't know how this gets started, but I'm going to be at Alabama, and I don't want to hear any more about it.
"Every time the Kansas job comes up, my name comes up. I don't know why that happens. I grew up in Kansas; but I'm at the University of Alabama, and that's where I'm going to be. This is my home. I'm home now."
You can understand why KU took a back-channel run at Franchione. The guy is as Kansas as Dorothy and Toto, he's a hell of a coach, and there's that little matter of Bama's difficulties with the NCAA.
Like it or not, Franchione oversees a program that could sustain significant NCAA sanctions. Bama officials recently made their case to the NCAA's Committee on Infractions, and now must wait at least another month before penalties are imposed. The whole thing is serious enough that Franchione gets an extra year added to his deal for every year Bama gets NCAA sanctions.
Now then, did they really think Franchione would make that kind of move after just year at Bama? Doubtful. But if nothing else, Bohl got people talking about the Jayhawks job for a few minutes. Given the state of KU football, that's no small feat.
9. Obligatory Notre Dame Note
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Now that Bob Davie has been dismissed, will he follow in the footsteps of several of his predecessors and speak at the football team banquet scheduled for this Friday evening? Gerry Faust did. So did Lou Holtz. In fact, that was basically the last anyone at Notre Dame saw of Holtz. Davie remembers -- as defensive coordinator and Holtz's successor, he was there that night.
Banquet aside, the decision to fire and hire essentially rests with athletic director Kevin White. A three-man committee of sorts oversaw the hiring of Davie back in 1996, but this time things will be different.
For starters, White will surely look at more than three candidates, as was the case in 1996. Back then, Notre Dame interviewed just Dave Wannstedt, Gary Barnett and Davie. And White didn't take the Notre Dame job so he could have someone looking over his shoulder all the time. He pulled the trigger on the Matt Doherty basketball hire (Doherty bolted for North Carolina after only one year). Figure White to have similar power to push for his football choice -- with final approval needed from Notre Dame president Rev. Edward Malloy.
8. Quote of the Week
"No, never."
-- Bob Davie, when asked if he would resign as Notre Dame's coach.
7. Stat of the Week
If this was indeed Davie's last game at Notre Dame, he leaves with a 35-25 career record and an assortment of other ugly numbers: 0-3 in bowl games, two losing seasons in five, 1-7 against Michigan State and Michigan, 6-15 against ranked opponents.
But Davie's chances were especially hurt this season by key injuries and perhaps even by his preseason comment: "When you look at our football team, I certainly think we have enough talent to win every Saturday." It also hasn't helped that Notre Dame has started five different quarterbacks (Jarious Jackson, Arnaz Battle, Gary Godsey, Matt LoVecchio and Carlyle Holiday) in a 16-game span.
6. What Could Have Been
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The good news is, well, there isn't really any good news thanks to his knuckleheaded move a few weeks ago. Foster's college career ends because he drove someone else's leased SUV for nearly a month -- an NCAA extra-benefits violation. Poof went his Heisman chances and along with it, UCLA's season.
Given his numbers during his stay at UCLA (third on the school's all-time rushing list, second in career touchdowns) and his size and speed, Foster won't have to wait long to hear his name called in the 2002 NFL Draft. And while he isn't allowed to play in a bowl -- should the Bruins make one -- he can accept invitations to play in postseason all-star games.
Hmmm. Seat at New York's Marriott Marquis for the Heisman ceremony, or seat on the bench at the Blue-Gray Classic?
5. And Speaking of the Heisman. . .
Don't count on Florida's Spurrier, who won the trophy in 1966, to spend too much time filling out his Heisman ballot.
"I always vote for one or two Florida players," Spurrier said. "I told somebody the other day that asked who I was voting for, I told them it was a secret ballot, but I usually vote for one or two of my guys. I am a little partial, I guess. It is all a big popularity contest anyway."
OK, so that means quarterback Rex Grossman on one line, wide receiver Jabar Gaffney on another. . .
4. Miami Hurricanes: Sportsmen? Despite what the folks at Washington think, the Hurricanes really do have a heart.
The same team that was accused by some Huskies officials last week of running up the score (UM won, 65-7; and no, it didn't run it up), actually took time in its postgame celebration Saturday at Blacksburg to applaud Tech.
"One of our last ovations in our dressing room was when a player said, 'Hey, let's give Virginia Tech a hand,' and our players gave a standing ovation to Virginia Tech, as well they should," said Miami's Coker.
Speaking of sportsmen. . .
Classy move by Va. Tech athletic director Jim Weaver, who swished his way through the Gatorade, stuck his head into the Miami defensive and offensive locker rooms (they were in two different rooms), and personally congratulated the Hurricanes and wished them the best in the Rose Bowl.
3. Heisman Trophy Race
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Moving up: Illinois' Kurt Kittner, Indiana's Antwaan Randle El, BYU's Luke Staley.
Staying same: Nobody.
Slipping: Miami's Ken Dorsey, Oregon's Joey Harrington.
Thanks for stopping by the booth: Texas's Chris Simms.
2. Whatever Happened To. . .
Pat Hill's promise of an 11-2 finish for Fresno State?
Well, he did it. Since losing at Hawaii -- prompting Hill's angry postgame vow that the Bulldogs wouldn't lose another game -- Fresno has beaten Rice, SMU, Nevada, San Jose State and finished its regular season with Saturday victory against Utah State.
One Hack's Weekly Elite
Honorary No. 1: Navy Midshipmen, Army Cadets.
1. Miami: Unbeaten Hurricanes need vase shipment for rose collection.
2. Tennessee: Must avoid post-Gator-win letdown in game against LSU.
3. Colorado: We don't care what stinkin' BCS says. Buffs our No. 3.
4. Oregon: Even with Civil War win, Ducks squeezed out of Rose Bowl.
5. Maryland: Ralph Friedgen preparing for BCS bowl and speaking gigs.
6. Illinois: Ron Turner loves Illini, but will NFL come calling this year?
7. Nebraska: Huskers are huge LSU fans this week.
8. BYU: Have to beat Hawaii at Honolulu without star RB Luke Staley.
9. Florida: Lack of running game reason for Gators' two losses.
10. Texas: Tex Exes want to know why Mack Brown can't win biggies.
Waiting list: Fresno State, Washington State, Stanford, Syracuse, Oklahoma.
Gene Wojciechowski is a senior writer for ESPN The Magazine. Movers and Shakers appears each Sunday during the college football season. E-mail him at gene.wojciechowski@espnmag.com.
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