New Poll: Bobby Bowden Salary Increase

There is a new poll question: "Bobby Bowden will have his salary increased from $1.7 million to $2.5 million with his new contract. How do you feel about the increase?"

No Bowden Contract Details Until Next Week

* Seems as if the parties to the Bobby Bowden contract negotiations are staying mum in regard to the specific details. As they say, the proof will be in the details of the contract. It will be interesting to see if the supposed one-year contract extension means that Jimbo Fisher will be unofficially or even officially named the successor to Bowden.

We will have to wait until next week according to FSU Athletics Department Spokesman Rob Wilson. Says Wilson, "No additional comments from any FSU officials regarding Coach Bowden's contract will be made until a formal announcement some time next week."

* It seems that Mickey Andrews was in fact contemplating retirement but has changed his mind and will be back as defensive coordinator for the Noles which is good news.

* Freshmen offensive linemen Rodney Hudson and Ryan McMahon were named to The Sporting News' All-ACC Freshmen team. Hudson has already been named to the All-ACC team this year and McMahon was named a first team freshman All-American by Rivals this week as well.

LSU May Be Looking For Two Coaches Soon

LSU may be in for a rebuilding year in 2008. Not in recruits but in coaches. Sources are now saying that LSU defensive coordinator Bo Pelini will be introduced as the new head coach at Nebraska early next week. Pelini and Buffalo coach Turner Gill were the final two choices to replace fired Bill Callahan.

In addition LSU may be in jepoardy of losing their head coach Les Miles. Miles is expected to meet with Michigan early next week about its head-coaching vacancy. Miles is a Michigan alum who has often expressed his affection for the Wolverines program.

Poll Results: Who Wins ACC Championship

Results of the poll question: "Who do you think will win the ACC championship game?"

Virginia Tech- 81.8%

Boston College- 18.2%

FSU And Bowden Agree To Contract Extension

ESPN is reporting that FSU and Bobby Bowden have agreed to a one-year contract extension that includes provisions that would reward Bowden for success through bonuses. The contract also apparently increases his salary from $1.7 million to $2.5 million for next year.

BC Takes On Hokies In Jacksonville

Boston College:

* In their third year as members of the Atlantic Coast Conference, the Boston College Eagles will be playing in their first Dr. Pepper ACC Championship at Jacksonville Municipal Stadium. BC won the ACC Atlantic Division title for the first time (in only their third year in the league).

* The Eagles are ranked second in the nation in rushing defense, allowing 65.6 yards rushing per game.

* The Eagles are ranked fourth in the nation in interceptions with 20.

* The Eagles are 10th in the nation in kickoff return yardage defense (18.42 yards per return).

* Eagles held Virginia Tech, which had been scoring 28.1 ppg., to 10 points in a thrilling 14-10 come-frombehind victory in Lane Stadium.

* The Eagles are ranked first in the ACC and seventh in the nation in passing offense (331.8 ypg).

Virginia Tech:

* Virginia Tech is 2-3 all-time at what is now Jacksonville Municipal Stadium, beating Clemson in the 2001 Gator Bowl and falling to North Carolina, 42-3, in the 1997 Gator Bowl, and to Florida State 30-17 in the 2002 Gator Bowl. Tech lost again to Florida State in 2005, this time in the ACC Championship game.

* In games played in the Sunshine State, Tech is 13-28. The Hokies are 2-0 at Tampa, 5-12 at Tallahassee, 4-10 at Miami (4-9 against the University of Miami; 0-1 in the Orange Bowl), 2-3 in Jacksonville, 0-2 at Gainesville (0-1 vs. the University of Florida; 0-1 in the Gator Bowl) and 1-1 at Orlando (1-0 vs. UCF; 0-1 vs. FSU.

* Taken with the Hokies wherever they go is the storied lunch pail. The Pail served as the inspiration for Tech’s recordsetting 1995 defense, symbolizing Tech’s blue collar approach to defensive football. Every year since, a member of the defense has been responsible for toting a new Pail to everything football-related.

* With its Chick-fil-A Bowl in 2006, Tech is now one of only four teams to go to 14 bowls in the last 14 seasons. The other three are the University of Florida, Florida StateUniversity and the University of Michigan.

* Hokie QB Sean Glennon has thrown for a team-high 1,462 yards this year with eight touchdown passes, completing 62 percent of his passes. He led the team to victory at Georgia Tech, completing 22-of-32 passes for 296 yards and two scores and also ran for a touchdown. He threw for 260 yards and a score in leading Tech to a divisionclinching win over Virginia.

* The linebacking duo of No. 9 Vince Hall and No. 11 Xavier Adibi team up to give Tech “the best LB duo in the country,” according to ESPN’s Chris Spielman.

"I don't want to see their names in the paper...."

