Johnny Manziel Gets Headlines; The Monster, Jeremy Hill, Plays On

Texas A&M quarterback Johnny Manziel has grabbed headlines for every step he has taken since winning the Heisman trophy eight months ago. From going to the NBA Finals, to becoming friends with the Drake, LeBron James, from being excused from the Manning Passing camp, to attending a fraternity party in Austin at the Aggies rival Texas, Manziel has had his fair share of air time over what seems like the longest college football offseason ever.

While none of these activities were against any NCAA rules, the most recent allegations to come against the redshirt sophomore have him in a real heap of — just for the agricultural school — cow patties.

Johnny Manziel

ESPN is reporting that Johnny Football took a $7,500 exchange for some autographed pictures. If this is true it does not bode well for A&M's title hopes, and due to the NCAA's amateurism rules, you have most likely seen Manziel play his last down of college football if the reports are true.

This story, because of the high-profiles involved — a team on the verge of a run at at a national championship and the current Heisman winner — is easy to sell to the masses, get ratings and viewership, but 366 miles away someone else was given another chance to play this season, after a crime, not some comparatively tenuous NCAA violation.

The news came in a blip across the bottom of your television screen, via a few tweets in your timeline, or perhaps you missed it. LSU's Jeremy Hill was reinstated for the season.

For the second time in his 22-year existence, the sophomore running back was arrested. The first coming in high school where Hill and a buddy committed despicable acts to a girl four years his junior.

Afterwards, LSU head coach Les Miles rewarded the four-star recruit with a scholarship.

This time the 6-foot-2, 235-pound monster attacked a defenseless man outside of a Baton Rouge bar as you can see in the video here. As wild as it may seem, his defense attorney — an LSU alum — convinced the judge — also an LSU alum — that Hill, who pleaded guilty to the charges, deserved probation, not time in prison.

Being what the Louisiana court system is, Hill found his way out of a prison sentence. Instead, he was sentenced to two years probation (of course traveling for LSU away games and playing in night games does not break probation), 50 hours of community service, pay $375 for the victims medical bills and write a letter of apology.

Les Miles

This time Miles awarded Hill with a welcome back to the football team.

Hill's football career, which made him a star in the state of Louisiana, will remain as it was. He was allowed back on the football team he rushed 755 yards and 12 touchdowns for. Why?  Most of all because he will help win football games.

Miles told the press on Monday if it was up to him, Hill would not be allowed but on the team, but Miles allowed the team to vote on it. And big surprise here, Hill's 18-22 year-old buddies let him come back on the team.

Johnny Football wanted some extra cash. For what, who knows? Was it worth the consequences that may arise from his actions? No, but if his allegations are true, Johnny Football's college career will presumably be over. I can't say how, as a 20-year-old, I would handle the limelight. I can't definitively say I would not fall into the same traps. I've never been offered more than about $10 bucks an hour for any skill I possess.

However, I do know what Hill did to a defenseless man outside a Baton Rouge bar in early July is deplorable. I do know that Miles dropped a couple of notches on my scale, a scale he was already low on for the way he has handled situations like this in the past.

Based on his previous handlings of simple battery situations, I should have known better. I should have known that winning football games and keeping the LSU fanbase — including the alums in a defunct court system — is more paramount than developing character, and that the Johnny Football drama is more signigicant to the media than allowing a monster back on campus where other potential victims may be living their lives.

The Weekend That Was: More SEC Domination in BCS, Heisman Favorites, Samford Homecoming

The season's first BCS rankings came out on Sunday, sending some of those outside of the South into a firestorm. The SEC has the top two teams, Alabama and Florida, and six of the top 12 (Alabama, Florida, LSU, South Carolina, Georgia, and Mississippi State). Haters gonna hate.

There have been other impressive teams around the country and no doubt the bottom of the SEC is much further down than normal. There are five teams which legitimately pose a threat to dethroning the Crimson Tide from its seat as champion. It is much more likely to see a team like South Carolina or LSU (even if their offense has struggled), but it not outside the realm of possibility to see a team like Georgia win out and find themselves in the championship game, as the SEC champion has done for six consecutive seasons.

That said, watching Oregon's offense take on one of the SEC big-boy defenses, like I have said before, sounds like must-see television. Before you cry to me about Auburn-Oregon 2010, this is Ducks coach Chip Kelly' best team yet. Check the stats.

