Sunday, December 03, 2006

Gators vs. Michigan and BCS posts

Self-explanatory

32 comments:

  1. Coaches Poll Final Ballots

    Very interesting, in general coaches that coached against Michigan voted the Wolverines 2nd while the majority of the others voted us second.

    I did not see any SEC Coach dissenting opinions.

    Both Spurrier and Zook voted us 2nd.

    What is up with O'Leary?? I don't understand his ballot.

    Mack Brown was another big name coach that voted against us. Maybe because they played the Big 10?

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  2. South Carolina's Steve Spurrier, who coached the Gators to the '96 national championship, moved Florida past Michigan in the coaches' poll.

    His reasoning?

    "Heck, I'm a Gator," he said. "I went there. So I had a lot of reason to vote for them right there. It just appeared they're 12-1, the other team is 11-1, I guess that's about it."

    Illinois coach Ron Zook, who used to coach Florida, was among the voters in the coaches' poll who elevated the Gators. He was also the only Big Ten coach to vote Florida ahead of Michigan.

    "Believe me, it's no slight to Michigan at all," Zook said. "I thought you were supposed to vote the way you feel. One vote wasn't going to make the difference. A bunch of people turned and flipped and voted Florida ahead of Michigan. For me, it was the fact that they played a 13th game."

    Link

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  3. It is pretty humorous to listen to the UM people calling into ESPN radio. Their logic is severly flawed in many cases.
    One guy was citing the odds makers in Vegas as his reasoning for Michigan belonging in the NCG. I we used the odds makers then it should have been USC in the dance since they were 13 point favorites going into the UCLA game.
    I am still amazed that Mark May was lucid in his thoughts for the Gators playing. I guess there was no way for him justify a Pac10 team in the NCG.

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  4. As far as the balloting, I thing O'leary did like the Gators getting some style points on his club.
    I think the biggest embarrasment in the coaches poll is the missing Pete Carrol ballot. Can any coach be a bigger baby?
    They interviewed Lloyd Carr today and he was a little disappointed in Tressel. His also explained his "slick" remark about Tressel stating that he felt the no-vote was a vote against UM.

    You want to be the man, you gotta beat the man.....Woooooooooo.
    Go Gators.

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  5. Urban Meyer doesn't vote in the Coaches Poll either though.

    Regarding the Michigan fans... I can objectively say if that was us then I would not be complaining too much. The stats comparison that Danielson put up in the SECCG was factually compelling.

    And of course Michigan just lost to Ohio State. How can you lose your way into the MNC game??

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  6. Rich, I fail to understand you on two accounts:

    1) Missing Pete Caroll ballot? I didn't know he was a voter.

    2) UCF liking our style points? Then why did they rank us behind Michigan?

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  7. Gary Danielson Interview regarding his campaigning for Florida during Saturday's SEC Championship Game.

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  8. If you haven't read that Danielson article... it is a MUST read. Read it.

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  9. Listening to The Sports Fix radio talk show with Chris Doering. They just had Zook on and asked him about voting for us 2nd. He said he called it like he saw it on the field. Also said he was taking a LOT of heat for that vote from Big 10 folks (alluding to some coaches).

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  10. In my opinion Zook only voted for us cuz there are players on the team that he recruited and coached.

    Maybe he would have voted for us anyway, but prob. not with us giving him the boot mid-season.

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  11. It was discussed on ESPN radio that Pete Carrol gets a vote, but he chose to not submit a ballot this week. Also, from what I understand, Urban will be a voter next year.

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  12. I think it was Jim Tressel that did not submit a ballot this week.

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  13. Listening to Zook he seemed very pro-Gator and pro-SEC. I think that his recruits were certainly a factor, but I think he honestly called it as he saw it on the field. Having coached in the SEC he knows how hard it is to win it.

    He did say that the Big 10 has as much speed at the talent positions as the SEC, but that maybe the SEC has more speed in the "bigs" (linemen).

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  14. Yes, I know that Tressel abstained, but the radio also mentioned that Carrol had a vote and did not cast it.

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  15. The radio was wrong:

    Scroll to the bottom

    But you are still right, he is indeed a big baby!

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  16. Either the radio made a huge error your ears heard something besides what they said. Regardlss...

    Tressel not voting was front page news. The same would have applied for Carrol.

    Also Rich, you have never answered my question about not understanding your UCF statement saying the coach liked our style points which doesn't show correct with him voting us behind Michigan.

    Rich, you are on the hot seat!!!

    :)

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  17. Also Rich, you have never answered my question about not understanding your UCF statement

    I think Rich was saying that O'Leary was still stinging from the 42 point shutout we laid on them.

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  18. Audio of the Danielson interview and a Herbstreit interview in response: Link

    Click on the "play" button under each respective interview to listen.

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  19. Herbstreit is a metrosexual and said Miami would be in the national championship. 0 credibility.

    Also, those Dallas radio guys praised Gary Danielson and then blasts him while interviewing K.H.

    Playing to the interviewee.

    Gay.

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  20. Chris Fowler's comments regarding ABC/ESPN in SEPTEMBER completely discredit K.H.'s comments about not being asked to lobby for the Big 10. Maybe not directly, but ESPN/ABC - most certainly.

    Jamie/Spinosa, this link is now an insider article. Please cut and paste text so I can read it again.

    Thanks.

    Fowler rips ESPN/ABC

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  21. I sent this in to the Detroit-based radio station that had the interviews with Danielson/Herbstreit.

    ___

    ESPN's Chris Fowler's SEPTEMBER article lost in the shuffle.