"I think we've got a good staff. I don't want to see their names in the paper and have [Florida coach] Urban [Meyer] and people say [to recruits], 'Well you're not going to have Coach so and so up there.' "
T.K. Wetherell regarding coaching vacancies and coaches like Jimbo Fisher being discussed as possible candidates

Future ACC Championship Site To Be Discussed This Week

* ACC athletic directors will be attending a Friday meeting in Jacksonville to discuss the future location of the ACC Championship game. About 20,000 tickets remain unsold to Saturday's game between Virginia Tech and Boston College. Charlotte and Tampa in addition to Jacksonville have submitted bids for future ACC league championship games.

Buzz is that Charlotte may be the next site due to the fact that it is close to most of the ACC schools. "With eight schools within 300 miles in the real heart of ACC country, we think Charlotte is the right choice for the ACC," said Tim Newman, CEO of the Charlotte Regional Visitors Authority.

* So is the following strange or what? South Carolina football coach Steve Spurrier was on the Duke campus this week with Duke athletics director Joe Alleva.

They were seen shaking hands as they exited Cameron Indoor Stadium .Spurrier's visit came just two days after Alleva fired football coach Ted Roof on Monday. Spurrier coached the Blue Devils for three seasons in the late 1980's winning Duke's last ACC title in 1989. Alleva said on Monday that Spurrier would be someone he would consult with during his search for a new football coach. And here I thought Duke had more class.

* Chalk another one up to the ACLU. The state task force for the American Civil Liberties Union in South Carolina has accused Clemson football coach Tommy Bowden of abusing his authority by imposing his religious beliefs on players.The ACLU’s claims were filed in a letter dated Aug. 31, to which the university denied the claims a month later.

The allegations came to light Wednesday.The organization is considering taking action after reading an article in which Bowden described his team’s annual event in which players visit a local church, said Steve Lowe, president of the Piedmont Chapter of the ACLU.

Coaches Hit Recruiting Trail

FSU football coaches have been hitting the recruiting trail before the start of practice for the bowl game. As has been reported, Jimbo Fisher got a commit from California junior college running back Tavares Pressley earlier this week. Nole coaches are busy visiting with recruits as recruiting winds down for this year.

According to NCAA recruiting guidelines, coaches are permitted to contact recruits as follows: "Six in-person off-campus contacts per prospective student-athlete shall be permitted during this time period with not more than one permitted in any one calendar week (Sunday through Saturday) or partial calendar week." Coaches are allowed to recruit until December 16 at which time a dead period begins. The national letter of intent or signing day is February 6, 2008. FSU is currently ranked at #3 in the nation in recruiting according to one recruiting service.

Will Mickey Call It Quits?

Although still a rumor, I have been told by a reliable source that Mickey Andrews may be retiring. This would be a blow to a team and program that has relied on a Mickey Andrews led defense for so many years.

Andrews is one of the top assistant coaches in college football and is in his 24th season on the Florida State staff. While he will certainly be missed if true and I hope that he does not retire, I can fully understand his decision given the personal tragedy in his life this year.

FSU In Top Quarter Of ACC For Punting

Rankings Based on 12 ACC teams in ACC:

Junior Graham Gano was a solid player for FSU this season. For the year, he had 56 punts and averaged 42.7 yards. He had 13 punts of 50 yards or more and his longest was 64 yards on the year. He had no punts blocked and punted 19 times inside the 20 yard line. He had only two touchbacks.

In the ACC, FSU ranked number 4 in punting average with 42.7 yards per punt.

Would Fisher Look At Southern Miss?

There are reports that one of the leading candidates for the vacant Southern Miss head coaching job is Jimbo Fisher. One of his assets is that while at LSU Fisher helped quarterback JaMarcus Russell become the top pick in the NFL draft last year. I don't see this happening if FSU does negotiate a short contract with Bowden and has a successor agreement for Fisher.

"I wish he would have broken the record for extra points ..."

"He's been super. I wish he would have broken the record for extra points instead of field goals. We'd been better off."
FSU offensive coordinator Jimbo Fisher on Cismesia tying Sebastian Janikowski's school record for most FGs in a season.

Bowden Contract Hot Topic Of Discussion

One of the hot questions that is getting buzz on talk radio and the message boards is will the large number of head coaching vacancies lead to some of the current FSU coaches being hired. In addition, the question that is being openly asked now is how much longer is Bobby Bowden going to be at FSU? Bowden's agent and FSU are currently in negotiations regarding his contract that expires in January. Supposedly, Bobby Bowden wants a five-year extension. However, according to sources, there is discussion that Wetherell and prominent boosters want a two year incentives or bonus contract that is based on results.

The added element to this is the status of Jimbo Fisher and how he fits into the negotiations. Some are speculating that the only way to keep Fisher at FSU is to have some formal agreement regarding a timetable for Bowden's departure and his endorsement of Fisher as his successor. This has been done at other schools such as Wisconsin. It will be interesting to see what transpires and if Bobby Bowden puts the good of the program and its long term goals ahead of his personal goals.

New Poll: Who Wins ACC Championship Game?

New poll question: "Who do you think will win the ACC championship game?"