One-loss squads like Oklahoma, with their thrashing of Texas, and Southern Cal are also still alive. The great part is we are only halfway to anointing two teams worthy of playing for the championship, and if you think it will happen one way the system is bound to throw a kink in your thinking.

HEISMAN FAVORITES- I, like 99% of people who give you their Heisman hopefuls, do not have a vote. Regardless, here are my favorites for the award of the "Most Outstanding Player in College Football," not the country's most valuable player:

This Clowney character is one bad dude.

1) Geno Smith (West Virginia)- He had a bad game this week in their first loss, but Smith still has 25 TDs to his no interceptions and 2,271 yards through the air.

2) Jadaveon Clowney (South Carolina)- Like Smith, Clowney lost this week but still has a shot at the national championship game. With 12 tackles for loss and 6.5 sacks, he has made opponents look silly.

3) Johnny Manziel (Texas A&M)- The freshman leads the SEC in rushing (626 yards, 10 TD) and is third in passing (1,680 yards, 14 TD), and he still has prime time games on his schedule to display his talents.

4) A.J. McCarron (Alabama)- As long as he continues to not throw picks, manage the Tide to wins, and avoid getting hurt, his chances will increase.

SAMFORD ONE YARD TOO FEW- I was in Birmingham for the weekend to see my Bulldogs play the Moutaineers from Appalachian State. In typical "Samford-plays-in-a-big-game" form, the Bulldogs came up just short. This one was especially painful because it would have been the program's first win over national powerhouse, App State, but it was not meant to be.

Samford quarterback Andy Summerlin needed one
yard for the historic win.

With 2-and-1 on near midfield and less than two minutes left in the game, the Bulldogs only needed one yard in order to secure four more downs to run out the clock. Unable to get the 1 yard, Samford was forced to punt, leading to a Mountaineer drive which ended in a touchdown and win.

Though the game could have ended a little more pleasantly, it was one of the best atmospheres I have ever experienced in Birmingham. The quad was filled with tents, BBQ, and estimates of close to 10,000 people on the country's most beautiful campus.

Friends of mine who were not as fortunate to attend Samford, compared this tailgate to one at Georgia or Georgia Tech, saying it was small and not much to it. For those of us who were some of the first to set up tents on The Quad, it was a sight to see. Outsiders, think about it like this. Less than 5,000 people attend students and there were twice that number on campus on Saturday. If you take UGA's close to 50,000 students and compare it to the 100,000 or so who come to Athens for Saturdays, it puts it a little more into perspective.

LAST BUT NOT LEAST

- Tommy Tuberville loves playing top-5 teams. Throughout his career, Tuberville has found a way to ignite passion within his ball clubs to go out and beat teams ranked in the top 5. He was the mastermind behind West Virginia's beat down this weak, as his Texas Tech squad held the potent Mountaineer offense to 14 points. The win pushed his record to 6-2 as the underdog against top 5 teams.

- I have been an Derek Dooley apologist before, but there is no getting around the fact that he is now 0-20 against ranked opponents. While Mississippi State coach Dan Mullen, on the other hand, is having unprecedented success in Starkville. Both of these coaches will not be at their respective jobs too much longer but for totally different reasons

- Notre Dame escaped on Saturday. They won and you can not take that away from them but the more times you watch Stanford's Stephan Taylor give a second effort and hear no whistle the more convincing the Cardinal's case becomes.

The U.

The Weekend That Was: Where's the Defense?, UGA Wins Again, Texas & Alabama Hype, My Own Solid Weekend

Much has been made of the absurd stats from Saturday's games. The West Virginia-Baylor game is getting all of the publicity, but there were plenty of others that looked more like video games than actual competition. Here are a couple that jump off the box scores.

West Virginia's Geno "Heisman" Smith

 656 -- Yards passing by the Mountaineer's Geno Smith. It ranks fifth all-time for a single-game in Division I. Smith also finished with more touchdowns (8) than incompletions (6) on the day.

581 -- Passing yards from the Bears' Nick Florence in their losing effort to West Virginia, passing Robert Griffin III single-game mark.

557 -- Total yards accumulated by Texas A&M quarterback Johnny Manziel, breaking the old record of 540.

314 -- Receiving yards accumulated by Baylor's Terrance Williams to set the Big 12 record. Mountaineer reciever Stedman Baily had 303 yards and five touchdowns, which would have been the record if not for Williams' performance.