    In your interview with Kirk Herbstreit yesterday, he said that he had never been asked to lobby for any team by his network(s). Chris Fowler's article voicing his displeasure in SEPTEMBER with ESPN/ABC choosing to highlight games on their network must be noted. Maybe Herbstreit doesn't directly lobby, but Fowler points out that the network sure does. I would like to hear what Herbstreit has to say about the most objective member of that trifecta's early-season comments.

    (Sorry for the garbled link. It's now an ESPN Insider article.)

    http://insider.espn.go.com/ncf/insider/columns/story?columnist=fowler_chris&id=2588686&skipPrestitial=true&action=login&appRedirect=http%3a%2f%2finsider.espn.go.com%2fncf%2finsider%2fcolumns%2fstory%3fcolumnist%3dfowler_chris%26id%3d2588686%26skipPrestitial%3dtrue

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  22. Article regarding Zook & Meyer congratulating one another.

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  23. I had to chuckle a bit realizing that we had these two teams to thank for where we are going:

    1) Rutgers
    2) UCLA

    Regardless - CHEERS!!!

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  24. ESPN poll:

    If Florida beats OSU and Michigan beats USC who should be ranked #1?

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  25. Interesting. I did not know that the Big 10 did not fill all of their bowl slots. Ha.

    UF Was Right Choice

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  26. Thanks to USC -- END OF THREAD!

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  27. I guess loyd carr didn't read my last post here.

    "As long as you have a president, like they have at Florida, who goes out and campaigns publicly through the media for his school to get in there, rather than allowing the system to work, I think there's going to be a lot of discontent," Carr said of Florida's Bernie Machen, ironically a former U-M provost. "Thank goodness we've got a president at Michigan (Mary Sue Coleman) who is concerned about keeping Michigan as the No. 1 public university in the country."

    Carr also said he thinks the Harris poll should be removed and has heard the calls questioning the coaches' voting as well.

    "The system will continue to be adjusted as we go," he said. "There's a lot of discussion, but that's our (sport's) history."

    Link

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  28. Herbstreit Story From a Gator Fan

    Well on Sunday I got into the BCS party in Scottsdale with 8 of my friends. Howie Long, Jimmy Johnson, Eddie George, Shane Matthews, AJ Hawk, Brady Quinn’s sister and even more celebs were there. All of a sudden I get a text from one of my friends that they saw Herbstreit and Fowler at a different part of the party (the party was actually about 4 different areas). My friends and I headed over there. After some coaxing from friends, I went to talk to him. Here is how the conversation started.

    Me “Hi I just want to introduce myself. My name is _ and I just want to tell you that I am a huge passionate Gator fan, and I was so angry with you about the way you treated the Gators, that I named my fantasy football team FIRE HOMERSTREIT”
    Herb “What”
    Me “FIRE HOMERSTREIT”
    Herb “I don’t get it”
    Me “Fire YOU because YOU are a HOMER!”
    At this point in time he is rattled and almost bowing up. My friend who walked over with me (the other six are watching from afar at this point) chimes in with
    “well because you dissed the gators all year”
    Herb “That’s because you guys suck!” He says this with a little enthusiasm.
    Me “I just want to know how you could possible say Michigan belonged before us, and blatantly leave us out of the discussion”

    He then brings up the points we have all heard before-I just think Michigan is a better team and all that junk. He did admit after I argued for us that our body of work made us more deserving. I then argued that he was completely wrong promoting something that was subjective(Michigan better) rather than something that actually happened(our season). At this point Fowler is ordering shots (U could tell this was not the first round) and Herb turned away to do a shot with his 6-8 buddies. I assume the conversation is over, but before he does the shot, he grabs my shirt (nicely) and says “don’t go anywhere. I’m not done with you.”

    After the shot he stood and talked to the whole group of us for 30-45 minutes. Here is a list of some things he said:
    -The sec is the best conference hands down.
    -He loves Urban, and Urban gave him a big hug when they saw each other after the announcement.
    -Everyone hates him, including Ohio State fans who think he is not homer enough.
    -He told us the story of how he got the job.
    -He said we would play with a ton of emotion, but number 10 would be the difference. I corrected him and told him 12 would be the difference, and no turnovers by 12 and we blow OSU out.
    -He said he loves Chris Leak and hoped he played well on Monday.

    After all the conversation, I shook his hand and said “I just want to thank you. You did not have to stay here and talk to us like you did. It tells me a lot about you. I can tell now that you just have a great passion for the game and just speak passionately about everything. I take back some of the things I said – I still think you are wrong, but I can tell there really was no agenda. Just thanks again, this was great.”

    He really was a great guy, and I have a different perspective on him. I just think he gets paid to speak his mind, and his opinions are wrong. So the conversation ends and Herb shakes my hand and says
    “Good luck tomorrow – obviously I will be rooting for OSU”
    I grab his hand tighly, pull him closer and say “We don’t need luck, we are gonna kick you’re a$$ tomorrow night!”
    Herb got a huge smile on his face goes F$$$$$$ A right on and gives me a huge high 5.

    I then turn to one of his OSU buddies, who had been part of the conversation – a real nice guy as well and said “Us Gator fans are worried about one thing. We paid a lot of money to get out here, and would like it to be a close game. We are kind of concerned we are going to be bored in the forth quarter because we will be blowing you out so bad, so could you try to keep it close”
    He had the same reaction as all the OSU fans had when we said this throughout the weekend. Looked at us like - How cute they actually think they can win.

    A few hours later, we were leaving the party and a buddy was at the bar getting a drink. Both Herb and Fowler were still bellied up(I must admit I was pretty impressed with their skills) and said Herbstreit told Fowler as we passed "Hey those are the Gators that were ripping on me."
    I must say my friends and I are still laughing thinking about what was going thru their minds about our conversation after the game.
    Hope U enjoyed the story. Believe me there are more.

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