Poll Results: Most Improvement On Offense

Results of the poll question: "What part of the offense do you think has shown the most improvement for this season?"

Offensive line- 52.4%

Play calling- 23.8%

Ryan ACC Player Of The Year...Groh Nabs Coach Of The Year...Wake's Adams Is Rookie Of The Year

To probably no one's surprise, Boston College quarterback Matt Ryan was named as the ACC's Player of the Year by a vote of the Atlantic Coast Sports Media Association. He received 50 of 71 first-place votes. Virginia defensive lineman Chris Long was a near-unanimous selection as defensive player of the year, receiving 69 first-place votes.

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Virginia Coach Al Groh was named the Atlantic Coast Conference coach of the year. Groh's team bounced back from a humbling loss to Wyoming to win seven straight games, carrying the Cavaliers to the brink of a division championship. Groh earned 38 of 71 votes in voting from members of the Atlantic Coast Sports Media Association to win the honor for the second time. Boston College's Jeff Jagodzinski, whose team won the Atlantic Division title and reached as high as No. 2 nationally in his first season, finished second with 22 votes.
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Wake Forest running back Josh Adams was named the 2007 ACC Rookie of the Year. Adams who is also the league's overwhelming offensive rookie of the year received 51 of a possible 71 votes in balloting conducted by the Atlantic Coast Sports Media Association. Against FSU this season, Adams rushed for 140 yards and 1 TD.

Big 12 Championship Could Spoil Mizzou's Title Hopes

Not a lot of games this week as the regular season winds down. There are some rivalry games and also some conference championship games on tap:

Rutgers at Lousville- Thursday night game that pits 7-4 Rutgers against 5-6 Louisville.

Arizona at Arizona State- 5-6 Arizona takes on rival #13 Arizona State.

Navy at Army- Annual game that pits guys who will put their lives on the line in the future. Makes you put games in perspective.

Boston College against Virginia Tech- ACC championship game in Jacksonville as Hokies look for payback.

Washington at Hawaii- Does Hawaii stay undefeated?

Missouri against Oklahoma- Number 1 Missouri takes on Oklahoma in Big 12 conference championship. And Missouri is the underdog.

Oregon State at Oregon- 7-4 Oregon State takes on state rival #18 Oregon.

Pitt at West Virginia- Will Pitt upset #2 West Virginia's national title hopes?

Tennessee against LSU- The battle for the SEC conference championship pits Fulmer versus Miles.

UCLA at USC- Does UCLA upset the Trojans once again? I doubt it.

Tulsa at UCF- Tulsa takes on UCF in Conference USA championship game.

Cal at Stanford- Not a lot in this game other than announcers making a lot of "The Play" that happened in 1982.

He Was The Key In 1974-1977

As FSU continues to try and find a running back that can carry the ball for a lot of yards, that was not the problem in 1974-1977. Running back Larry Key became the first player in Florida State history to rush for 1,000 yards when he gained 1,117 as a senior in 1977. He served as a captain on that team that finished 10-2. Over his career from 1974-77, Key broke game, season and career marks for rushing. He gained over 100 yards 10 times and finished with 2,953 career yards as a Seminole. His 100 yards or more for 10 times has only been surpassed by four other Seminoles. His 97-yard run against VPI in 1976 is the longest run ever by a Seminole. Key also set four kick return records and was the national leader in all-purpose yardage in 1977. By his senior year, Florida State fans had adopted the habit of shaking their keys every time he touched the ball. Key was inducted into the FSU Football Hall of Fame in 1984.

ACC Bowl Projections

Here are my purely subjective and less than expert projections for which ACC teams will go to which bowls.

Fedex Orange Bowl: Winner of this Saturday's ACC championship game goes to the Fedex Orange. I see Virginia Tech exacting revenge over BC who beat them earlier in the season.

Chick-fil-A Bowl- Some see Clemson going here but I am saying Boston College gets the bowl.

Konica Minolta Gator Bowl- Gator wants to fill up the bowl and Clemson fans will travel to Jacksonville.

Champs Sports Bowl- I am putting the Virginia Cavaliers in the bowl.

Meineke Car Care Bowl- This is in Charlotte and they like a home town flavor. Wake Forest gets the bowl.

Gaylord Hotels Music City Bowl- Do the Noles hear music? I say FSU gets the nod to go to Nashville.

Emerald Bowl- This is a lower tier bowl in one of the most beautiful cities in the U.S. Maryland is my pick for the bowl.

The Roady's Humanitarian Bowl- So who gets the honor of the blue turf? I say that Georgia Tech goes even though they have better record than Maryland. The fact that the Jackets were in the Emerald Bowl in 2005 and are without a head coach probably will have them seeing blue.

Noles Go West For Commitment Number 20

FSU coaches have hit the recruiting trail and already the Noles have one commit. Jimbo Fisher headed out west to El Camino Community College in California to get the verbal commitment of Tavares Pressley. The 6-foot-1, 215-pound running back led El Camino with 832 rushing yards and 11 touchdowns. Pressley is the 20th commitment for the Noles for 2008.