222 -- Rushing yards from Air Force's Cody Getz in a win over Colorado State. He becomes the first Falcon to record four 100-yard games to start the season and the first with two 200-yard games since 2007

133 --Total points recorded in the WVU-Baylor game on 1,507 yards of offense.

4 -- Games in which the teams combined for 1,000+ yards of total offense (Texas-Oklahoma State, Tennessee-Georgia, Baylor-West Virginia, and Miami (Ohio)-Akron).

If the old adage is true that defense wins championships, then many teams are much further away than they want to be from holding the crystal ball in January.

DOGS BETTER VOLS: With the win over Tennessee on Saturday, the Bulldogs were able to prove they can not only finish close games, but that their trip to South Carolina this week becomes the de facto SEC East Division Championship, a prelude to the SEC West Championship on November 3rd.

Sure the Dawgs "escaped" this weekend with the win, but the bigger question is what to make of Tennessee. There is no one part of the game which can definitively be fixed and make this a contending team. In the same light, there is no one thing making them unable to compete. It is a mixture of both and undoubtedly a perplexing situation to be in for Volunteer fans.

As close as you can get for free, close enough to hear the
opening score and get chills.

The offense scored 44 points on the road in a hostile environment. The defense gave up more points, but made critical stops when they needed to. Big plays hurt the Tennessee defense, but their big plays helped the offense. Coach Derek Dooley gave his team a chance to win, but the arm that makes their offense go in Tyler Bray threw three interceptions, not a coaching error. It is not bad enough to start over, but it is hard to justify continuing down the same path.

I had the good fortune to be in Athens on Saturday. After covering a game for The Times on Friday night, I left for the Classic City and met my sister and a few friends downtown, which is worth almost all of the positive adjectives given to it.

Gameday came and we tailgated, as any good SEC fan should do. If you have never experienced an Athens tailgate, you should. There are few places around the country that do it better than the folks in red and black. My sister and her friends made their way into the game, and since I had no interest in paying $150 to see the game, I enjoyed the pregame and first Bulldog scoring drive from a different perspective.

Being the old man I am, I was ready to get out of town and head back to Gainesville to watch the second half and beat the traffic. I was fortunate enough to see some friends to watch the game with, ready for it? With all that Athens' downtown offers, where did we meet to watch the game? 20 miles outside of Athens at a Beef O'Brady's. So when you watch that terrible bowl game this December, you can blame me for supporting the company and keeping the bowl game alive. It was a good time nonetheless.

WHAT ALABAMA COULD BE, NOT YET: I am not buying Alabama like the rest of you. I have no problem admitting the Tide is the best team in the country, but I am not oohing and ahhing like the rest of you over their dominance. Yes, they have won in convincing fashion and their defense looks outstanding, but who have they played?

Michigan's two wins are UMass and a close one at home against Air Force. Ole Miss' only opponent worth mentioning was Texas, a 66-31 loss for the Rebels. By the end of the season they could be as good as last year's team, but not yet. And for the love of the "Bear," can we stop comparing them to an NFL team?

LAST BUT NOT LEAST:

- Arkansas has given up on the season. There is no doubt about that, as it becomes more apparent  every time they take the field. Call me a homer, but take your shots now. This is an anomaly and historically bad. I am realistic and know that Arkansas, no matter how much badly I want it, is probably not going to ever be a perennial football powerhouse, but it is a better team than this. SEC teams who get an extra win because Arkansas is down, enjoy it now.

- There has been a lot written about Florida State and Notre Dame's rise back to the good ole days. What about Texas? Sure, it has only been three years since they were in the national championship, but these last few years have been horrendous on Texas standards. They seem to have figured out the offense and we know with the recruiting classes they sign the talent level is only going up.

PERSONAL NOTE: I do not normally talk about my own experiences from the weekend on these types of columns. However, since my weekend did involve being in Athens for the Tennessee-Georgia game this week I figure I will go ahead and throw this in there. It was a great time all-around. The whole weekend, not just Saturdays, which in the especially fall are usually pretty good.

For those of you around my age, and even moreso those of you in school, unfortunately eating alone is a  more common experience than not, an unfortunate part of this transient period. This weekend was the exception.

Food is an essential part of life, but the socialization of meal times can be of greater importance to me. The one meal I had alone was my Friday night pregame meal before I went and covered a high school game for the The Times, and I did not have a meal with the same group of people twice this weekend. I ate with family, new friends and old friends in places I had never been before.

