View From Bennett Avenue

Not one of the big three college football powers from the state of Florida is ranked in the AP top 25 for the first time since 1982. That is stunning, but not surprising for various reasons.
The obvious one is that the many talented players in the Sunshine State get recruited by all of the major powers. Miami, Florida and Florida State rode the surge in talented Florida high school players that began after the post-war state population growth to great heights beginning in the late 1970s. But all three of those powers won with experienced coaches who knew how to exploit all of that talent in men like Bobby Bowden, Steve Spurrier, Jimmy Johnson and Dennis
Erickson. Even coaches like Butch Davis and Howard Schnellenberger, who had limited or no head coaching experience, arrived at Coral Gables with extensive NFL experience.
But now, with the competition for in-state talent fiercer than ever, those three programs entrusted these difficult, yet plum, jobs to men without head coaching experience in the since-fired Randy Shannon, Jimbo Fisher and Will Muschamp. Why?
Don't get me wrong. Every great head coach was once just a coordinator somewhere. And yes there are some coaches, like Bob Stoops, who can do extemely well with their first crack at a head job. But the odds are against them. The overwhelming number of national championship coaches in the modern era have come from coaches who were head men elsewhere. The last nine national title coaches were men who had been head coaches at other schools before their title-winning position. The job has become so difficult that to expect guys without head experience to succeed at high-profile jobs is silly.
Making matters worse is the individuals hired for these jobs. The first was Shannon, who had done an excellent job as the Miami defensive coordinator and was a respected former Hurricane player. The problem with Shannon's hire was that the university expected him to win every game and clean up the program (in terms of player arrests and getting kids to class, not as we know now with player purchasing). So Shannon no longer took every troubled kid from the area and was tough on his players in terms of behavior. With the wall enclosing South Florida high schools now breached, Miami could not overcome a host of problems and slipped accordingly.
Florida State, meanwhile, jumped on LSU QB guru Jimbo Fisher as their coach-in-waiting while Bobby Bowden's career wound down. Replacing a legend like Bowden would have been tough for any coach but to expect a guy whose claim to fame was good quarterback meetings with Matt Mauck and JaMarcus Russell always seemed like a stretch to me. He could recruit but so can 50 other guys.
Florida was in a weird position due to Urban Meyer's mind changing over his future. But again, all the school had to do was look at its record with recent hires. Steve Spurrier and Urban Meyer both won at second tier schools before winning titles with the Gators. Ron Zook was a former coordinator who could recruit. Sound familiar? Zook was fired after three seasons. So now they hire Muschamp, who seemed to have gotten the job because he is exciteable.
What is particularly stunning is that not one of these programs can even claim to have a better future. Miami will soon be put on probation. By the time Florida figures out a QB, offensive stars Chris Rainey and Jeff Demps will be playing in the pros and FSU will need a new QB next year too. It was telling that after FSU lost to Wake Forest yesterday, three of its higest-rated recruits for next year de-committed. The best Florida kids can go anywhere--why should they play for rebullding squads?

Sunshine State Hires

Now let me get this straight. Florida once went to a second-tier school to hire an ambitious, offensive-minded head coach (Steve Spurrier) and hit a home run. After a great run he moved on and the school hired an excitable defensive guy without head coaching experience (Ron Zook). That did not go so well. After he was fired the school then pounced on another ambitious offensive-minded head coach from a second-tier school (Urban Meyer) and hit another home run. He then retired. So, now needing to hire a new head coach, Florida again hired an excitable D guy without head coaching experience (Will Muschamp). Good luck.

As for Miami, I am a big Al Golden (pictured) fan and like the hire. He will recruit brilliantly and get the Canes D back to its past high level. For his sake I hope he recovers some of the recruiting losses Miami has suffered since firing coach Randy Shannon. It will be good to see the rivalry develop between the big 3 Florida schools and their new coaches.