Pressley in the past has said, "To tell you the truth, I am from Florida (Arcadia), so it would be nice if some Florida schools starting offering me. But I do not care which school I sign with. I just want to go in there and help them win games. That is what type of back I am." So when Fisher offered him a scholarship, Pressley didn't hesitate. The Noles have already gotten a commitment from El Camino wide receiver Corey Surrency earlier in the season. Pressley had interest from such schools as Kansas State, Nebraska, Arizona,Ole Miss, and Tulsa.

Pressley's height and size fits into Jimbo Fisher's goal of recruiting larger running backs. So what is Pressley's main reason for picking a school? Says Pressley, "I am just looking to win games. I want to go to a team where it is all about winning games because you can be better than everybody and doing real good, "

Firings Galore As Coaches Go Down

* The regular season is not yet over and already there are major firings in the college football ranks. Major firings that have happened already are Dennis Franchione at Texas A&M, Chan Gailey at Georgia Tech, Bill Callahan at Nebraska, Ed Ogeron at Ole Miss, Bill Doba at Washington State, Ted Roof at Duke, Sonny Lubick at Colorado State, and Jeff Bower at Southern Miss. Lloyd Carr resigned at Michigan last week as did Houston Nutt at Arkansas this week. Nutt has already been hired by Ole Miss. Texas A&M has this week hired former Packers head coach Mike Sherman.

* Nebraska is close to hiring a new head coach. Nebraska "interim" athletic director Tom Osborne and university chancellor Harvey Perlman arrived back in Lincoln on Monday night after a two-day swing that took them to Baton Rouge and Atlanta in search of a successor to fired coach Bill Callahan.

* Seems that Greg Robinson at Syracuse is safe despite a dismal record. The reason is that it would cost Syracuse University around $3 million to buy out the remaining two years of his contract .

* And who said there is no humor in college football? Tulsa has filed a formal complaint with Conference USA over the Rice marching band's performance of "Todd Graham's Inferno" during halftime of Saturday's football game in Houston. Graham left Rice for Tulsa after just one season. His Golden Hurricane defeated Rice 48-43 to win the C-USA West Division title. The band's show depicted a search for the former Owls coach through different circles of Hell -- based on Dante's "Divine Comedy." Tulsa must have no sense of humor.

* Virginia exercised an option to add a year onto the contract of coach Al Groh, who guided the Cavaliers to a 9-3 record this season. Groh's deal will now run through the 2011 season.

Go 4-8 And Get A Raise

It's been a while since someone has gotten a Pie In The Face award so I think it's time to give another pie. The award goes to North Carolina AD Dick Baddour who recently sweetened North Carolina head coach Butch Davis' contract deal by almost $300,000. This is the same Butch Davis who is in his first year at UNC earning $2.1 million a year. So why the increase? Because there was the faintest of speculation that Davis might be interested in going to Arkansas. And what was the record of UNC? An awe inspiring 4-8. This is a great example of the lunacy that is going on in college football today. University presidents and ADs are throwing money at coaches who have mediocre records and negotiating obscene contracts.

Noles Fail To Place Any Players On ACC First Team Offense

Want to know how far FSU has to go in getting back to where it once was? The ACC announced its ACC All Football Teams and the Noles failed to place any player on the first team offense. Only one FSU player was on the second team offense, OG Rodney Hudson. On defense, LB Geno Hayes was the only Nole named to the first team defense. Divisional winners Boston College and Virginia Tech each landed seven players on the first and second teams, while Clemson had a total six selections and Wake Forest had five.

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Looks as if Clemson doesn't mind that Tommy Boy has a tendency to fold like a cheap lawn chair. Work began Monday to keep coach Tommy Bowden at Clemson with athletic director Terry Don Phillips offering to extend the coach's contract.Bowden met briefly with athletic director Terry Don Phillips two days after the No. 16 Tigers beat South Carolina 23-21 -- his seventh win over Clemson's instate rival in nine seasons.
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Clemson quarterback Cullen Harper had arthroscopic surgery on his shoulder Monday but is expected to be ready when the 16th-ranked Tigers begin bowl practice next month. Left guard Chris McDuffie, selected to the all-Atlantic Coast Conference first team, also had surgery on his elbow, which had been in a large protective covering the past few games.

2007 ACC Bowls

As we head into the bowl season, FSU does not know where they will be headed but it will be one on of the lower tier bowls that has a tie-in with the ACC. The bowl picture for the ACC will be clear after the ACC championship game on Saturday between Boston College and Virginia Tech.

For 2007, the ACC has tie-ins to eight bowls. The bowls are as follows:

1. The ACC's automatic representative in the BCS will be the winner of the ACC Football Championship Game. That team will play in the FedEx Orange Bowl, if not ranked No. 1 or 2 in the BCS. Since that is not the case, either Virginia Tech or Boston College will be in the Orange Bowl.