From downtown Athens, to tailgating, to a Beef O'Brady's in Jefferson, to church and a Sunday School party. It was solid.

Thanks to all who had a part in making this weekend a good one. I am looking forward to some more soon: The ole Silver Anniversary of my life and Samford Homecoming are around the corner.

Bet you can't tell which two came from the same gene pool. Props to you Mama and Daddy.

The Weekend That Will Be: Week 7

Michigan at Michigan State- We will begin to see what the Wolverines and the Spartans (wearing these uni's) are made of this week in their first games against a ranked opponent of the season. This game starts a gauntlet of three games against ranked teams for MSU. The game within a game to watch in East Lansing will be Michigan quarterback against the nation's number one defense. The saying goes, "offense wins games and defense wins championships." I'm not crowning Sparty champion, but I will say they get their fourth consecutive win against Michigan for the first time in 49 years.

Baylor at Texas A&M- They only appeal for me to watch this game is to see how many yards Baylor quarterback and Heisman candidate Robert Griffin III can pile up on the fifth worst passing defense in the Bowl Subdivision. A&M's farewell tour from the Big 12 is not going how the Aggies thought it might. This team was thought to have an outside shot at the national championship and now they are struggling in their own division. Another high-scoring game here, but I am going against my gut (and my grandmother's Bears) and going with the home Aggies.

Arizona State at Oregon- You know it is a weak slate of games for a Saturday when ESPN's College Gameday crew is at a game with an 18-point favorite... Because of their struggles against LSU, people have forgotten about an explosive Oregon offense and sometimes LaMichael James, though  averaging nine yards a carry, overshadows the quarterback Darren Thomas, who has over 1,000 yards and a 15 to 1 touchdown-to-interception ratio. Autzen Stadium is another one of those places I will go to someday and watch a ballgame. The Ducks give the Sun Devils their first ever PAC-12 loss.

Florida at Auburn-  A night game at Jordan-Hare, though it pains my father to hear this, is one of the best atmospheres to see a football game, especially if they win. The stadium and crowd will be full of orange and blue. To the game, these two offenses are anything but good. Hopefully, these two offenses will just run the ball. If not, we could see two freshman quarterbacks that are not ready for the big time quite yet. Also, both teams boast stud athletes at running back; Florida with a big-play Chris Rainey and Olympic fast Jeff Demps, and Auburn with thier scat-back Onterio McCaleb and bruiser Michael Dyer. This has been one of the toughest games to pick of the season. Auburn wins at home in a close game. Sounds familiar, huh?

Other picks (winners in bold)
- I am picking the top four teams to win (LSU, Alabama, Oklahoma, Wisconsin), and I am going with the over of 120 points for the combined wins. Alabama covers 25 points at halftime.

South Carolina at Mississippi State- MSU's Chris Relf can not throw the football, and USC's Conner Shaw is from around my neck of the woods. I am admittedly pulling for him.

LSU at Tennessee- LSU defensive coordinator John Chavis is having a homecoming of sorts to his former school. The only question is how many negative rushing yards with the Tigers hold the Vols to?

Ohio State at Illinois
Oklahoma State at Texas
Kansas State at Texas Tech
Georgia at Vanderbilt

The Weekend That Wil Be: Week 5

Nebraska at Wisconsin- If I could could attend one game in the first half of the season, this is the one I would choose (I know... not an SEC game.). One day I'll get up to Camp Randall and jump around between the third and fourth quarters. I have only heard good things, where the people are kind and force you to try their cheese and slabs of meat. Throw in my Big 10 darling and it sounds like a dream weekend trip. The game is supposed to be good, but not in my eyes. Nebraska is the most overrated Top 10 team, and the environment is too much for the Huskers. "On Wisconsin" to victory.

Alabama at Florida- Two years is this was the most heated rivalry in college football, and it seems as if it is on its way back to claiming that spot with coach Will Muschamp at the helm for the Gators. If you have not done your homework, you may not know Florida has the top offense in the SEC. Bama has arguably the best defense with eight projected first and second round prospects for the NFL Draft. The Swamp will be rocking and holds close for a while before the Tide rolls away. Teacher (Nick Saban) beats (Muschamp) relatively easily in a battle of intensity.

Clemson at Virginia Tech- The real question here is if the Tigers can stay focused for the third week in a row, as they travel for their first road contest of the season. Clemson has had its program's biggest two wins in the Swinney era. The host Hokies have not played a big-time game yet this season. Blacksburg is no easy place to travel to and the under-the-radar Virginia Tech team handles a young Tiger squad.