Urban Meyer

What's to say? Once again he is not only stepping down as Florida coach but is talking about priorities and need to be with family. But why paint himself into that corner? And then when he takes the Denver Broncos job we will all come down on him again. And of the big three college football programs in Florida, Jumbo Fisher is now the coach with the longest tenure--1 year.
Hopefully for Meyer's family's sake he will spend more time with them. And hopefully for Mississippi State they will not have to look for a new coach this winter. It is my prediction that they will. I also feel that this will make Miami hasten their search so that the new guy can poach some Gator recruits. All's fair in love and coaching.

Remember When

The Tennessee Vols are down at the moment so I thought it best we remind their faithful of the good ol' days. As covered in The USA TODAY College Football Encyclopedia:

TENNESSEE 20 Florida 17 (OT): Volunteers (2-0) delivered much-anticipated win over Florida (2-1), their 1st in last 6 years. Gators outgained Tennessee 213y to 99y in 10-10 1st H, but lost 3 FUMs, all induced by Vols LB Al Wilson. TB Terry Jackson was headed into EZ on Florida's 1st possession when he lost FUM. Tennessee FB Shawn Bryson raced 57y to score in 1st Q. In 3rd Q, Vols WR Peerless Price made leaping TD catch for 17-10 lead. Gators tied it late in 3rd Q on QB Jesse Palmer's 70y TD pass to WR Travis McGriff (9/176y). In OT, K Jeff Hall's 41y FG gave Vols 20-17 edge. Florida, which lost 13y rushing all night, countered with 1st down at 15YL, but 3 misses by alternating QBs left K Collins Cooper with 32y FG try, which he hooked.

Tennessee would go on to win the national championship that season, earning a visit to the White House.

Florida at crossroads

This is it Gator fans. Is Urban Meyer a truly great coach? Are the Gators national title contenders? Will the latest bit of bad behavior by a Florida player damage the program?

Florida has looked pretty ordinary in the opening two weeks of the season, especially on offense where the absence of quarterback Tim Tebow seems pretty glaring as the whole unit is adapting to a different philosophy. These things take time. Meanwhile slot receiver Chris Rainey, who has been a disappointment this year after taking over the "Percy Harvin" position on the offense in the spring, has bigger fish to fry after his brutal treatment of his girlfriend this week. He has plenty of legal issues to deal with and should not be able to use his clout as a Gator to get away with the abuse and threats he showered on the poor girl. Unfortunately Meyer being Meyer he has not tossed the jerk off his team but just suspended him for an unknown amount of time.

But the fact that he has generated heat for yet another legal transgression by a Florida player under his watch (no. 30 in 5+ years) does not bode well for Tennessee this week. When Meyer has to defend himself against legitimate charges he gets angry. When Meyer gets angry he takes it out on his opponents (see Cincinnati in last year's Sugar Bowl or Georgia in 2008). Meyer was already mad with the Vols after last year's 23-13 Florida win and while the main target of his ire, former coach Lane Kiffin, has moved on he will take out his frustrations on the current Tennessee squad.

And if he wants to be considered a great coach, then he has to blow out an undermanned Tennessee squad this weekend. If not, he faces the charge as being only as good as Tebow was. If not, he has to deal with the lawbreaking by his team beyond phony suspensions (see Brandon Spikes in 2009). If not, he may have to milk his health issues for more sympathy.

View From Bennett Avenue

Another Saturday, another underwhelming performance by Florida. Meanwhile Alabama, Texas, TCU and Boise continued to look great, so much so that Florida's lack of style points stand out even more. There is not much to do about it as a fan as there will be no stopping the Gators from capturing a third national title in four years if they win out, but it does allow us all to root against them. I do not remember ever rooting for the Tide--wait there was the Sugar Bowl after the 1992 season against Miami--but will do so in the SEC Championship game. I'll root for Florida State too at the end of the regular season. And then if the Gators make it to the BCS Title game, I'll root for their opponent too. Sorry, but act like a champion on and off the field and I will give you my respect.