2. The Chick-fil-A Bowl in Atlanta, Ga. (Dec. 31, 7:30 p.m. ET on ESPN) has the first selection of ACC teams after the BCS. The team chosen must be within one conference victory of the remaining, highest-ranked ACC team or be ranked more than five spaces ahead of the ACC team with the best Conference record available in the Final BCS Standings. Opponent is the Southeastern Conference's third or fourth pick after the BCS.

3. The Konica Minolta Gator Bowl in Jacksonville, Fla. (Jan. 1, 1 p.m. ET on CBS) has the second selection of ACC teams after the BCS commitments are fulfilled. If not the next available team in the ACC standings, then must be within one conference win of the second-place team or be ranked more than five spaces ahead of the ACC team with the best Conference record available in the Final BCS Standings. The opponent is the third selection out of the Big 12 Conference after the BCS Selections have been made OR the first available Big East team after the BCS selections OR Notre Dame.

4. The Champs Sports Bowl in Orlando, Fla. (Dec. 28, 5 p.m. ET on ESPN) has the third pick of ACC teams after the BCS. If not the next available team in the ACC standings, then the team must be within one conference win of the available team with the best Conference record, or be ranked more than five spaces ahead of the ACC team with the best Conference record available in the Final BCS Standings. The opponent is from the Big 10 Conference and is its third or fourth selection after the BCS.

5. The Gaylord Hotels Music City Bowl in Nashville, Tenn. (Dec. 31, 4 pm ET on ESPN);

6.The Meineke Car Care Bowl in Charlotte, N.C. (Dec. 29, 1 p.m. ET, on ESPN) and

7. The Emerald Bowl in San Francisco, Calif. (Dec. 28, 8:30 pm ET on ESPN) share the fourth, fifth and sixth selections of ACC teams after the BCS. These bowls will submit their top three preferences of ACC bowl-eligible teams to the Conference Office in order to make the best selections from the available teams and bowls.

If an agreement cannot be reached, then a financial ranking will be used to determine the selection order which would be:
1. Gaylord Hotels Music City Bowl
2. Meineke Car Care Bowl
3. Emerald Bowl

If the order is used to determine selection then if the bowl selecting does not choose the next available team in the ACC standings, then the bowl must choose a team within one conference win of the ACC team available with the best Conference record. The bowl could also choose an ACC team that is ranked more than five spaces ahead of the ACC team with the best Conference record available in the Final BCS Standings.

The opponent for the Gaylord Hotels Music City Bowl will be the fifth selection of teams after the BCS from the SEC. The opponent for Meineke Car Care Bowl will be the second selection of Big East teams after the BCS Selections. The Emerald Bowl opponent will be the third or fourth selection after the BCS from the Pac-10 Conference.

FSU will be likely going to the Music City Bowl or the Meineke Car Care Bowl. The Emerald Bowl in San Francisco is probably out since FSU played there last year.

8. The Roady's Humanitarian Bowl in Boise, Idaho (Dec. 31, 2 p.m., ET on ESPN2) has the seventh pick of ACC teams after the BCS. If the Roady's Humanitarian Bowl does not select the ACC team available with the best Conference record, it must select a team within one win of the ACC team available with the best Conference record. Also, Roady's Humanitarian could take a team ranked more than five spaces ahead of the ACC team available with the best Conference record. The opponent is either the champion, or the second choice of teams in the Western Athletic Conference (WAC).

ACC Divisional Champion Protection
The ACC Divisional Champion which does not win the ACC Dr. Pepper Championship Game is guaranteed to be selected by one of four bowl games from among the Chick-fil-A Bowl, the Konica Minolta Gator Bowl, the Champs Sports Bowl or the Gaylord Hotels Music City Bowl, unless the team desires to go to another ACC-affiliated bowl game.

Roof Falls...Cismesia Gets ACC Honor

Duke fired head football coach Ted Roof on Monday, two days after the Blue Devils concluded a 1-11 season with their ninth straight loss. Athletic director Joe Alleva said at a news conference that he decided to fire Roof on Sunday night and informed him of the decision Monday morning.

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Gary Cismesia was named the ACC specialist of the week. With four field goals against Florida on Saturday, Cismesia tied the school and ACC record for field goals in a season. The 60-yarder marks the longest field goal ever made by an ACC player. Cismesia is now 27-for-33 this season, and ranks second in the league in scoring with an average of 8.8 points per game.

It Takes Gut(s) To Kick 60 Yarder

* Note to CBS programmers. Get a better handle on when to schedule football games and times. Did no one at CBS sports understand that the Kentucky- Tennessee game might run long given the fact that Kentucky throws the ball a lot?

* And speaking of CBS, why not superimpose the Kentucky-Tennessee game at top of the screen instead of cutting away from FSU-Florida game?

* Watching the Noles go into the red zone and kick field goals was painful to watch for the umpteenth time this year.

* Why doesn't FSU improve its special teams kickoff unit instead of squib kicking and giving the opponent only half the field to get a TD.