Arkansas vs. Texas A&M- Both schools are coming off losses, have explosive offenses, are old South West Conference members, have played the role of little brother to Texas and next season both teams will play in the SEC. All these reasons are reasons to watch the Southwest Classic from the Jerry Dome in Arlington, Texas. The Aggies will and slow down the Hogs by attacking the Arkansas offensive line with an A&M defense that leads the nation in sacks. The pressure on the quarterback comes at a cost. A&M had 60 pass attempts thrown its way last week and came up with no INTs. Arkansas coach Bobby Petrino likes to throw the rock around a little bit. A&M has not beat an SEC team since 1995 either. Take the Hogs in a mild upset.

Other picks (winners in bold)
Mississippi State vs. Georgia- Battle of the Dawgs will get intense. A loss puts Georgia at two SEC losses and a hard hole to dig out of for any chance at the East title. A loss for MSU will start these Dawgs out at 0-3 and huge disappointment for the season will ensue.

Kentucky at LSU- The last time Kentucky played a No. 1 LSU team? Answer I do not think the Tigers will cover the 31.5-point spread, but finally they relax a little after their tough September.

Auburn at South Carolina- If Auburn can come with any sort of defense they might could win. They do not and Gamecock quarterback Stephen Garcia has a big game.

New Mexico State at New Mexico- Maybe the worst two offenses and defenses in the game on one field, what a rivalry! Perennially bad teams go at it in this heated match-up.

Notre Dame at Purdue- The Irish show off an explosive offense and have only three turnovers.

The Weekend That Will Be: Week 4

Arkansas at Alabama- The SEC's top offense will travel to Tuscaloosa for a showdown with the SEC's top defense.The lack of a running game stopped the Hogs from defeating the No. 1-ranked Crimson Tide last year and once again, the game may come down to how well each team can run the ball and effectively control the clock. If Alabama running back Trent Richardson can keep his pace going the Razorbacks' explosive offense can not get on the field. Also watch to see how a young offensive line from Fayetteville reacts to playing in one of the toughest stadiums (and most picturesque) in the game. Alabama moves to 4-0 and their coach Nick Saban remains undefeated against Arkansas.

Oklahoma State at Texas A&M- In what may be the last game between these two teams for quite some time as the Aggies move to the SEC, plenty of points will be scored. Watch for the running game to be key in who wins the game on Saturday. Texas A&M running back Cyrus Gray will go for his ninth consecutive 100 yard rushing game. The winner of this shootout may very well be the team who has the last possession. If you like defense stay away from the Aggies and Cowboys. Texas A&M wins at home.

Florida State at Clemson- One team is coming off their coach's biggest career win and the other off of a disappointing loss. Clemson coach Dabo Swinney kept his job for a couple of more seasons last week with a win over the defending national champions. Was rushing the field necessary? No and proof Clemson is not quite ready for the SEC. Swinney had an outburst that was reminiscent of Houston Nutt's "We Got that Wood" speech. Luckily for Swinney, he probably keeps his job. Seminole quarterback E.J. Manuel has been officially ruled "questionable" for the game on Saturday at Death Valley. Without Manuel it will be harder for FSU to pull off my upset special, but they still come out on top.

LSU at West Virginia- One can only hope the rumors of LSU students running into West Virginia classes in Morgantown and yelling "Geux Tigers!" is true. It is hard to believe it is not true, knowing rabid LSU fans. The Mountaineer offense is averaging 42 points per game and LSU's defense is giving up about 4.2 points per game. West Virginia quarterback Geno Smith will feel pressure. Pressure to perform and more pressure from the Tigers' defensive line. The Tigers, who have played the NCAA's toughest September schedule, will continue their dominance, winning easily.

Other picks (winners in bold)
North Carolina at Georgia Tech- Just do what you did last week Tech, over 600 yards on the ground and more than 12 yards a carry.

Georgia at Ole Miss- The Hot Seat Bowl ends with even more pressure on Ole Miss coach Houston Nutt. The Bullodgs are too talented.

Vanderbilt at South Carolina- Did I call that the Gamecocks would struggle last week? Vandy wakes up from their dream and plays more like the Vandy we have come to know.

Southern California at Arizona State- USC is young, six total freshamn starters. A tough night road test will prove to be too much.