* Does anyone know why Bobby Bowden donned headsets during the game? Perhaps calling for Chinese or pizza take out?

* Perhaps a little gut on a place kicker makes you a better kicker. Seems to work for Cismesia.

* Ok, I know CBS is the official network for SEC football but could the announcers be more obnoxious in their hype of Tebow? Did they get paid extra for mentioning his name a zillion times?

Ducks All Wet As They Lose To Bruins

We all should know by now that the Pac-10 is not very strong. The loss by the Oregon Ducks to hapless UCLA confirms that fact. So the Ducks get my Turkey Of The Week award. Freshman Kai Forbath kicked three field goals, including a career-long 54-yarder, and the UCLA Bruins took advantage of No. 9 Oregon's plight to hand the Ducks a 16-0 setback Saturday which was their first shutout loss in more than 22 years. Oregon entered averaging 40.9 points and 505.8 yards of total offense in its first 10 games. The Ducks gained only 148 yards against the Bruins, who snapped a three-game losing streak despite getting only 10 first downs and gaining 220 yards.

Honorable Mention: LSU losing its national championship hopes by losing to Arkansas at home. Nebraska losing big at Colorado and also costing Bill Callahan his job.

Will Fisher Get Call From Georgia Tech?

With the firing of Chan Gailey at Georgia Tech,there is buzz regarding Jimbo Fisher possibly being interviewed for the opening. There is a reason to believe that this may be true. Fisher has a connection with the Georgia Tech Director of Athletics, Dan Radakovich,who was hired at Georgia Tech on February 22, 2006. The connection with Fisher is due to the fact that Radakovich was the senior associate athletics director at Louisiana State (2001-06).Fisher was the LSU offensive coordinator during Radakovich's tenure. The fact that T.K. Wetherell is proposing to extend Bowden's contract along with a hefty raise makes this even more likely.

FSU It's Time Play Of The Game:FSU-Florida

There really wasn't a play of the game for the Seminoles but this one is the closest. With the ball on the FSU 42 yard line and with two seconds left in the first half, Gary Cismesia kicked a 60 yard FG to give the Noles 12 points to Florida's 24. I suppose it could have been a momentum change but the Noles failed to score in the second half.

Chan Gailey Out At Georgia Tech

It is being reported that Georgia Tech has fired football coach Chan Gailey after six seasons. This comes two days after the Yellow Jackets lost to rival Georgia for the sixth season in a row sources close to the situation said Monday.

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Wake Forest's Steve Justice has been awarded the 2007 Jacobs Blocking Trophy, Atlantic Coast Conference Commissioner John Swofford announced today. The Jacobs Blocking Trophy has been awarded annually since 1953 to the player voted the most outstanding blocker in the ACC by a poll of the league's head coaches and defensive coordinators. The trophy is given in memory of William P. Jacobs, who served as president of Presbyterian College from 1935 to 1945.

Head To Head Matchups Results:FSU-Florida

Based on Head To Head Matchups Posted On Blog During Past Week:

Quarterbacks:
Drew Weatherford- 188 yards, 54% completion, 0 TD.
Tim Tebow- 262 yards, 68% completion, 3 TD.

Receivers:
De'Cody Fagg- 5 catches for 50 yards.
Greg Carr-1 catch for 8 yards.
Andre Caldwell- 4 catches for 56 yards and 1 TD.
Percy Harvin-5 catches for 67 yards.

Running Back:
Antone Smith- 4 rushes for 6 yards.
Preston Parker-12 rushes for 48 yards.
Kestahn Moore-4 rushes for 23 yards.
Percy Harvin-16 rushes for 157 yards and 1 TD.

Kickers: Gary Cismesia was 4 for 4. Joe Ijjas was 1 for 1.

Gators Take Sunshine State Rankings

Gators clearly at top in the state at end of regular season:

1. Florida (9-3) - Gators trounce Noles in Gainesville.

2. USF (9-3) - Bulls beat Pitt in last regular season game.

3. UCF (9-3)- The Knights beat UTEP and head to C-USA championship game against Tulsa.

4. FSU (7-5) - Noles humiliated by Gators in The Swamp.

5. Miami (5-7) - Canes lose to Boston College and will be staying home for bowl season.

Monday Morning Quarterback: FSU-Florida Game

Noles lose to Gators for fourth year in a row:

Offensive Line: Offensive line was about as good as it could be against the Gators as the line yielded two sacks.
Grade: C

Running Game: Parker had 48 yards rushing as Noles rushed for 99 yards. Gators basically held the Nole's running game in check.
Grade: C-

QB: Drew didn't have any interceptions and was adequate which is not good enough against the Gators.
Grade: C

Offensive Coaching: Offensive game plan was not good. Red zone plays continue to mystify. This was more than just lack of execution.
Grade: D-

Receivers: There were no TDs by receivers who were basically shut down for most of the game.
Grade: C-

Defense and Defensive Coaching: This has to be one of the worst efforts by Mickey Andrews that I have witnessed. FSU defense could do nothing to stop Gator offense. Defense gave up 541 yards and only had one sack against the Gators. Secondary got burned by deep balls once again.
Grade: F

Penalties: Noles did something right as they had only 23 yards in penalties.
Grade: A

Kicking Game: Cismesia record and his four FGs was the highlight for the game.
Grade: A

"...I need to evaluate what I'm trying to do ...."