Notre Dame at Pittsburgh
Florida at Kentucky
Oregon at Arizona

The 10 Bowls to See

It is here. The wait is over. As we get ready for one of the most exciting times of the year we all forget the mess that is the BCS, but can we agree it did what it was meant to do? Did it not put the top two teams in the nation in a bowl game? Granted, there are aspects that need attention, but those in charge of the BCS are working on those and open to change. Good or bad, we are stuck with the bowl system for now and here are the ten that I am looking forward to the most.

1. Tostitos BCS National Championship Game
No. 2 Oregon vs. No. 1 Auburn

 This one should be obvious as to why it is number one. The two best teams, best offenses, and players in the nation are all on one field. I think both offenses start off slow because of the layoff, but then the winner is the defense that can make one more stop than the other.

2. Allstate Sugar Bowl
No. 6 Ohio State vs. No. 8 Arkansas

  Two explosive quarterbacks going at one another. The Sugar Bowl pits a typical NFL style quarterback in Ryan Mallet versus the more mobile Terrelle Pryor. It will be interesting to see how Mallet can handle the number two defense and how the improved Arkansas can handle another mobile quarterback. Can OSU’s get past their losing streak, excuse me, beating streak by SEC teams?

3.Rose Bowl Game presented by VIZIO
No. 5 Wisconsin vs. No. 3 TCU

    It will be fun to see if TCU is as good as they think they are and prove that to the rest of the country. They have yet to win in all of their BCS bowl tries. They will get their chance against a huge, smash-mouth Wisconsin team whose play is described by their coach as “real American football.” 

4. Discover Orange Bowl
No. 4 Stanford vs. No. 13 Virginia Tech

    Though this game looks like a promising one, will anyone be at the Orange Bowl who is known for its bad attendance numbers. Again, here we have a match-up of two different types of quarterbacks. On one hand what looks like will the number one overall pick in April’s NFL draft and the other is a more mobile and winningest quarterback in Hokie history, Tyrod Taylor.

5. Capital One Bowl
No. 16 Alabama vs. No. 9 Michigan State

    Easily the best non-BCS game Alabama and Michigan State will meet on New Years Day. Alabama, who is still bitter about a loss in which they blew a 24 point lead, will try and go back to what has made them so good, a solid running game. On the opposite side of the field is a team which is bitter that they are not playing in a BCS game after sharing part of the Big 10 title. It’s always fun when the SEC and Big 10 get together.

6. AT&T Cotton Bowl
No. 10 LSU vs. No. 17 Texas A&M

      A team that is on the rise and has played extremely well since a tough loss to Arkansas will play a team that is coming off a loss to Arkansas that would have locked up a Sugar Bowl bid. The Jerry Dome will be rocking as both schools are close and travel well, not to mention that Jerry Jones, Arkansas alumni and member of of their 1964 National Championship team, will not be outdone as far as the environment goes.

7. Chick-fil-A Bowl
No. 20 South Carolina vs. No. 23 Florida State

    South Carolina has to go back to the site at which they were embarrassed by the number one team in the country. They will be taking on a team that is just not quite ready to be compared to the FSU teams of old. Jimbo has this team on the right track. Steve Spurrier needs this win or this season, though making it to the SEC Championship will end in disappointment as many of his seasons have.

8. Gator Bowl
No. 21 Mississippi State vs. Michigan

  Here again we have up and coming in MSU against a team with a “Rich” heritage in bowl games. Speaking of... Rodriguez will be fighting for his job and beating an SEC team would help his resume tremendously. The Bulldogs, however, couldn’t be happier with their coach as he is the envy of all programs head coach hunting.

9. AutoZone Liberty Bowl
Georgia vs. No. 25 UCF

 Really the only reason this game is of any real interest is one of UCF’s  starting wide receivers is from Rome, Georgia and gets a chance to play his home state team in front of many family members and friends. But seriously the UCF team is nothing to look past for the Bulldogs. They are a very talented team, maybe the second best in Florida this year. There is still a lot of pressure on Mark Richt, and losing this game would not help his cause.

10. Hyundai Sun Bowl
Notre Dame vs. Miami

   Criminals vs. Catholics... No it doesn’t have the same ring to it as it used to, but this game shows the state of college football right now. Miami and Notre Dame of today are not your dad’s Miami and Notre Dame. Winning this game will be a huge stepping point to get things back on track for the winner.