"That red zone is a tight area. Everybody's going to get bumped, knocked around. They were fortunate enough to make a guy miss or make a catch, and we didn't do it. So I need to evaluate what I'm trying to do and who I'm trying to do it with.”
FSU offensive coordinator Jimbo Fisher's post-game comments

Derek Nicholson Gets 86th Tackle Of The Season In Florida Game

Safety Roger Williams- 6 solo and 3 assists for 7 1/2 tackles

LB Dekoda Watson- 4 solo and 5 assists for 6 1/2 tackles

Rover Myron Rolle- 3 solo and 2 assists for 4 tackles

Corner Tony Carter- 3 solo and 1 assist for 3 1/2 tackles

LB Derek Nicholson- 2 solo and 3 assists for 3 1/2 tackles

Florida Game Balls

Not a lot to celebrate but game balls have to go to Parker for his effort all year long and Cismesia for his record and 4 FGs:

Preston Parker- Parker has given his all every game this season. Against the Gators, he had 103 total yards as he rushed for 48 yards and had 55 yards receiving.

Gary Cismesia- "The Weed" had all the points against the Gators. His record breaking 60 yard FG was one of four in the game.

Honorable Mention: On two kickoff returns, Joslin Shaw had 69 return yards including a long of 47 yards.

New Poll: What Part Of Offense Has Shown Most Improvement

There is a new poll question: "What part of the offense do you think has shown the most improvement for this season?"

Tebow Breaks Hand In Third Quarter

According to ESPN,Tim Tebow broke his right,non-throwing hand Saturday night and will be in a cast for at least two weeks. He should be fine for Florida's bowl game, probably a New Year's Day matchup in Orlando or Tampa, but the injury could slow him during practice the next few weeks. Tebow sustained a non-displaced fracture in his right hand during his 5-yard touchdown run on the opening drive of the third quarter against the Seminoles, team spokesman Steve McClain said Sunday.

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Sounds as if Urban Meyer is proud of his much maligned secondary. Said Meyer," Our secondary coach was very pleased and I looked at him and said ‘you did it again, you did it with Vernell Brown, you did it with Ryan Smith, Reggie Lewis and now you did it with Jacques (Rickerson) on a big time stage. So Jacques played great, I’ll get you
more on that next week, but I thought he played great.”
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The Gators have now won four consecutive games to the Noles by a combined score of 120-46. In addition, Florida’s 33-point win was the largest win over the Seminoles since a 53-14 win in 1983.

Noles Fail To Score TD Against Gators For First Time in 26 Years

1. FSU didn't score a TD against Florida for the first time in 26 years.

2. De' Cody Fagg and Greg Carr had six catches combined for a total of 58 yards.

3. Noles third down conversion percentage was 25% compared to Florida's 64% conversion percentage.

4. The longest pass completion for the Noles was 18 yards compared to Florida's longest of 40 yards.

5. Antone Smith had 6 yards rushing on 4 carries.

6. FSU had 62 offensive plays compared to Florida's 66.

West Virginia New Number One In Coaches Poll

1. West Virginia 10-1
2. Missouri 11-1
3. Ohio State 11-1
4. Georgia 10-2
T5. Kansas 11-1
T5. Virginia Tech 10-2
7. LSU 10-2
8. Oklahoma 10-2
9. Southern California 9-2
10. Hawaii 11-0
11. Florida 9-3
12. Boston College 10-2
13. Arizona State 9-2
14. Illinois 9-3
15. Tennessee 9-3
16. Wisconsin 9-3
17. Clemson 9-3
18. Texas 9-3
19. Brigham Young 9-2
20. Oregon 8-3
T21. Auburn 8-4
T21. Virginia 9-3
23. Boise State 10-2
24. Cincinnati 9-3
25. Arkansas 8-4

"We didn’t do good in either area."

"We could not get in the red zone. I told our offensive staff last week, several times, the two things we’ve got to be good in to win is in the red zone and third-and-one. We didn’t do good in either area."
FSU head coach Bobby Bowden's post-game comments

"The Weed" Ties FG Record...Bowl Picture For Noles...Seeing Red

Gary Cismesia's four field goals in the game gave him 27 field goals this season and ties him with Sebastian Janikowski for most in FSU history. "That's amazing. He's the best guy to ever kick here," said Cismesia, who kicked field goals of 60,21, 38 and 19 yards. "That feels good. It's good company to have around me."

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So where does FSU go bowling? Although the picture is still unclear, the most likely bowl seems to be the Music City Bowl in Nashville where they would face an SEC team Dec. 31.
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So how was FSU in the red zone? Florida State drove the ball inside the 20-yard line three times in the first half of its showdown against rival Florida. Three times, Florida State came away with field goals instead of touchdowns.

Tebow Goes "Down" In Record Books

Note to Geno Hayes. Do your talking on the field and not in the press before a game. Geno's famous statement that Gator QB Tim Tebow was going "down" is probably now on countless Gator game shirts commemorating the fact that the only one that went down was Hayes and also the Noles. Tebow had a great night and the Nole defense didn't seem to have an answer for either Tebow or the other players on offense. So how bad was it? Tebow was 19 for 28 for 262 yards and 3 TDs. He also rushed for 89 yards and 2 TDs. Not bad for someone that was going down.

And what about Geno? Geno had one tackle and no sacks.

"...we couldn't do either."

"Football is two things, blocking and tackling, and we couldn't do either. We couldn't tackle Tebow and we couldn't tackle that No. 1 (Harvin)."
FSU head coach Bobby Bowden

"We came in focused and prepared ...."

"It's a huge game, a huge rivalry game. We came in focused and prepared and we showed it."
Gator QB Tim Tebow

Inside The Numbers: FSU-Florida Game

First Downs: FSU- 17 Florida- 29

Net Yards Rushing: FSU- 99 Florida- 279

Net Yards Passing: FSU- 188 Florida- 262

Yards Penalized: FSU- 23 Florida- 90

Third Down Conversions: FSU- 3/12 (25%) Florida- 7/11 (64%)

Fumbles Lost: FSU- 0 Florida- 0

Interceptions Thrown: FSU- 0 Florida- 0

Field Goals: FSU-4-4 Florida- 1-1

Boston College And Virginia Tech To Square Off In ACC Championship

Sean Glennon threw for 260 yards and the other half of Virginia Tech's quarterback rotation, Tyrod Taylor, ran for two touchdowns, as the No. 8 Hokies won the biggest game in the history of its rivalry with Virginia 33-21 on Saturday to advance to the ACC championship game.

Key Stat Of The Game: Virginia Tech was 4-4 on FGs.

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Boston College ended a 15-game losing streak against Miami. Matt Ryan threw for 369 yards and three touchdowns Saturday to send the Eagles into the Atlantic Coast Conference championship game with a 28-14 win.

This was BC's first victory over Miami since the 1984 "Hail Flutie" pass that ended one of the greatest games in college football history. No. 15 BC (10-2, 6-2 ACC) will play in the conference title game Dec. 1 in Jacksonville, Fla., against Virginia Tech, which beat Virginia 33-21 Saturday for the Coastal Division title.

Key Stat Of The Game: Matt Ryan threw for 369 yards and 3 TDs.
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Wake Forest spoiled Vanderbilt's hopes of a bowl game as Alphonso Smith had two interceptions to lead a Wake Forest defense that forced five turnovers and beat Vanderbilt 31-17 on Saturday.

Key Stat Of The Game: Vanderbilt had five turnovers which included three fumbles lost and two interceptions.
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Lance Ball and Keon Lattimore rushed for two touchdowns apiece as Maryland routed North Carolina State 37-0 on Saturday. The Terrapins (6-6, 3-5 Atlantic Coast Conference) posted their first shutout since 2004 and became bowl eligible for the second consecutive year. They scored on four straight possessions in the first half.

Key Stat Of The Game: NC State was 1-13 on third downs.
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Greg Little ran for a career-high 154 yards and the go-ahead 25-yard score in overtime to lead North Carolina past Duke 20-14 on Saturday.

Key Stat Of The Game: North Carolina had 174 rushing yards.

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Matthew Stafford ran for one touchdown and threw for another, Thomas Brown rushed for 130 yards, and Georgia (No. 7 BCS, No. 6 AP) seemed to catch every break in stretching its winning streak to seven in a row over Georgia Tech with a 31-17 victory Saturday.

Key Stat Of The Game: Georgia had 201 yards rushing and scored 3 TDs on the ground.
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Mark Buchholz hit a 35-yard field as time expired to give No. 21 Clemson a 23-21 victory over South Carolina and leave Gamecocks coach Steve Spurrier with the longest losing streak of his college career.

Key Stat Of The Game: Clemson rushed for 216 yards.

Cismesia Breaks FSU And ACC Field Goal Record

60- Field goal kicked by Gary Cismesia that broke the FSU record of longest field goal held by Sebastian Janikowski of 56 yards in 1997 against Wake Forest. It also broke the ACC record of 57 yards by Vince Fusco ( Duke vs. Clemson, Oct. 16, 1976); Obed Ariri ( Clemson vs. Wake Forest, Oct. 29, 1977) and Chris Gardock (Clemson vs. Appalachian State, Sept. 22, 1990).

99- Rushing yards by FSU.

279- Rushing yards by Florida.

188- Number of passing yards by Drew Weatherford.

3- Number of third down conversions by FSU (3-12).

1- Number of catches by Greg Carr.

2- Number of punts inside the 20 by Florida.